11 research outputs found

    Lifestyle and occupation risk factors for poor semen quality: a cross sectional study in Sri Lanka

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    Background: Infertility is a major problem all around the world. According to WHO, the rate of infertility is approximately 15% worldwide and it differ from geographical location, ethnicity and social status. Lifestyle habits, environmental and occupational hazards, physical parameters can be recognized as major risk factors which may affect male infertility. The objective of this study was to determine factors associated with male infertility in Sri Lankan context.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 299 individuals participated for an infertility clinic at Castle Street Teaching Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Socio-demographic, occupational and environmental characteristics were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire. Semen samples were collected from each participant for laboratory investigations. Sperm concentration and motility were measured.Results: Out of total participants, 30.1% of participants had a sperm concentration of <15×10⁶ and the sperm motility was <32% in 34.7% participants.  Older age, tobacco smokers, using tight under wears and individuals exposed to either heat or chemical hazards were identified as risk groups with low sperm concentration and low semen volume. In addition, older age, individuals using tight under wears and individuals exposed to either heat or chemical hazards were significantly associated with low or abnormal sperm mortality. Individuals having diabetes showed a significantly higher non-motility rate of sperms. Alcohol usage, betel chewing, mumps, special radiation exposure, body mass index and waist circumference were not significantly associated with semen parameters in study population.Conclusions: Older age, tobacco smoking, wearing tight underwear, occupational exposures, and diabetes mellitus has shown a risk for the generation of poor semen parameters, which can lead to male infertility. Furthermore, it is very important to carry out extended studies regarding this problem to establish the effect of above factors

    Association of the level of cognition and obesity among middle-aged adults in Sri Lanka

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    Background: Cognition is the collection of an intellectual process, such as perception, thinking, and reasoning for goal-directed behaviours. The obesity-associated cognitive functions (CFs) was varied due to inconsistency of the findings and it is also context bounded. The objective was to assess the association between cognitive function and obesity among middle-aged adults in Sri Lanka.Methods: A descriptive study was conducted among middle-aged adults aged between 50-60 years in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. While Generalized obesity was estimated by the WHO cutoff of body mass index (BMI) while the central obesity was determined using and waist hip ratio (WHR). CFs was assessed using a validated Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) and the Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) tools.Results: The study sample consisted of 83 subjects of each obese and normal weight categories, while 50% were females. Middle-aged adults with obesity showed significantly lower CF scores in both MoCA and MMSE compared to the normal-weight adults (p<0.01). In addition, lower MMSE scores were significantly associated with high WHR values (p<0.05). The level of education of adults was a significant predictor of cognitive functions among middle-aged adults (p<0.05).Conclusions: Therefore, the results further confirmed that obesity-associated cognitive impairment among middle-aged adults and further research is warranted to clarify the cause and effect relationship between obesity and body composition.

    Nutritional status and correlated socio-economic factors among preschool and school children in plantation communities, Sri Lanka

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    Abstract Background Child malnutrition is a major public health concern worldwide, leading to higher morbidity and mortality. It is mostly preventable through public health and economic development. The aim of the present study was to determine socio-economic factors associated with nutritional status among children in plantation communities, Sri Lanka. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed among preschool and school going children in three rural communities of Sri Lanka from January to August 2014. Demographic and household characteristics were documented and anthropometric measurements were collected to calculate weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ) and BMI-for-age (BAZ). Anthroplus, epiinfo and SPSS versions were used for the analysis of data. Results A total of 547 children (aged 1–15 years, mean 7.0 ± 3.6 years, 53% female) participated in the study. 35.6%, 26.9% and 32.9% of children were underweight, stunting and wasting respectively. Undernutrition was more common in primary school children. Maternal employment, high number of siblings, high birth orders and female children were significantly associated with undernutrition among preschool children. Living in small houses, large number of family members, low monthly income and maternal employment were significantly associated with undernutrition among school children. Conclusions Child undernutrition is a major public health concern in the plantation sector, Sri Lanka. Health education programs among the study population could be effective for solving the problem

    Leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka: spatial distribution and seasonal variations from 2009 to 2016

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    Abstract Background Leishmaniasis is listed as one of the eight neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organization and the number of cases in endemic areas has seen a sharp rise in the past decade. More alarmingly, reports have shown that leishmaniasis is spreading to non-endemic areas of the world due to co-infection with HIV. In Sri Lanka, leishmaniasis is considered as a notifiable disease from 2008 and has seen a rising trend of incidence since then. This is the first study describing the burden, seasonal variation and spatial distribution of leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka since the disease has been included as a notifiable disease. Methods Data on health statistics from 2009 to 2016 were obtained from published databases maintained by the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka. Climatic data for Sri Lanka were obtained from the Department of Meteorology and the populations in administrative districts were obtained from the Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. Descriptive spatiotemporal analysis, correlation between leishmaniasis incidence and climatic variables were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Results The total number of people reported with leishmaniasis during the study period was 8487. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the prominent form in Sri Lanka while few visceral and muco-cutaneous cases were reported. Although leishmaniasis patients were identified from all 25 districts in the island, almost 90% of the total caseload was reported from Anuradhapura, Hambantota, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala and Matara districts. The highest number of patients was reported from the Anuradhapura district and the highest incidence per 100,000 persons was reported from the Hambantota district. The disease has a seasonal trend, a peak of leishmaniasis occur in July to September in the north-central region and in October to December in the southern region. Maximum temperature, humidity and wind speed are significantly associated climatic variables with leishmaniasis in endemic regions. Conclusions Leishmaniasis is an emerging public health problem in north-central and southern Sri Lanka. Public awareness programs for the prevention and control of the disease in endemic regions are essential to reduce the incidence of leishmaniasis

    Prevalence and intensity of Ascaris lumbricoides infections in relation to undernutrition among children in a tea plantation community, Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional study

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    Abstract Background Ascaris lumbricoides infections are one of the commonnest intestinal nematode infections in the world, with a profound negative effect on nutritional status among underprivileged populations. In Sri Lanka, Ascaris infections and low nutritional status still persist in the plantation sector. However, research regarding the association between Ascaris infections and nutritional status is scarce. The main purpose of this study was to determine the association between Ascaris infections and physical growth among children in a plantation sector in Sri Lanka. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted among 489 children aged between 1 and 12 years ina plantation sector, Sri Lanka, from January to April 2013. Anthropometric measurements were collected to assess height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ) and weight-for-height (WHZ) to determine stunting, underweight and wasting respectively. Data on socio-demographic and antihelminthic treatment were ascertained using an interviewer administrated structured questionnaire. Stool samples were subjected to wet mount preparation followed byformaldehyde-ether sedimentation technique to diagnose Ascaris infection and a Kato Katz technique was performed to determine the eggs intensity. AnthroPlus, EpiInfo and SPSS software was used to analyze data. Results Of the study sample, 38.4% showed Ascaris lumbricoides infections. Light intensity infections (51%) were common in the infected children, followed by moderate (30%) and heavy (19%) infections. Prevalence of Ascaris infections was significantly associated with de-worming more than six months prior to the study. Prevalence of undernutrition among children was 61.7%. Forty-five per cent were underweight, while 24.1% and 21.5% of children were stunted and wasted respectively. However, no significant association was found between Ascaris infections status and undernutrition. Meanwhile, heavy intensity infections were associated with decreased values of WHZ (p = 0.020). Conclusions Ascaris infections and undernutrition are still highly prevalent and a major public health problem in the plantation sector in Sri Lanka. Health and nutrition intervention programs should be implemented to increase the nutritional status of children

    Spatial distribution of COVID-19 patients in Sri Lanka

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    Abstract Background A new type of viral pneumonia, which has been named Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) began in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and has spread across the world since then. It has claimed more than 370 million confirmed cases and over 5.6 million deaths have been reported globally by the end of January 2022. This study aimed to analyze the trends, highly-nuanced patterns, and related key results relative to COVID-19 epidemiology in Sri Lanka. Methods Data on COVID-19 from March 2020 to January 2022 were obtained from published databases maintained by the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka and information regarding populations in administrative districts was obtained from the Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. Descriptive spatiotemporal analysis and autocorrelations were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Results In Sri Lanka, the first case of COVID-19 was a Chinese national and the first local case was identified in the second week of March. As of 31st of January 2022, a total of 610,103 COVID-19 cases had been recorded in the country, and 15,420 patients had died. At the beginning, the disease was mainly concentrated in the Western province and with time, it spread to other provinces. However, very low numbers of patients were identified in the North, Eastern, North Central, and Uva provinces until April 2021. The peak of COVID-19 occurred in August and September 2021 in all provinces in Sri Lanka. Then a decreasing trend of COVID-19 cases showed after September 2021. Conclusions COVID-19 is an emerging public health problem in Western and Southern Sri Lanka where the population density is high. A decreasing trend of COVID-19 cases showed in all provinces after September 2021. Public awareness programs for the prevention and control of the disease in endemic regions are essential to reduce the incidence of this infection
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