Anxiety and depression in Nepal: prevalence, comorbidity and associations

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression are two important contributors to the global burden of disease. In many developing countries, including Nepal, their prevalences are yet to be assessed. METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample of Nepalese adults aged 18–65 years (N = 2100), selected by multistage random cluster sampling and interviewed at home during unannounced visits. The validated questionnaires included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), to detect cases of anxiety (HADS-A), depression (HADS-D) and comorbid anxiety and depression (HADS-cAD), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised Short Form-Neuroticism (EPQRS-N), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life 8-question scale (WHOQOL-8). Logistic regression analyses were used to explore associations of caseness with four groups of variables: demographic, domicile, substance use, and behavioural and health. RESULTS: Age- and gender-adjusted point prevalences of HADS-A, HADS-D and HADS-cAD were 16.1, 4.2 and 5.9 % respectively. In a multivariate model, HADS-A was positively associated with urban residence (AOR = 1.82; p < 0.001) and neuroticism (AOR = 1.32; p < 0.001), and negatively with alcohol consumption (AOR = 0.71; p = 0.041). HADS-D was positively associated with marijuana use (AOR = 3.61; p = 0.017) and negatively with quality of life (QoL) (AOR = 0.86; p < 0.001). HADS-cAD was positively associated with widowhood (AOR = 2.71; p = 0.002), urban residence (AOR = 2.37; p = 0.001), living at altitude ≥2000 m (AOR = 2.32; p = 0.002) and neuroticism (AOR = 1.26; p < 0.001), and negatively with alcohol use (AOR = 0.56; p = 0.026) and QoL (AOR = 0.79; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Depression and anxiety are important mental health conditions in Nepal, and major contributors to public ill health, being very highly prevalent, comorbid and associated with psychosocial burden. They are also linked to the unique topography, habitation and social structure of the country. High prevalence coupled with the disabling nature of these disorders establishes their health-care priority and their importance in national health policy

Comorbidities of psychiatric and headache disorders in Nepal: implications from a nationwide population-based study

Background Headache disorders, anxiety and depression – the major disorders of the brain – are highly comorbid in the western world. Whether this is so in South Asia has not been investigated, but the question is of public-health importance to countries in the region. We aimed to investigate associations, and their direction(s), between headache disorders (migraine, tension-type headache [TTH] and headache on ≥15 days/month) and psychiatric manifestations (anxiety, depression and neuroticism), and how these might affect quality of life (QoL). Methods In a nationwide, cross-sectional survey of the adult Nepalese population (N = 2100), trained interviewers applied: 1) a culturally-adapted version of the Headache-Attributed Restriction, Disability, Social Handicap and Impaired Participation (HARDSHIP) questionnaire to diagnose headache disorders; 2) a validated Nepali version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to detect anxiety (HADS-A), depression (HADS-D) and comorbid anxiety and depression (HADS-cAD); 3) a validated Nepali version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised Short Form-Neuroticism (EPQRS-N); and 4) the World Health Organization Quality of Life 8-question scale (WHOQOL-8). Associations with headache types were analysed using logistic regression for psychiatric caseness and linear regression for neuroticism. Adjustments were made for age, gender, household consumption, habitat, altitude and use of alcohol and marijuana. Results HADS-A was associated with any headache (p = 0.024), most strongly headache on ≥15 days/month (AOR = 3.2) followed by migraine (AOR = 1.7). HADS-cAD was also associated with any headache (p = 0.050, more strongly among females than males [p = 0.047]) and again most strongly with headache on ≥15 days/month (AOR = 2.7), then migraine (AOR = 2.3). Likewise, neuroticism was associated with any headache (p < 0.001), most strongly with headache on ≥15 days/month (B = 1.6), followed by migraine (B = 1.3). No associations were found between HADS-D and any headache type, or between TTH and any psychiatric manifestation. Psychiatric caseness of any sort, when comorbid with migraine or TTH, aggravated the negative impact on QoL (p < 0.001). Conclusion Headache disorders are highly comorbid with anxiety and show associations with neuroticism in Nepal, with negative consequences for QoL. These findings call for reciprocal awareness, and a holistic coordinated approach to management and in the health service. Care for common headache and common psychiatric disorders should be integrated in primary care.publishedVersion© 2016 Risal et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Berbagai Konsep Hilal di Indonesia

The issue of the initial stipulation of the month (especially Ramadan, Shawwal and Zulhijah) in Indonesia to this day has not ended. One reason for the problem of defining the new moon. Admittedly in Indonesia there are a variety of views and opinions regarding the definition of the new moon which between one another seems contradictory. Nahdlatul Ulama defines the hilal to be visible (ruukyat), Muhammadiyah defines enough by reckoning, and the Ministry of Religion (Government) defines the possibility of being seen (let rukyat). Each of these views has advantages and disadvantages, and each of them has a syar'i's basic foundation and their respective knowledge

Alphabet Sign Language Recognition Using Leap Motion Technology and Rule Based Backpropagation-genetic Algorithm Neural Network (Rbbpgann)

Sign Language recognition was used to help people with normal hearing communicate effectively with the deaf and hearing-impaired. Based on survey that conducted by Multi-Center Study in Southeast Asia, Indonesia was on the top four position in number of patients with hearing disability (4.6%). Therefore, the existence of Sign Language recognition is important. Some research has been conducted on this field. Many neural network types had been used for recognizing many kinds of sign languages. However, their performance are need to be improved. This work focuses on the ASL (Alphabet Sign Language) in SIBI (Sign System of Indonesian Language) which uses one hand and 26 gestures. Here, thirty four features were extracted by using Leap Motion. Further, a new method, Rule Based-Backpropagation Genetic Al-gorithm Neural Network (RB-BPGANN), was used to recognize these Sign Languages. This method is combination of Rule and Back Propagation Neural Network (BPGANN). Based on experiment this pro-posed application can recognize Sign Language up to 93.8% accuracy. It was very good to recognize large multiclass instance and can be solution of overfitting problem in Neural Network algorithm

Variabilitas Harga Saham pada Periode Perdagangan dan Bukan Perdagangan (Studi pada Saham-Saham yang Termasuk dalam Kelompok LQ45)

Secara formal pasar modal yang efisien didefinisikan sebagai pasar yang harga-harga sekuritasnya telah mencerminkan semua informasi-informasi yang relevan. Dengan kata lain informasi yang diterima investor dapat mempengaruhi volatilitas saham. Pergerakan (volatilitas) harga saham mencerminkan dua hal yaitu pengaruh dari information arrival (kedatangan informasi) serta noise (Huang et.al ; 2000). Salah satu tantangan bagi investor dalam berhadapan dengan perilaku harga saham yang tidak menentu adalah permasalahan mengenai pengambilan keputusan dalam ketidakpastian (Elton et.al, 2007). Penelitian yang banyak dilakukan dalam behavioural finance adalah mengenai bagaimana orang dapat mengambil keputusan ketika mereka dihadapkan pada risiko. Pengambilan keputusan tersebut lebih dikarenakan oleh perilaku harga saham yang tidak menentu dan dapat berubah sehingga dapat mempengaruhi return saham. Dengan menggunakan model regresi dan observasi data selama empat tahun, penelitian ini mencoba meneliti dampak periode perdagangan dan bukan perdagangan serta size dan volume perdagangan terhadap volatilitas harga saham. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan bahwa menunjukkan bahwa volatilitas return pada periode perdagangan lebih besar daripada return di periode bukan-perdagangan dan volatilitas return pada sesi pembukaan lebih tinggi daripada volatilitas return di sesi penutupan. Selain itu size tidak terbukti mempengaruhi volatilitas harga saham sedangkan volume perdagangan terbukti dapat mempengaruhi volatilitas harga saham. Kata kunci : Volatilitas harga saham, Periode perdagangan dan bukan perdagangan, size dan volume perdaganga

The burden of headache disorders in Nepal: estimates from a population-based survey

Background Headache disorders, particularly migraine and tension-type headache (TTH), are among the most prevalent global public-health problems. Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is a common sequela of mismanagement of these. Migraine and MOH are highly disabling. Formulation of responsive health policy requires reliable, locally-derived, population-based data describing both individual and societal impact of headache disorders. South-East Asia is the only one of WHO’s six world regions in which no such national data have yet been gathered. Methods In a nationwide population-based cross-sectional study, a representative sample of Nepalese-speaking adults (18–65 years) were randomly selected by stratified multistage cluster sampling. Trained interviewers made unannounced door-to-door visits and enquired into headache and its attributable burden using a culturally-adapted and validated Nepalese translation of the Headache-Attributed Restriction, Disability, Social Handicap and Impaired Participation (HARDSHIP) questionnaire. Results Among 2100 participants, 1794 (85.4 %) reported headache during the preceding year (male: 689 [38.4 %], female 1105 [61.6 %]; mean age 36.1 ± 12.6 years). Mean headache frequency was 3.8 ± 6.2 days/month, mean headache intensity 2.1 ± 0.7 on a 0–3 scale, and mean attack duration 41.9 ± 108.5 h. All aspects of symptom burden (frequency, intensity and duration) were greater among females (p < 0.001). Participants with headache had poorer quality of life (QoL) than those without (p < 0.001); QoL was worst among those with probable MOH (pMOH). Mean proportions of total available time spent in the ictal state were 5.4 % among participants with migraine, 3.9 % among those with TTH and 44.7 % among those with pMOH, with headache-related disabilities of 2.4, 0.15 and 9.7 % respectively. At population level, these disorders were responsible for reduced functional capacities of 0.81, 0.06 and 0.20 %. Total lost productive time due to headache was 6.8 % for the 85 % of the population with headache. Males lost more paid worktime than females (p < 0.001); the reverse was so for household worktime (p < 0.001). Conclusions Headache disorders, very common in Nepal, are also highly burdensome at both individual and population levels. There is a substantial penalty in lost production. The remedy lies in better health care for headache; structured headache-care services are urgently needed in the country, and likely to be cost-saving.publishedVersion© 2016 Manandhar et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Dinamika Gugur Daun Dan Produksi Berbagai Klon Karet Kaitannya Dengan Kandungan Air Tanah

Curah hujan berpengaruh terhadap ketersediaan air tanah. Pada waktu musim kemarau curah hujan menurun sehingga air menjadi faktor pembatas bagi pertumbuhan tanaman karet. Dengan adanya keterbatasan air pada waktu musim kemarau tersebut tanaman karet melakukan adaptasi untuk mengurangi transpirasi dengan cara menggugurkan daunnya. Beberapa jenis klon karet memiliki tipe yang berbeda-beda dalam menggugurkan daunnya karena adanya defisit air dalam tanah, yaitu klon karet yang serentak maupun yang bertahap dalam menggugurkan daunnya pada waktu musim kemarau. Oleh karena itu perlu diadakan suatu penelitian tentang dinamika gugur daun berbagai klon karet kaitannya dengan kandungan air tanah dan produksi pada daerah selatan khatulistiwa. Bahan yang dipakai dalam penelitian ini adalah tanaman karet klon BPM 24, GT 1, RRIC 100 dan PB 260 tahun tanam 2000. Alat yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah alat pengukur kadar air tanah Troxler Sentry 200 AP, oven, dan pipa pralon. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Kebun Percobaan Balai Penelitian Sembawa. Penelitian dilaksanakan dengan cara menanam pipa pralon ke dalam tanah sepanjang 1,5 m di dalam barisan tanaman dan di dalam gawangan tanaman karet. Parameter yang diamati meliputi kadar air tanah, produksi, waktu terjadinya gugur daun, luas daun spesifik, dan indeks luas daun (ILD). Data hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa klon PB 260 lebih dahulu menggugurkan daunnya dibandingkan dengan klon BPM 24, RRIC 100, dan GT 1. Produksi karet mulai menurun saat ILD mencapai angka sekitar 1 atau menurun sebesar 40%. Konsumsi air klon GT 1 relatif lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan klon BPM 24, RRIC 100 dan PB 260. Diterima : 25 Januari 2011; Disetujui : 1 Juni 2011How to Cite : Ardika, R., Cahyo, A.N., & Wijaya, T. (2011). Dinamika gugur daun dan produksi berbagai klon karet kaitannya dengan kandungan air tanah. Jurnal Penelitian Karet, 29(2), 102-109. Retrieved from http://ejournal.puslitkaret.co.id/index.php/jpk/article/view/24

Estimating the prevalence and burden of major disorders of the brain in Nepal: methodology of a nationwide population-based study

BACKGROUND: The major disorders of the brain (MDBs), in terms of their prevalence and the burdens of ill health, disability and financial cost that they impose on individuals and society, are headache, depression and anxiety. No population-based studies have been conducted in Nepal. AIM: Our purpose was to assess the prevalence and burden attributable to MDBs in Nepal in order to inform health policy. Here we report the methodology. METHODS: The unusual sociocultural diversity and extreme geographical variation of the country required adaptation of standard methodology. We ran pre-pilot and pilot studies before embarking on the main study. The study design was cross-sectional. The population of interest were adults aged 18–65 years who were Nepali speaking and living in Nepal. We selected, employed and trained groups of interviewers to visit randomly selected households by cold-calling. Households were selected from 15 representative districts out of 75 in the country through multistage cluster sampling. One participant was selected randomly from each household. We used structured questionnaires (the HARDSHIP questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire -Neuroticism), culturally adapted and translated into Nepali. We recorded blood pressure, weight, height and waist circumference, and altitude of each household. We implemented various quality-assurances measures. RESULTS: We completed the survey in one month, prior to onset of the monsoon. Among 2,210 selected households, all were contacted, 2,109 were eligible for the study and, from these, 2,100 adults participated. The participation rate was 99.6%. CONCLUSION: Standard methodology was successfully applied in Nepal, with some adaptations. The sociocultural and extraordinary geographic diversity were challenging, but did not require us to compromise the scientific quality of the study

MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN LITERASI BACA MELALUI MEDIA KARTU BACA DALAM PROGRAM KAMPUS MENGAJAR DI SDN PAGANDONGAN

ABSTRAKHasil-hasil penelitian Internasional menunjukkan bahwa kemampuan literasi siswa Indonesia secara umum tergolong rendah. Peserta didik kita di Indonesia belum menjadikan kegiatan membaca dan menulis sebagai kegiatan sehari-hari. Lewat Program Kampus Mengajar ini memberikan tanggung jawab yang tidak hanya berfokus pada bantuan mengajar, namun program ini bertujuan untuk membantu meningkatkan kemampuan literasi peserta didik. Kegiatan ini dikhususkan pada siswa siswi SDN Pagandongan yang belum lancar atau tidak tahu sama sekali membaca. Di setiap kelas setidaknya memiliki satu sampai empat siswa yang tidak mampu membaca ataupun memahami bacaannya. Metode pengabdian yang digunakan merupakan metode pelatihan dan pendampingan terkait penggunaan kartu baca, dengan kartu baca kami dapat mengukur dan mengetahui kemajuan peserta didik dalam pelatihan literasi. Pelatihan dan pendampingan ini dilaksanakan sepanjang penugasan kampus mengajar yaitu selama 4 bulan lamanya dengan 13 siswa dari beberapa kelas. Hasil yang diperoleh dari kegiatan meningkatkan kemampuan literasi melalui kartu baca ini memberikan dampak yang baik dengan meningkatnya kemampuan literasi peserta didik, kegiatan ini juga menumbuhkan kebiasaan-kebiasaan baik dengan memulai penerapan literasi sebelum pembelajaran dimulai. Kata kunci: kampus mengajar; kartu baca; kemampuan literasi ABSTRACTThe results of international research show that the literacy skills of Indonesian students are generally relatively low. Our students in Indonesia have not yet made reading and writing activities their daily activities. The Teaching Campus Program provides responsibilities that do not only focus on teaching assistance, but this program aims to help improve students' literacy skills. This activity is specifically for Pagandongan Elementary School students who are not yet fluent or don't know how to read at all. Each class has at least one to four students who are unable to read or understand what they are reading. The service method used in this article is a training and mentoring method related to the use of reading cards. With reading cards we can measure and determine students' progress in literacy training. The results obtained from this activity to improve literacy skills through reading cards have a good impact by increasing students' literacy skills. This activity also fosters good habits by starting to apply literacy before learning begins. Keywords: literacy skills;read card;teaching campus