Prevalence of hypertension among diabetic patients attending diabetic clinic at teaching hospital, Batticaloa

Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Hypertension are most common disorders in world population. Both are chronic medical conditions that frequently co-exist. It is a cross sectional descriptive study involving simple random sample of hundred diabetic patients who are attending to Diabetic clinics at Teaching Hospital, Batticaloa. Prevalence of hypertension among diabetic patients was 59%. Type of DM, family history of hypertension, lipid disorders had influence on development of Hypertension among DM patients (p<0.05). Prevalence of Hypertension among DM patients was moderately high. Awareness about complication of Hypertension and DM was inadequate in the sample studie

The influence of common risk factors for the patient with attempted suicide hospitalized at the teaching hospital, Batticaloa

Suicidal behavior has increased since the onset of the global recession, a trend that may have long-term health and social implications. A high suicide rate in any society is an index of social disorganization and the awareness of the seriousness of suicide in our society would not be overlooked. Aim of this study was to assess the common risk factors for the patients with attempted suicide hospitalized at the Teaching Hospital, Batticaloa. A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted using semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire involving a convenience sampling of 100 suicidal attempters. Of the respondents, conflict with others was the most common risk factor (75%) for attempted suicide with significant associations with educational status, marital status and age range (P < 0.05). Other risk factors such as social and emotional related issues, financial related problems, and health related problems were found 13%, 6% and 6% respectively. Frequent mode of attempting suicide was with Yellow Oleander poisoning (30%). Effective suicide preventive and control measures need to be taken in the form of early identification of suicide-prone individuals. Prevention efforts should focus on planned attempts because of the rapid onset and unpredictability of unplanned attempts

Knowledge, Perception and Practices Regarding COVID-19 among frontline Nurses at Selected hospitals in Sri Lanka during COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The World Health Organization confirmed the COVID-19 epidemic situation as a public health emergency and is an emerging public health problem that has threatened millions of lives worldwide. Since COVID-19 has significantly affected the healthcare system globally, it is essential to update healthcare workers especially frontline nurses on the best practices for the proper management of the disease. The study aimed to assess Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices regarding COVID-19 among frontline nurses at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, and Base Hospital Mawanella in Sri Lanka. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 257 frontline nurses from main three hospitals in Sri Lanka from June 2020 to December 2021. A validated, pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Kruskal Wallis test and Chi-square test were applied to find significant factors associated with good knowledge, using SPSS version 25. Results: The average age of the 257 participants was (31.8 ± 6.6) years and most (95%) of them were female. Of them, 79.4% had good knowledge, and the knowledge level of the nurses was significantly associated with their marital status (p=0.04) and their participation in the COVID-19 management workshop or lecture (p ≤0.001). There was a statistically significant median score difference between participants’ knowledge, and three hospitals (p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that the nurses had overall good knowledge, positive perception, and good practice on COVID-19. This study highlighted the factors influencing knowledge about COVID-19 that must be addressed in future education, awareness, and preparing the programs

Prevalence of risk factors for Non-communicable diseases, work-related health problems and associated factors among male three-wheeler drivers in Gampaha Urban Council area, Sri Lanka

Background and objective: Driving is associated with various occupational health problems and the nature of the job creates a greater risk for Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among the drivers. We aimed to determine the prevalence of risk factors for NCDs, work-related health problems and its associated factors among three-wheeler drivers in Gampaha Urban Council area, Western Province, Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 289 randomly selected three-wheeler drivers. A pre-tested, validated interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive and relevant inferential statistics were used to analyze data by using SPSS v20. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with common work-related health problems. Results: Among all participants, 80% were using alcoholic beverages, 35% of them were currently smoking and 39% of them had the habit of betel chewing. The mean body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) of the participants were 25.28 (±4.37) kg/m2 and 92.17 (±11.61) cm respectively. The prevalence of work-related health problems among the participants were low back pain (35%, 95% CI = 29.78–40.80), hypertension (32%, 95% CI = 33.14–44.37), obesity based on BMI (30%, 95% CI = 24.49–35.03). Working experience of ≥10 years (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI = 1.16–4.51), sitting for ≥6 hours/day during driving (AOR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.03–4.82), not following regular exercise (AOR = 2.54, 95% CI = 1.02–6.37), having snacks ≥ twice/day (AOR = 3.06, 95% CI = 1.52–6.18) and WC ≥90 cm (AOR = 37.00, 95% CI = 11.00–123.99) were the factors associated with obesity. Conclusion: Tobacco and alcohol use, high BMI, inadequate physical activity, and unhealthy eating habits were found as the major risk factors for NCDs among three-wheeler drivers. The prevalence of work-related health problems was relatively high and job characteristics were the major determinant of most health problems

The prevalence and related factors of pre‐diabetes and diabetes among overweight and obese children in Urban schools

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of pre‐diabetes and diabetes among overweight and obese children in urban schools and factors associated with them, in Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka. Methods: A school based cross‐sectional descriptive study was conducted to collect data on socio-demographic information, eating habits and physical activities, using a validated, pre-tested questionnaire. In addition, anthropometric measurements and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) test were performed. Multivariate logistic regression analyze was performed to identify the factors associated with glycemic status by using SPSS v23. Results: Out of the 269 children recruited, 59% were obese. Prevalence of pre‐diabetes (HbA1c 5.7%–6.4%) and diabetes (HbA1c ≥ 6.5%) were 20.1% (95% CI 15.5%–25.4%) and 3.3% (95% CI 1.5%–6.3%) respectively. Multivariate regression shows that having a BMI of ≥ 27.5Kg/m2 (AOR=2.69), male gender (AOR=2.71) and ethnicity (AOR = 2.58) were found to be significant factors for higher HbA1c (≥5.7%). Conclusions: Prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes among overweight and obese school children was high and mainly associated with body weight which is a modifiable risk factor. Lifestyle modifications focusing on weight reduction among overweight and obese school children especially boys, need to be carried out