Background: The aim of this research is to assess the level of physical activity (PA) in relation to different socio-economic factors and to examine the effect of the recommended level of PA on the domains of quality of life (QoL) among residents of low-income housing in the metropolitan area of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that included 680 respondents from community housing projects. Reported PA was assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) short form version 2. The SF-12v2 was administered to assess the health-related QoL (HRQoL) among the study population. Respondents were grouped into "active" and "insufficient" groups according to reported weekly PA level. One-way analysis of variance, analysis of co-variance, and multiple linear regression were used in the analysis. Results: Overall, 17.6% (95% CI, 14.3-20.9) of the respondents did not achieve the recommended levels of PA (≥600 metabolic equivalent [MET]-minutes week −1 ). Level of achieving recommended PA was higher among younger participants, females, members belonging to nuclear families, and in self-employed participants. The group that fulfilled recommended PA levels (active) has higher levels of QoL in all domains except physical functioning. Conclusions: Almost one out of five low-income urban residents were physically inactive. In addition, individuals who attained recommended PA levels had better scores on some domains of HRQOL than those who did not. Our findings call for tailormade public health interventions to improve PA levels among the general population and particularly for low-income residents.
Background:
COVID-19 quickly assumed a global epidemic with its attendant health, socio-political and economic impacts. Healthcare workers are particularly at increasing risk of being infected and transmitting the virus. This study assessed knowledge, attitude, practice and predictors of preventive practices toward COVD-19 among healthcare workers in Ogbomoso, Nigeria.
Study Design:
Cross-sectional study. Data were collected online among health workers across health facilities in Ogbomoso. Factors associated with good practices were analyzed using Chi-square. Predictors of good preventive practices were determined by multivariate binary logistic regression. The level of statistical significance was determined to be at P < 0.05.
Results:
There were 132 study participants; with an average age of 31 years. Fifty-eight percent were medical laboratory scientists. Levels of good knowledge, attitude, and practices were 59.1%, 58.3%, and 38.6%, respectively. Eight-seven percent of respondents sourced COVID-19 related information via the mass media. Ninety-four percent of respondents will not stay at home if sick because of work. Age, profession, and knowledge are significantly associated with COVID-19 preventive practices. The predictors (Model II) of good COVID-19 preventive practices include being a laboratory scientist (odds ratio [OR]: 2.44 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05, 6.71]; P = 0.039), working in primary health facility (OR: 4.72 [95%CI: 1.08, 20.67]; P = 0.039) and having good COVID-19 knowledge (OR: 3.71 [95%CI: 1.49–9.925]; P = 0.005).
Conclusion:
Our study has shown the predictors of good COVID-19 preventive practices among healthcare workers and the need for policy and practice change as it relates to COVID-19 infection prevention and mitigation among healthcare workers.
Background:
Sub-Saharan Africa region remains heavily plagued by HIV/AIDS with recent information suggesting that sex between men is a significant contributor to the spread of this infection. It was against this backdrop that this study was conducted to examine the sexual behaviors of HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in Jos, Plateau state, North Central Nigeria.
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 114 HIV-infected MSM 18 years and above using a quantitative method of data collection. Respondent-driven sampling technique was employed in sampling the study participants, and EpiInfo statistical software version 7 was used for the data analysis.
Results:
The mean age of the respondents was 26.0 ± 5.4 years with condom use in the last anal sex being 77 (67.5%), while majority (83.3%) of the respondents was adjudged to have been engaged in risky sexual behaviors.
Conclusions:
This study has brought to light a significant level of risky sexual behaviors among HIV-infected MSM with condom use, multiple same sexual engagement, transactional sex, and bisexual concurrency as areas of possible interventions.
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