Sexually transmitted disease prevention: knowledge, attitudes, and practices among school pupils in rural Ghana

ABSTRACT Introduction: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are serious problems for adolescents and young people. To protect adolescents from these diseases, there is a need to educate them on STD prevention by providing them with relevant information and equipping them with the life skills that will enable them to put knowledge into practice. It is recommended that STD-prevention programmes should take into account sex differences. However, limited data are available on how adolescent boys and girls differ in knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding STD prevention in the same study setting. Aim: To examine sex differences in knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding STD prevention among junior secondary school pupils in the Kassena-Nankana district, Ghana. Design: This research report is based on secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional knowledge,attitude, and practice survey of sexual and reproductive health conducted among junior secondary school pupils in the Kassena-Nankana district in 2005. The original survey had been carried out before the subject ‘Adolescent sexual and reproductive health’ was initiated in junior secondary schools in this district as an intervention study. Responses from 6,225 school pupils aged 10-19 years (3,011 schoolboys and 3,214 schoolgirls) were analysed using StataTM version 9.0 software. Results: The study found that school pupils had unsatisfactory knowledge about STDs; boys tended to be more knowledgeable than girls (p < 0.05). In terms of attitude towards condom use, a significantly higher percentage of boys (70%) compared with girls (61%) felt confident about insisting on condom use whenever they had sex. However, boys were more likely to be involved in sexual risk behaviours than girls. Eighteen percent of boys and 8% of girls reported being sexually experienced (p < 0.05). Boys started having sex earlier than girls (at 14.5 compared with 15.1 years, p < 0.05). Sixty-two percent of boys had sex with multiple partners compared with 32% of girls (p < 0.05). The mean number of lifetime sexual partners of boys and girls was 4.2 and 2.5, respectively (p < 0.05). The percentage of people reporting non-use of condoms during last sexual encounter was significantly higher among boys (37%) than girls (29%). Differences were observed in association of knowledge and attitudes regarding STD prevention with sexual activities among both boys and girls

‘Never testing for HIV’ among Men who have Sex with Men in Viet Nam: results from an internet-based cross-sectional survey

© 2013 García et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background Men who have sex with men in Viet Nam have been under-studied as a high-risk group for HIV infection, and this population’s percentage and determinants of HIV testing have not been comprehensively investigated. Methods A national Internet-based survey of self-reported sexual and health seeking behaviours was conducted between August and October 2011 with 2077 Vietnamese men who had sex with men in the last twelve months to identify the frequency of ‘never testing for HIV’ among Internet-using MSM living in Viet Nam, as well as the factors associated with this HIV-related high-rish behavior. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the demographic characteristics and behaviours predicting never testing for HIV. Results A total of 76.5% of men who have sex with men who were surveyed reported never having been voluntarily tested for HIV. Predictors of never being tested included having a monthly income less than VND 5 Million, being a student, using the Internet less than 15 hour per week, and not participating in a behavioural HIV intervention. Conclusions Never testing for HIV is common among Internet-using men who have sex with men in Viet Nam. Given the dangerously high prevalence of this high-risk behaviour, our findings underscore the urgent need for segmented and targeted HIV prevention, care and treatment strategies, focusing on drastically reducing the number of men who have sex with men never testing for HIV in Viet Nam

Village Baseline Study – Site Analysis Report Ma village-Yen Binh district, Vietnam

Ma village, Vinh Kien commune, Yen Binh district, Yen Bai province has been selected to be one of Climate Smart Villages (CSVs) under the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) in Southeast Asia. The village baseline survey (VBS) of Ma village, was therefore conducted as part of the baseline effort. This VBS aimed to provide baseline information at the village level about some basic indicators of natural resource utilization, organizational landscapes, and information networks for weather and agricultural information, which can be compared across sites and monitored over time. The study was conducted using the method developed and provided by CCAFS. The study’s findings show that Ma Village is rich and diverse in natural resources. There are three main resources of vital importance for the local people livelihoods, namely farmland, forest and water resources. However, improper exploitation and management have caused negative impacts on these resources. As mentioned by farmers, in the past, farmland of the village used to be very fertile, but has now become severely degraded due to overexploitation and improper management. Regarding forest resources: before 1980s, natural forests existed in large areas and consisted of valuable timber and wild animals. Today, much of the forest area has been converted to production forests or to food crop production land. Water resources, including lakes, rivers and streams have been severely polluted with pollutants from processing cassava, wood and also from animal husbandry and crop production. Degradation of water, farmland and forest resources are causing increasing challenges to agricultural production and also to other human activities. Results of farmer group discussions also demonstrate that there are 34 organizations operating in the village. Most of them are governmental. Very few are private or non-governmental organizations. The number of organizations involving in food security accounts for nearly 50%, the figure for those involving food crisis is 41.6% and in natural resources management is 25%. Those organizations working in food security and food crisis focus mainly on providing support (financial, seed and agricultural inputs) to local farmers to implement some production activities. Insufficient attention and input spent for sustainable development by these 34 organizations, especially those working in the area of natural resources management, could be one of the main reasons for the degradation and erosion of natural resources. There was no activity supporting Ma Village to develop production systems which can respond well to climate change. The study findings however show that local people are very flexible and creative, especially in exploitation of information. Among media channels, television is the most popular. Nevertheless, organizations, in particular, extension networks, Farmers’ Union, local authorities, etc., also have an important role in information dissemination. Exploitation of information from the internet and mobile phones has also been given attention, but mostly by young people only

Measurement Quality of Life of Rural to Urban Migrants in Ho Chi Minh City by Using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model

Ho Chi Minh City is among the top cities in Vietnam with a high proportion of rural to urban migration. This strongly contributes to the economic growth of the city but challenges the infrastructure, social security services, health care, clean water, education, traffic, safety, and social order which negatively impacts the quality of life. The purpose of this study was to explore the life quality of rural to urban migrants in Ho Chi Minh City. A quantitative method was employed to confirm the measurement model and structural model. Probability sampling was applied for the field survey. The final data of 272 migrants have been analyzed, using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). Social capital, a special resource of the vulnerable like rural to urban migrants has been investigated. This contributes to the theory that both social capital and quality of life have been approached multi-dimensionally. Bonding, bridging, and linking dimensions have all been approached to construct the social capital measurement model. Five aspects of life quality including work, housing, environment, finance, and social cohesion have been measured to reflect the quality of life multi-dimensionally. The research results showed the reliability and validity of the measurement model. The positive impact of social capital on quality of life has empirically been confirmed. The findings implied the prompt strategies for mobilizing social capital effectively and efficiently, including the exploitation of bonding, bridging, and linking to improve the quality of life

Isolation and identification of phenolic compounds from the leaf extract of Cassia alata L.

Cassia alata is one of the most important species of the genus Cassia which is rich in anthraquinones and polyphenols. This plant is used as a medicinal material of which the leaves are known to have laxative and antibiotic properties. In our study, the methanol leaf extract of C. alata showed a significant antibacterial activity against human pathogenic bacteria strains Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. The organic layers such as n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and aqueous layers, were prepared by partitioning the methanol extract with n-hexane and ethyl acetate successively.  We successfully isolated and identified the structures of five compounds from C. alata leaves. Their structures were elucidated by MS and NMR spectroscopic methods as well as comparison with literature data. These compounds were determined to be methyl 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzoate (1), kaempferol (2), (-)epiafzelechin (3), kaempferol-3-O-glucoside (4) and kaempferol-3-O-gentiobioside (5). Keywords. Cassia alata L., epiafzelechin, kaempferol, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, kaempferol-3-O-gentiobioside

Phân vùng khí hậu và đánh giá sự phù hợp của cây trồng trên địa bàn huyện Kỳ Anh, tỉnh Hà Tĩnh

Hầu hết các khuyến cáo nông nghiệp của các huyện thuộc tỉnh Hà Tĩnh đều dựa trên cơ sở về địa giới hành chính và các thông tin dự báo thời tiết, khí hậu ở cấp vùng hoặc cấp tỉnh. Tuy nhiên, trong thực tế, các yếu tố khí hậu biến động không đồng nhất giữa các vùng trong cùng một địa giới vì chúng phụ thuộc nhiều vào các điều kiện tự nhiên như độ cao, địa hình, thảm thực vật. Tương tự như vậy, huyện Kỳ Anh, một huyện ven biển của tỉnh Hà Tĩnh, miền Trung Việt Nam, từ trước tới nay chưa có bản đồ phân vùng khí hậu và đánh giá sự phù hợp của cây trồng dựa trên các cơ sở dữ liệu về đặc điểm tự nhiên như khí hậu, địa hình, độ cao. Mặt khác, người dân huyện Kỳ Anh lại luôn phải đối mặt với các sự kiện thời tiết cực đoan như lũ lụt trong mùa mưa, hạn hán kéo dài nhiều tháng trong mùa khô, rét đậm, rét hại trong mùa đông và gió Tây khô nóng trong mùa hè. Các sự kiện thời tiết cực đoan này đã gây ảnh hưởng rất lớn đến sản xuất nông lâm nghiệp hay sinh kế của người dân địa phương. Vì thế, việc phân vùng khí hậu cũng như đánh giá sự phù hợp của các lọai cây trồng với các tiểu vùng khí hậu trong huyện là rất cần thiết. Báo cáo này sẽ trình bày (1) phương pháp và (2) kết quả của việc nghiên cứu, lập bản đồ phân vùng khí hậu và (3) kết quả đánh giá sự phù hợp của một số loại cây với điều kiện tự nhiên của huyện Kỳ Anh để giúp các cán bộ địa phương chỉ đạo sản xuất nông nghiệp có hiệu quả, tránh được các rủi ro về khí hậu và phát huy tối đa lợi thế của địa phương

Exploring the feasibility of introducing triple artemisinin-based combination therapy in the malaria treatment policy in Vietnam

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the processes regarding changing malaria treatment policies in Vietnam. Moreover, it explores the feasibility of introducing triple artemisinin-based combination therapy (TACT) in Vietnam to support the national malaria control and elimination plan. METHODS: Data were collected via 12 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, combined with a review of policy documents. RESULTS: TACT is considered as a useful backup strategy in case future treatment failures with current artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) would occur. Moreover, TACT is also considered as a promising strategy to prevent the re-establishment of malaria. However, regulatory procedures and implementation timelines for TACT were expected to be lengthy. Therefore, strategies to engage national decision-makers, regulators, and suppliers should be initiated soon, stipulating the benefits of TACT deployment. In Vietnam, a procedure to apply for an import permit without registration that has previously been applied to the introduction of artesunate-pyronaridine was proposed to accelerate the introduction of TACT. Global-level support through the World Health Organization recommendations and prequalification were considered critical for supporting the introduction of TACT in Vietnam. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate approach strategies and early stakeholder engagement will be needed to accelerate the introduction of TACT in Vietnam

Exploring Critical Risk Factors of Office Building Projects

Risks and uncertainty are unavoidable problems in management of projects. Therefore, project managers should not only prevent risks, but also have to respond and manage them. Risk management has become a critical interest subject in the construction industry for both practitioners and researchers. This paper presents critical risk factors of office building projects in the construction phase in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey based on the likelihood and consequence level of risk factors. These factors fell into five groups: (i) financial risk factors; (ii) management risk factors; (iii) schedule risk factors; (iv) construction risk factors; and (v) environment risk factors. The research results showed that critical factors affecting office building projects are natural (i.e., prolonged rain, storms, climate effects) and human-made issues (i.e., soil instability, safety behaviors, owner’s design change) and the schedule-related risk factors contributed to the most significant risks for office buildings projects in the construction phase in Ho Chi Minh City. They give construction management and project management practitioners a new perspective on risks and risk management of office buildings projects in Ho Chi Minh City and are proactive in the awareness, response, and management of risk factors comprehensively

CSA: Thực hành nông nghiệp thông minh với khí hậu ở Việt Nam

During the last five years, Vietnam has been one of the countries most affected by climate change. Severe typhoons, flooding, cold spells, salinity intrusion, and drought have affected agriculture production across the country, from upland to lowland regions. Fortunately for Vietnam, continuous work in developing climate-smart agriculture has been occurring in research organizations and among innovative farmers and entrepreneurs. Application of various CSA practices and technologies to adapt to the impact of climate change in agriculture production have been expanding. However, there is a need to accelerate the scaling process of these practices and technologies in order to ensure growth of agriculture production and food security, increase income of farmers, make farming climate resilient, and contribute to global climate change mitigation. This book aims to provide basic information to researchers, managers, and technicians and extentionists at different levels on what CSA practices and technologies can be up scaled in different locations in Vietnam