Perceived changes in the mental well‐being among Nigerians due to Ramadan Intermittent Fasting during the COVID‐19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION: Muslims fast every year during the month of Ramadan from dawn until dusk. This study examined mental well-being and correlating factors among Nigerian adults who observed Ramadan intermittent fasting (RIF). METHODS: A validated generalized anxiety disorder-2 and Patient Health Questionnaire-2, the four-item spiritual well-being index, and the Islamic intrinsic religiosity questionnaire were used to collect data about mental well-being (depression, anxiety), spirituality, and intrinsic religiosity through a web-based survey between the May 9, 2021 (27th of Ramadan, 1442) and the June 4, 2021 (29th of Shawwal, 1442). We studied the mental well-being of respondents over a period of 4 weeks before Ramadan (BR) and during the 4 weeks of Ramadan between the April 12, 2021 and the May 12, 2021(DR). Multinomial regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with depression and anxiety. This research did not receive any grant or funding. RESULTS: A total of 770 adult Nigerians who observed RIF study were included in this cross-sectional study. When compared to mental well-being BR, observing RIF by Nigerian adult respondents was associated with a significant improvement in their mental well-being. A higher proportion of respondents felt less depressed DR (61.3% vs. 56.5%. \u3c .001). Interest and pleasure in doing things improved DR than BR (p= 0.007) and respondents felt less nervous and anxious (60.7% vs. 57.1%, respectively; p \u3c.001). Mental well-being was independently associated with sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, and perceived relationships. CONCLUSIONS: This study found significant improvement in mental well-being DR compared to BR despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The effect of RIF on mental well-being needs further research with multicentric studies among different sets of ethnic populations

Psychological distress, anxiety and depression among nursing students in Greece

It is usually observed that nursing students undergo tremendous stress during various stages oftheir course but the knowledge about the stress process and depressive symptoms in this population is limited. TheAim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of psychological distress, anxiety and depression amongnursing students in Greece. For that purpose 170 nursing students (34 males, 136 females) of the Department of Nursingof the Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki completed 3 self-report questionnaires, the General HealthQuestionnaire (GHQ), the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The mean agewas 21.5 years. No difference in stress and depression on the basis of gender was observed. Our results showed that thescores on the GHQ, BDI and STAI tend to increase in the year 2 and 3. The majority of students reported relatively highscores on the GHQ suggesting increased psychiatric morbidity. 52.4% of students experienced depressive symptoms(34.7% mild, 12.9% moderate and 4.7% severe). The scores on the state scale were higher in the years 2 and 3, whilethe majority of students who had no or mild stress was observed in the first and the last year. Low stress personalitytraits were also observed in the first and the last year. However, no significant differences between the four years wereobserved. Our results suggest that nursing students experience different levels of stress and depression and that thesefactors are positively correlated

Injuries among disabled children: a study from Greece

Objective: To compare the differential implications of sociodemographic and situational factors on the risk of injury among disabled and non-disabled children. Design: Data from the Emergency Department Injury Surveillance System (EDISS) were used to compare, in a quasi case-control approach, injured children with or without disability with respect to sociodemographic, event and injury variables, and to estimate adjusted odds ratios for the injury in a disabled rather than a non-disabled child. Setting: Two teaching hospitals in Athens and two district hospitals in the countryside that participate in the EDISS. Patients: In the five year period 1996–2000, 110 066 children were recorded with injuries; 251 among them were identified as having a motor/psychomotor or sensory disability before the injury event. Interventions: None. Main outcome measures: Mechanism of injury, type of injury, risk-predisposing socioeconomic and environmental variables, odds ratio for injury occurrence. Results: Falls and brain concussion are proportionally more common among disabled children, whereas upper limb and overexertion injuries are less common among them. Urban environment, migrant status, and cold months are also associated with increased odds for injuries to occur among disabled rather than non-disabled children. The odds ratio for the occurrence of an injury among disabled children increases with increasing age. Conclusions: The results of the study provide the information for the targeting of trials of preventive measure in disabled children at increased risk of severe injuries

Psychological distress, anxiety and depression among nursing students in Greece

A B S T R A C T : It is usually observed that nursing students undergo tremendous stress during various stages of their course but the knowledge about the stress process and depressive symptoms in this population is limited. The Aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of psychological distress, anxiety and depression among nursing students in Greece. For that purpose 170 nursing students (34 males, 136 females) of the Department of Nursing of the Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki completed 3 self-report questionnaires, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The mean age was 21.5 years. No difference in stress and depression on the basis of gender was observed. Our results showed that the scores on the GHQ, BDI and STAI tend to increase in the year 2 and 3. The majority of students reported relatively high scores on the GHQ suggesting increased psychiatric morbidity. 52.4% of students experienced depressive symptoms (34.7% mild, 12.9% moderate and 4.7% severe). The scores on the state scale were higher in the years 2 and 3, while the majority of students who had no or mild stress was observed in the first and the last year. Low stress personality traits were also observed in the first and the last year. However, no significant differences between the four years were observed. Our results suggest that nursing students experience different levels of stress and depression and that these factors are positively correlated. K E Y -W O R D S : Nursing students, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, Greec

Injuries among disabled children: a study from Greece

Objective: To compare the differential implications of sociodemographic and situational factors on the risk of injury among disabled and non-disabled children. Design: Data from the Emergency Department Injury Surveillance System (EDISS) were used to compare, in a quasi case-control approach, injured children with or without disability with respect to sociodemographic, event and injury variables, and to estimate adjusted odds ratios for the injury in a disabled rather than a non-disabled child. Setting: Two teaching hospitals in Athens and two district hospitals in the countryside that participate in the EDISS. Patients: In the five year period 1996-2000, 110066 children were recorded with injuries; 251 among them were identified as having a motor/psychomotor or sensory disability before the injury event. Interventions: None. Main outcome measures: Mechanism of injury, type of injury, risk-predisposing socioeconomic and environmental variables, odds ratio for injury occurrence. Results: Falls and brain concussion are proportionally more common among disabled children, whereas upper limb and overexertion injuries are less common among them. Urban environment, migrant status, and cold months are also associated with increased odds for injuries to occur among disabled rather than non-disabled children. The odds ratio for the occurrence of an injury among disabled children increases with increasing age. Conclusions: The results of the study provide the information for the targeting of trials of preventive measure in disabled children at increased risk of severe injuries

Evidence of trends in daily climate extremes over southern and west Africa

[ 1] There has been a paucity of information on trends in daily climate and climate extremes, especially from developing countries. We report the results of the analysis of daily temperature ( maximum and minimum) and precipitation data from 14 south and west African countries over the period 1961 - 2000. Data were subject to quality control and processing into indices of climate extremes for release to the global community. Temperature extremes show patterns consistent with warming over most of the regions analyzed, with a large proportion of stations showing statistically significant trends for all temperature indices. Over 1961 to 2000, the regionally averaged occurrence of extreme cold ( fifth percentile) days and nights has decreased by - 3.7 and - 6.0 days/decade, respectively. Over the same period, the occurrence of extreme hot (95th percentile) days and nights has increased by 8.2 and 8.6 days/decade, respectively. The average duration of warm ( cold) has increased ( decreased) by 2.4 (0.5) days/decade and warm spells. Overall, it appears that the hot tails of the distributions of daily maximum temperature have changed more than the cold tails; for minimum temperatures, hot tails show greater changes in the NW of the region, while cold tails have changed more in the SE and east. The diurnal temperature range (DTR) does not exhibit a consistent trend across the region, with many neighboring stations showing opposite trends. However, the DTR shows consistent increases in a zone across Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique, coinciding with more rapid increases in maximum temperature than minimum temperature extremes. Most precipitation indices do not exhibit consistent or statistically significant trends across the region. Regionally averaged total precipitation has decreased but is not statistically significant. At the same time, there has been a statistically significant increase in regionally averaged daily rainfall intensity and dry spell duration. While the majority of stations also show increasing trends for these two indices, only a few of these are statistically significant. There are increasing trends in regionally averaged rainfall on extreme precipitation days and in maximum annual 5-day and 1-day rainfall, but only trends for the latter are statistically significant