Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Coronavirus Disease-19: Population-Based Study in Iraq

INTRODUCTION: In March 2020, the world health organization declared Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19 a pandemic global communicable disease, there is neither a vaccine nor a treatment for this virus. The aim of the current study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of Iraqi population toward COVID-19. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 272 respondents from different states of Iraq using online administered questionnaires. The questions were adopted from the previous study and consist of three parts mainly socio-demographic, KAP. RESULTS: The majority of the respondents had good knowledge regarding COVID-19 (95.2%). A total of 97.8% of the respondents knew that COVID-19 caused by a virus. Regarding incubation period, 75% of them answer correctly that it is 2–15 days. Higher percept (39%) and 37.9% of participant people considered the disease as a very dangerous and seriously dangerous disease, respectively. The majority (85.3%) of the sample thought that no vaccination available for the disease. More than two-thirds of the sample (76.5%) were wearing face mask sometimes while only 19.5% wearing it all the time. The majority (265) out of 272 was ready to stay home if it required to prevent the spread of the disease. There was a significant association between gender, living state, and COVID-19 knowledge (p = 0.009, <0.0001), respectively. CONCLUSION: The overall knowledge, practice of respondents was good regarding COVID-19. People need to stay at home to prevent the infection and reduce the number of cases

Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs related to drugs among Pahang Matriculation students in Malaysia

Introduction Drug abuse has been a global threat not only in Malaysia but worldwide, especially among adolescents. This is alarming issue had been a serious public health problem worldwide. The aim of the study is to access the knowledge and attitude on drug abuse among Pahang Matriculation students in 2016. Methods A cross¬-sectional study was conducted involving 217 matriculation students. A self-determined questionnaire was distributed among the students regarding knowledge and attitude about drugs. Results The prevalence of good knowledge on drug abuse was (82.03%). The prevalence of students’ attitude on drug abuse has higher number of good attitude with the sum of 182 (83.9 %). Only gender showed a significant association with students’ knowledge (P= 0.046). Conclusion The knowledge, attitude, and practice of drug abuse among Pahang Matriculation students are good

Malnutrition among 3 to 5 Years Old Children in Baghdad City, Iraq: A Cross-sectional Study

The unstable geopolitical situation in Iraq since 2003 still affects the health of people, especially children. Several factors may indirectly affect a child\u2019s nutritional status. The main aim of this study was to identify factors contributing to malnutrition among 3 to 5 years old children in Baghdad city, Iraq. Two hundred twenty children aged 3 to 5 years were chosen randomly from four kindergartens in Baghdad city according to the cross-sectional design. The nutritional status of the children was assessed using a weight-for-age z-score based on the World Health Organization 2007 cutoff points, in which any child with a z-score of <-2 is considered to be malnourished. The overall prevalence rate of underweight children was 18.2%. There was no significant difference in the prevalence rate between males and females (p=0.797). However, the percentage of underweight children was slightly higher among females (18.9%) compared to males (17.6%). There was no association between parents\u2019 educational level or employment status and childhood malnutrition. There was no association between a family\u2019s movement from their house and childhood malnutrition (p=0.322). Living in an unsafe neighbourhood and having a family member killed during the past five years were significantly associated with childhood malnutrition (p=0.016 and 0.018 respectively). Childhood malnutrition is still a public-health concern in Baghdad city, especially after the war of 2003. Malnutrition is significantly associated with living in unsafe neighbourhoods and at least one family member having been killed during the past five years

Alcohol consumption practices among Nepali migrant workers in Shah Alam, Selangor

Malaysia has been considered an industrialized country and there is a demand for manpower in low-skilled jobs which usually filled by migrant workers. Therefore, this study focused to identify the level of alcohol consumption and its associated factors among Nepali migrant workers in Shah Alam, Selangor. A cross-sectional study using a convenient sampling method was conducted among 233 Nepali migrant workers in Shah Alam, Selangor using a self-administered questionnaire. A validated questionnaire (The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test) by WHO was used in the study. The results showed that 60.09% of Nepali workers consumed alcohol with most of them are in low (31.43%) and medium (29.28%) risk level for alcohol consumption. The empirical findings revealed a significant association between income, education level, and peer pressure with alcohol consumption (p value <0.001 respectively). However, the study found no association between age, marital status, years of working, and body mass index with alcohol consumption (p value= 0.44, 0.19, 0.42, 0.40 respectively). In conclusion, most Nepali migrant workers consumed alcohol but in low and medium risk severity. The results highlighted socio-demographic factors such as income and education as well as peer pressure among the important factors affecting alcohol consumption. Thus, it is important to address this issue by creating awareness by conducting health talk and campaign. This can give a clear idea to migrant workers on the health effect of alcohol consumption. More education and promotion are needed to address the health effect of excessive alcohol consumption and work productivity among migrant workers in their own language

Optimisation of rheological parameters, induced bleeding, permeability and mechanical properties of supersulfated cement grouts

Presenting a promising option that could be used to encapsulate nuclear waste material for disposal, supersulfated cement (SSC) is, again, receiving wide attention among research community as a cementitious system that has noteworthy properties. It is also an environmentally friendly cement since it is mainly composed of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) that is activated by a sulphate source such as gypsum, hemihydrate or anhydrite. Although there is some research on SSC, little research work has focused on modelling the effects of the various parameters using a statistical approach which is the aim of this paper. The effect of dosages of GGBS, anhydrite (ANH) and water-to-binder ratio (W/B) on the fresh and rheological parameters, induced bleeding, permeability, compressibility, and compressive strength of supersulfated grouts was investigated. Then, statistical models and isoresponse curves were developed to capture the significant trends of the tested parameters using factorial design approach. The models suggested that that W/B had significantly higher influence on most of the parameters tested while the influence of GGBS and ANH and their interactions varied depending on the parameter in question. The findings of this study show the importance of understanding the role of and optimising the relevant key factors in producing SSC fit-for-purpose. The statistical models developed in this paper can facilitate optimizing the mixture proportions of grouts for target performance by reducing the number of trial batches needed

Malnutrition among 3 to 5 Years Old Children in Baghdad City, Iraq: A Cross-sectional Study

The unstable geopolitical situation in Iraq since 2003 still affects the health of people, especially children. Several factors may indirectly affect a child’s nutritional status. The main aim of this study was to identify factors contributing to malnutrition among 3 to 5 years old children in Baghdad city, Iraq. Two hundred twenty children aged 3 to 5 years were chosen randomly from four kindergartens in Baghdad city according to the cross-sectional design. The nutritional status of the children was assessed using a weight-for-age z-score based on the World Health Organization 2007 cutoff points, in which any child with a z-score of <-2 is considered to be malnourished. The overall prevalence rate of underweight children was 18.2%. There was no significant difference in the prevalence rate between males and females (p=0.797). However, the percentage of underweight children was slightly higher among females (18.9%) compared to males (17.6%). There was no association between parents’ educational level or employment status and childhood malnutrition. There was no association between a family’s movement from their house and childhood malnutrition (p=0.322). Living in an unsafe neighbourhood and having a family member killed during the past five years were significantly associated with childhood malnutrition (p=0.016 and 0.018 respectively). Childhood malnutrition is still a public-health concern in Baghdad city, especially after the war of 2003. Malnutrition is significantly associated with living in unsafe neighbourhoods and at least one family member having been killed during the past five years

Dietary habits, shopping behavior and weight gain during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown among students in a private university in Selangor, Malaysia

Background: Due to the global surge in COVID-19 cases, numerous countries have enforced lockdowns of varying stringency. Social isolation and stay-at-home orders have detrimental effects on one’s lifestyle and dietary habits. This study aimed to assess the dietary patterns, food preferences, shopping behavior and weight gain during the lockdown among students in a private university in Malaysia. Design and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 426 students using convenience sampling method onemonth after initiating the Conditional Movement Control Order (November 15-30, 2020), using a validated self-administered web-based survey. Chi-square test with post-hoc and planned comparison procedures were performed. Results: Of the 426 participants, more than half were females (55.9%). Over half of the surveyed students reported increased eating (51.2%), snacking (55.2%) and online food ordering (71.1%) during the lockdown. Meat products and sweet drinks (both >90%) were the most consumed food among individuals with higher BMI. 45.5% of the participants reported weight gain (mean 3.36, SD 1.61kg) one month after the lockdown. Female, youth (aged 19-24), working remotely, increased eating, snacking, cooking, and online food ordering were positively associated with weight gain. Conclusions: Findings suggested that unintended consequences of lockdown have negative impacts on dietary habits and food preferences among university students. Advocacy and public health measures for nutritional support amidst the pandemic are crucial, especially for at-risk groups such as overweight and obese individuals