In Their Eyes: HIV prevention from an Islamic perspective in Lamu, Kenya.

Despite efforts to curb the spread of HIV amongst the youth and its positive indication of success in Kenya, the epidemic continues to pose serious challenges to these efforts amongst all demographic groupings across Kenya. This article presents findings of a qualitative study involving 45 youth and 23 Islamic leaders from Lamu, Kenya. The study looked at participant’s perceptions of HIV/AIDS. It also explored participant’s perceptions on what they see as the factors influencing HIV transmission amongst the Lamu youth. Additionally a literature review was used together with the study findings to identify elements for an Islamic based HIV prevention intervention. Our findings indicated that both the youth and religious leaders’ perceptions of HIV/AIDS comprise a mixture of facts and misconceptions. The participants identified idleness, drug abuse and premarital sex as key factors contributing to the risk of HIV infection amongst the Lamu youth. The symbiotic relationship between religious leaders and youth on various aspects of daily practices was evident throughout the study thereby suggesting the importance of working with both in addressing HIV/AIDS in Lamu.

Determinants of stunting and overweight among young children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND: Stunting and overweight are nutritional problems affecting most of sub-Saharan Africa. The region now has the world's highest rate of stunting among children (43%), while overweight and obesity are becoming a global epidemic, and Africa is not spared. The past two decades have seen a dramatic increase in obesity in sub-Saharan Africa. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review is to explore the determinants of stunting and overweight in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in PubMed using the key words stunting, overweight, obesity, Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, determinants, and prevalence. Limits were set to include articles published between 1990 and 2012. The systematic review resulted in 38 studies, and after selection based on title, content, and country of the study, 18 studies were eligible for this review. Data were analyzed by the chi-square test. RESULTS: The prevalence rates of stunting and overweight were dependent on socioeconomic, demographic, and environmental factors. Many studies indicate that male children and those living in a rural setting are more likely to be stunted, whereas overweight among children depends more on age, household composition, occupation of the mother, and the mother's body mass index. Stunting occurred together with overweight among both boys and girls from 1 to 5 years of age. Stunting was more prevalent among boys than among girls. Indicators of socioeconomic status, such as mother's education, mother's occupation, and household income, were some of the determinants directly linked to stunting, whereas environmental factors, such as rural or urban setting and sanitation, influenced both stunting and overweight. Concurrent stunting and overweight is influenced by maternal and household factors, such as maternal height, age, and education, large household size, and lower socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: Although socioeconomic, demographic, and environmental factors were significant in determining stunting and overweight, other factors, such as nutrition and lifestyle, were important risk factors. Stunting in childhood is a risk factor that may result in overweight and obesity later in adolescence and adulthood, indicating the need to screen children below 1 year of age to identify stunting early in life. Promoting exclusive breastfeeding is reported to be important in preventing both stunting and overweight among children. More research is needed to explore the relationship between stunting and overweight and to explore policy guidelines to address the phenomenon

What do dental college clinicians know about oral cancer and its risk factors? An assessment among final year students, interns and faculty members in saudi arabia

The ability of health care professionals to perform oral cancer examination depends partly on their knowledge of the disease and its risk factors. This study aimed to assess and compare the knowledge of final year students, interns and faculty members regarding oral cancer and its risk factors. A 35-item questionnaire about knowledge of oral cancer and its risk factors was distributed among participants from Jazan University?s Dental School. A minimum score of 18 was the cut-off point for an acceptable total score of oral cancer knowledge [OCTS]. Descriptive statistics described the relations between demographics variables and knowledge levels of participants. The differences between OCTS, diagnostic-clinical examination knowledge [DCK] and supportive knowledge [SK] and sex and occupation were analyzed using independent t-test and ANOVAs respectively. A total of 72 students, 68 interns and 88 faculty members completed the questionnaires (N = 228); with an average age of 23.8 ± 0.9 years, 25.1 ± 1.5 years and 40.6 ± 9.1 years with 55.1% males. OCTS was 20.2 ± 3.6 out of 35. No significant difference between OCTS and participants? sex was found (t (203) = 1.342, p = .181, 95% CI for difference -.302 ?? 1.589). No significant differences in OCTS between students, interns and faculty members (F (2, 225) = 2.116, p = .123). A significant difference in SK between final year students, interns, and faculty members was founded (F (2, 194) = 5.62, p = .004). Knowledge of oral cancer and its risk factors among Jazan Dental School?s final year students, interns and faculty members is acceptable. However, due to the high rate of oral cancer in Jazan, emphasizing knowledge of oral cancer and its risk factors in the curriculum of Jazan Dental School is required