Comparative analysis of computer-based nutrition education in primary schools of Lahore and Vienna

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was twofold. It aimed to implement and evaluate a computer-based nutrition education intervention in the primary schools of Pakistan and to explore the acceptability of such a program in the Pakistani context. Secondly, the study attempted to compare results of the present study with the study results of ‘Cool Food Planet Kidz’ (Kreisel K, 2004). DESIGN The study design was multi-factorial with repeated measurements. SETTING 11 Primary schools of Lahore, Pakistan PARTICIPANTS Schoolchildren of 8-11 years of age METHODS In a two-week school-based nutrition education intervention, comparison group received nutrition education through worksheets, card and board games. Intervention group used computer-based tool along with worksheets, card and board games. Control group was not provided nutrition education. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Nutrition knowledge was (mean number of correct answers) assessed in each child at baseline, post-intervention and three months’ follow-up. ANALYSIS Chi square, Mann-Whitney U test and General Linear Model (GLM), with repeated measures were used. RESULTS The nutrition knowledge increased significantly in both intervention and comparison groups (p<0.001). No tangible difference was observed at post-intervention and follow-up between the two groups. The intervention effect was significantly maintained at three months’ follow-up, indicating the retention of the nutrition knowledge. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Computer-based tools were found helpful in disseminating nutrition education. However, they were not the panacea. Other creative mediums were almost equally effective in disseminating nutrition knowledge. The low level of nutrition knowledge urgently demands incorporation of the nutrition education in the school curriculum.ZIEL Das Ziel der Studie war einerseits die Einführung und Evaluierung einer computergestützten Interventionsmaßnahme im Bereich der Ernährungsbildung in pakistanischen Grundschulen und andererseits die Prüfung der Akzeptanz eines Programms dieser Art. Weiters wurden die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Studie mit den Resultaten des Projektes „Cool Food Planet Kidz“ (Kreisel K, 2003) verglichen. STUDIENDESIGN Die Studie war multifaktoriell, wobei mehrmalig Messungen durchgeführt wurden. SITUATION 11 pakistanische Grundschulen (in Lahore) TEILNEHMER Schulkinder im Alter von 8 bis 10 Jahren METHODEN Zweiwöchige Interventionsmaßnahme im Bereich der Ernährungsbildung in Schulen. Die Vergleichsgruppe erhielt eine Schulung in Form von Arbeitsblättern, Brett- und Kartenspielen. Die Interventionsgruppe verwendete begleitend zu diesen Schulungsmaßnahmen das computergestützte Programm. Die Kontrollgruppe erhielt keine Ernährungsbildung. ERGEBNISSE Das ernährungsbezogene Wissen (durchschnittliche Anzahl korrekter Antworten) wurde bei jedem Kind vor Beginn, unmittelbar bzw. drei Monate nach der Intervention (Follow-Up), gemessen. AUSWERTUNG Es wurde die Auswertung nach wiederholten Messungen mittels Chi-Quadrat- und Mann-Whitney-U-Test sowie mittels allgemeinem linearen System (GLM) durchgeführt. ERGEBNISSE Sowohl in der Interventions- als auch in der Vergleichsgruppe stieg das Ernährungswissen nach Intervention signifikant an (p<0,001). Allerdings konnten zwischen den beiden Gruppen keine relevanten Unterschiede sowohl nach Intervention als auch beim Follow-Up festgestellt werden. Der Effekt der Intervention war bei der Kontrolle des erworbenen Wissens nach drei Monaten signifikant. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG UND INTERPRETATION Die Anwendung des Computers wurde zur Vermittlung von Ernährungswissen als hilfreich empfunden. Trotzallem ist dieses nicht das sprichwörtliche Allheilmittel. Andere gestalterische Medien waren nahezu gleich gut geeignet, ernährungsbezogenes Wissen zu vermitteln. Der geringe Grad des Ernährungswissens erfordert dringend die Einbindung der Ernährungslehre in den Lehrplan

Study On Pattern Of Obsessive Behaviors And Thoughts In A State Of Anxiety In Teenagers

Objective: To determine pattern of obsessive behaviors and thoughts in a state of anxiety in teenagers (14-18 years) of age. Study Design: Cross sectional   Methodology: We conducted research on teenagers of different cities of Pakistan. We selected about 100 student s of age 14-18 years, out of which 55 were girls and 45 were boys of schools, colleges and academies. DASS (depression anxiety stress scale) was used as instrument. Results: Our study showed that 30 students (30%) felt that everything was alright and nothing bad will happen at any time. Similarly same number of teenagers was never afraid for any reason in their day to day lives. We found that about 24(24%) never had any frightened feeling whereas about same number had flushing of face in embarrassing situation sometimes. About 18(18%) teenagers complained of worrying thoughts sometimes at night whereas about same number had a good night sleep all of the time. About 38 teenagers (38%) neither faced difficulty in swallowing  in a tense situation nor did they avoid eating in public places in a similar situation. Many students felt afraid of participating in extracurricular activities i.e. about 24 students (24%). However they willingly participated in group discussions. About 55 students (55%) were neither afraid of participating in group discussion nor in extracurricular activities. Conclusion: Obsessive behaviors and thoughts were uneasy feelings (like butterflies) in stomach, hot and flushed face, feeling frightened or scared, worrying thoughts at night and difficulty falling asleep

Policy analysis of girls’ primary school completion in rural Sindh: Root causes and policy recommendations using IIEP education policy toolbox

This report emerged from the policy analysis work produced as part of the course titled ‘Diagnostic tools for improving education policy planning’ by the IIEP-UNESCO with support from KIX. This course enabled us to explore diagnostic tools and their implications, specifically for developing countries, and helped the team unpack diagnostic tools and learn the history of their evolution. We further learned how the education management information system works and how data is essential for policy decisions. Finally, we engaged with real policy analysis using the IIEP Education Policy Toolbox. As a team, we chose to study the issue of girls’ completion of primary education in two districts of the Sindh province: Larkana and Dadu. Using the Policy Toolbox, we made a policy decision tree, gathered data that could help us understand each factor and then made policy decisions and forward policy recommendations

Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, and Antimicrobial Potential of Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized using Tradescantia pallida Extract

Silver nanoparticles have received much attention, due to their wide range of biological applications as an alternative therapy for disease conditions utilizing the nanobiotechnology domain for synthesis. The current study was performed to examine the antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial, and antifungal potential of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (TpAgNPs) using plant extract. The TpAgNPs were produced by reacting the Tradescantia pallida extract and AgNO3 solution in nine various concentration ratios subjected to bioactivities profiling. According to the current findings, plant extract comprising phenolics, flavonoids, and especially anthocyanins played a critical role in the production of TpAgNPs. UV–visible spectroscopy also validated the TpAgNP formation in the peak range of 401–441 nm. Further, the silver ion stabilization by phytochemicals, face-centered cubic structure, crystal size, and spherical morphology of TpAgNPs were analyzed by FTIR, XRD, and SEM. Among all TpAgNPs, the biosynthesized TpAgNP6 with a medium concentration ratio (5:10) and the plant extract had effective antioxidant potentials of 77.2 ± 1.0% and 45.1 ± 0.5% free radical scavenging activity, respectively. The cytotoxic activity of TpAgNP6 in comparison to plant extract for the rhabdomyosarcoma cell line was significantly the lowest with IC50 values of 81.5 ± 1.9 and 90.59 ± 1.6 μg/ml and cell viability % of 24.3 ± 1.62 and 27.4 ± 1.05, respectively. The antibacterial and antifungal results of TpAgNPs revealed significant improvement in comparison to plant extract, i.e., minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) 64 μg/ml against Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa while, in the case of antifungal assay, TpAgNP6 was active against Candida parapsilosis. These TpAgNPs play a crucial role in determining the therapeutic potential of T. pallida due to their biological efficacy

Exploring the National Nursing Research Priorities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and Overcoming the Associated Challenges: An Expert Opinion

Background: Nurses play a significant role in contributing to various health priorities globally, including research. Identifying the status of national nursing research priorities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is crucial to cultivating these priorities. This expert opinion paper highlights the existing status of national nursing research priorities in Eastern Mediterranean Region countries concerning their existence and publicity. Methods: Experts from nine Eastern Mediterranean Region countries, including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, contributed to this report. They participated by completing a cross-sectional survey and providing a narrative description of their opinions. Results: The findings revealed that 58% of the participating countries have existing national nursing research priorities, while 25.8% do not, and 16% are under development. Governmental organizations developed the largest portion of the priorities (38%). Midwives were not considered in half of the published priorities. The vast majority of national nursing research priorities (65%) were developed by experts' opinions and consensus, and 33% only have an associated strategy, outcome measures, and/or funding opportunities. Generally, most published research priorities were not updated regularly. Conclusion: Eastern Mediterranean Region countries face a challenge with the need for more nurses, which may hinder their involvement in research projects or continued education. Despite this, all countries involved in this report emphasized the importance of developing nursing education and research as priorities for improving their current nursing workforce. Health policymakers, nurse practitioners, academic researchers, educators, and nursing leaders should collaborate to develop operational plans to foster national nursing education and research. Categories: Public Health, Epidemiology/Public Health, He

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Prospective, multicentre study of screening, investigation and management of hyponatraemia after subarachnoid haemorrhage in the UK and Ireland

Background: Hyponatraemia often occurs after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). However, its clinical significance and optimal management are uncertain. We audited the screening, investigation and management of hyponatraemia after SAH. Methods: We prospectively identified consecutive patients with spontaneous SAH admitted to neurosurgical units in the United Kingdom or Ireland. We reviewed medical records daily from admission to discharge, 21 days or death and extracted all measurements of serum sodium to identify hyponatraemia (&lt;135 mmol/L). Main outcomes were death/dependency at discharge or 21 days and admission duration &gt;10 days. Associations of hyponatraemia with outcome were assessed using logistic regression with adjustment for predictors of outcome after SAH and admission duration. We assessed hyponatraemia-free survival using multivariable Cox regression. Results: 175/407 (43%) patients admitted to 24 neurosurgical units developed hyponatraemia. 5976 serum sodium measurements were made. Serum osmolality, urine osmolality and urine sodium were measured in 30/166 (18%) hyponatraemic patients with complete data. The most frequently target daily fluid intake was &gt;3 L and this did not differ during hyponatraemic or non-hyponatraemic episodes. 26% (n/N=42/164) patients with hyponatraemia received sodium supplementation. 133 (35%) patients were dead or dependent within the study period and 240 (68%) patients had hospital admission for over 10 days. In the multivariable analyses, hyponatraemia was associated with less dependency (adjusted OR (aOR)=0.35 (95% CI 0.17 to 0.69)) but longer admissions (aOR=3.2 (1.8 to 5.7)). World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies grade I–III, modified Fisher 2–4 and posterior circulation aneurysms were associated with greater hazards of hyponatraemia. Conclusions: In this comprehensive multicentre prospective-adjusted analysis of patients with SAH, hyponatraemia was investigated inconsistently and, for most patients, was not associated with changes in management or clinical outcome. This work establishes a basis for the development of evidence-based SAH-specific guidance for targeted screening, investigation and management of high-risk patients to minimise the impact of hyponatraemia on admission duration and to improve consistency of patient care