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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Towards Covid-19 Among Pakistani Residents: Information Access And Low Literacy Vulnerabilities, Zafar Fatmi, Shafaq Mahmood, Waqas Hameed, Ibtisam Qazi, Muhammad Siddiqui, Anny Dhanwani, Sameen Siddiqi
Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Towards Covid-19 Among Pakistani Residents: Information Access And Low Literacy Vulnerabilities, Zafar Fatmi, Shafaq Mahmood, Waqas Hameed, Ibtisam Qazi, Muhammad Siddiqui, Anny Dhanwani, Sameen Siddiqi
Community Health Sciences
Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has accentuated the need for speedy access to information. Digital divide and socio-demographic disparity create an information hiatus and therefore unhealthy practices with regard to dealing with COVID-19, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Aims: We assessed knowledge, attitudes, practices and their determinants regarding COVID-19 in Pakistan during March-April 2020.
Methods: 905 adults ≥18 years (males and females) participated: 403 from a web-based survey; 365 from an urban survey; and 137 from a rural survey. Frequency of adequate knowledge, attitudes and practices for the three populations was determined based on available global guidelines. Multivariable logistic regression …
Hemoglobin Concentrations And Adverse Birth Outcomes In South Asian Pregnant Women: Findings From A Prospective Maternal And Neonatal Health Registry, Sumera Aziz Ali, Shiyam Sunder Tikmani, Sarah Saleem, Archana B. Patel, Patricia L. Hibberd, Shivaprasad S. Goudar, Sangappa Dhaded, Richard J. Derman, Janet L. Moore, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Robert L. Goldenberg
Hemoglobin Concentrations And Adverse Birth Outcomes In South Asian Pregnant Women: Findings From A Prospective Maternal And Neonatal Health Registry, Sumera Aziz Ali, Shiyam Sunder Tikmani, Sarah Saleem, Archana B. Patel, Patricia L. Hibberd, Shivaprasad S. Goudar, Sangappa Dhaded, Richard J. Derman, Janet L. Moore, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Robert L. Goldenberg
Community Health Sciences
Background: While the relationship between hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations and pregnancy outcomes has been studied often, most reports have focused on a specific Hb cutoff used to define anemia. Fewer studies have evaluated pregnancy outcomes across the entire range of Hb values. Moreover, to date, most studies of the relationship of Hb concentrations to pregnancy outcomes have been done in high-income countries. Thus, we have sought to determine the relationship between the range of maternal Hb concentrations and adverse birth outcomes among South Asian pregnant women.
Methods: For this study, we used data collected from two South Asian countries (Pakistan - …
Evaluating Implementation Of "Management Of Possible Serious Bacterial Infection (Psbi) When Referral Is Not Feasible" In Primary Health Care Facilities In Sindh Province, Pakistan, Maria Asif Bhura, Shabina Ariff, Shamim Ahmad Qazi, Zaitoon Qazi, Imran Ahmed, Yasir Bin Nisar, Zamir Suhag, Abdul Wahab Soomro, Sajid Bashir Soofi
Evaluating Implementation Of "Management Of Possible Serious Bacterial Infection (Psbi) When Referral Is Not Feasible" In Primary Health Care Facilities In Sindh Province, Pakistan, Maria Asif Bhura, Shabina Ariff, Shamim Ahmad Qazi, Zaitoon Qazi, Imran Ahmed, Yasir Bin Nisar, Zamir Suhag, Abdul Wahab Soomro, Sajid Bashir Soofi
Woman and Child Health
Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a guideline in 2015 for managing Possible Serious Bacterial Infection (PSBI) when referral is not feasible in young infants aged 0-59 days. This guideline was implemented across 303 Basic Health Unit (BHU) Plus primary health care (PHC) facilities in peri-urban and rural settings of Sindh, Pakistan. We evaluated the implementation of PSBI guideline, and the quality of care provided to sick young infants at these facilities.
Methods: Thirty (10%) out of 303 BHU Plus facilities were randomly selected for evaluation. A survey team visited each facility for one day, assessed the health system …
Measuring Service Quality And Assessing Its Relationship To Contraceptive Discontinuation: A Prospective Cohort Study In Pakistan And Uganda, Karen T. Chang, Nirali M. Chakraborty, Amanda M. Kalamar, Waqas Hameed, Ben Bellows, Karen A. Grépin, Agha Xaher Gul, Sarah E K. Bradley, Lynn M. Atuyambe, Dominic Montagu
Measuring Service Quality And Assessing Its Relationship To Contraceptive Discontinuation: A Prospective Cohort Study In Pakistan And Uganda, Karen T. Chang, Nirali M. Chakraborty, Amanda M. Kalamar, Waqas Hameed, Ben Bellows, Karen A. Grépin, Agha Xaher Gul, Sarah E K. Bradley, Lynn M. Atuyambe, Dominic Montagu
Community Health Sciences
Background: The quality of contraceptive counseling that women receive from their provider can influence their future contraceptive continuation. We examined (1) whether the quality of contraceptive service provision could be measured in a consistent way by using existing tools from 2 large-scale social franchises, and (2) whether facility quality measures based on these tools were consistently associated with contraceptive discontinuation.
Methods: We linked existing, routinely collected facility audit data from social franchise clinics in Pakistan and Uganda with client data. Clients were women aged 15-49 who initiated a modern, reversible contraceptive method from a sampled clinic. Consented participants completed an …
Malnutrition And Food Insecurity In Child Labourers In Sindh, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Kausar S. Khan, Yusra Jumani, Neelma Amjad, Asaad Ahmed Nafees
Malnutrition And Food Insecurity In Child Labourers In Sindh, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Kausar S. Khan, Yusra Jumani, Neelma Amjad, Asaad Ahmed Nafees
Community Health Sciences
Background: Child labour is common in low- and middle-income countries. Although child labour is widespread in Pakistan, no data are available on the health of child labourers.
Aims: This study aimed to assess the food security, food intake and nutritional status of child labourers aged 5-14 years working in lower Sindh, Pakistan.
Methods: Child labourers aged 5-14 years working in agriculture, manufacturing industry, hotels and restaurants, domestic work and migrant child labourers working in vegetable markets were recruited using a respondent-driven sampling technique. Sociodemographic and nutrition information was obtained by an interviewer questionnaire. The children's height and weight were measured …
Brucellosis In Pakistan: A Neglected Zoonotic Disease, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Mumtaz Ali Khan
Brucellosis In Pakistan: A Neglected Zoonotic Disease, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Mumtaz Ali Khan
Community Health Sciences
Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease; endemic but neglected in the South Asian countries including Pakistan. It causes economic loss to the livestock sector and leads to systemic infection in humans. Brucellosis was neglected in Pakistan since long. According to the Staged Tool for the Elimination of Brucellosis (STEB), Pakistan carries a grim landscape of the disease with no structured control activities. This article describes the five-year national brucellosis control strategic plan (2018-2023) formulated by the government of Pakistan using the one-health approach for the prevention and control of disease across the country. The plan incorporates components of surveillance, research, diagnostic …
Perceptions And Experiences Of Men And Women Towards Acceptability And Use Of Contraceptives In Underserved Areas Of Karachi, Pakistan: A Midline Qualitative Assessment Of Sukh Initiative, Karachi Pakistan, Sarah Saleem, Narjis Rizvi, Anam Feroz, Sayyeda Reza, Saleem Jessani, Farina Abrejo
Perceptions And Experiences Of Men And Women Towards Acceptability And Use Of Contraceptives In Underserved Areas Of Karachi, Pakistan: A Midline Qualitative Assessment Of Sukh Initiative, Karachi Pakistan, Sarah Saleem, Narjis Rizvi, Anam Feroz, Sayyeda Reza, Saleem Jessani, Farina Abrejo
Community Health Sciences
Background: Family planning (FP) is an essential component of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and contributes directly to SDG targets 3.7 and 5.6. In Pakistan, contraceptive use has remained stagnant over the past 5 years. This change has been very slow when compared to the FP2020 pledge. The Sukh initiative project was conceived and implemented to alleviate these challenges by providing access to quality contraceptive methods in some underserved areas of Karachi, Pakistan. A qualitative study was conducted to understand the perceptions and experiences of men and women towards acceptability and contraceptive use.
Methods: A qualitative study was conducted at ten …
Prelacteal Feeding Practices In Pakistan: A Mixed-Methods Study, Muhammad Asim, Zarak Husain Ahmed, Mark D. Hayward, Elizabeth M. Widen
Prelacteal Feeding Practices In Pakistan: A Mixed-Methods Study, Muhammad Asim, Zarak Husain Ahmed, Mark D. Hayward, Elizabeth M. Widen
Community Health Sciences
Background: Prelacteal feeding, the feeding a newborn substances or liquids before breastfeeding, is a common cultural practice in Pakistan, but is associated with neonatal morbidity and mortality because it delays early initiation of breastfeeding. In this study, we sought to examine the social and cultural factors associated with prelacteal feeding in Pakistan.
Methods: This mixed-method study used data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2012-13. Findings from the survey were complemented by qualitative interviews with mothers and healthcare providers. In a subset of PDHS dyads (n = 1361) with children (0-23 months), descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariable …
Estimation Of The Burden Of Out-Of-Hospital Traumatic Cardiac Arrest In Karachi, Pakistan, Using A Cross-Sectional Capture-Recapture Analysis, Minaz Mawani, Syed Iqbal Azam, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zainab Samad, Junaid Abdul Razzak
Estimation Of The Burden Of Out-Of-Hospital Traumatic Cardiac Arrest In Karachi, Pakistan, Using A Cross-Sectional Capture-Recapture Analysis, Minaz Mawani, Syed Iqbal Azam, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zainab Samad, Junaid Abdul Razzak
Community Health Sciences
Background: The burden of trauma-related-out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in developing countries like Pakistan remains largely unexplored due to a lack of organized pre-hospital systems. In order to estimate the burden, we used a two-sample capture-recapture method which has been used in several domains to estimate difficult-to-count populations.
Methods: We obtained 3-month data from two sources: Records of two major EMS (emergency medical services) systems and five major hospitals providing coverage to the city's population. All adults with traumatic OHCA were included. Information on variables such as name, age, gender, date and time of arrest, cause of arrest, and destination hospital …
Intimate Partner Violence Against Women In Pakistan: A Review Of Qualitative Research, Tazeen S. Ali, Rida Farhan, Michelle Ayub
Intimate Partner Violence Against Women In Pakistan: A Review Of Qualitative Research, Tazeen S. Ali, Rida Farhan, Michelle Ayub
Community Health Sciences
Objective: To consolidate research data and provide an insight into areas that need further research regarding intimate partner violence.
Methods: The review targeted qualitative research-based studies done in the English language and conducted in Pakistan from 2008 to 2018 regarding intimate partner violence against women. A thorough search of Google Scholar and PubMed databases was done. Data from each selected article was extracted using a data-extraction template.
Results: Of the 2,479 results, 21(0.8%) articles were selected along with 4(0.16%) texts from grey literature. An in-depth analysis led to six broad categories: experiences/perspectives of married women facing intimate partner violence; perspectives …
School-Based Interventions To Promote Personal And Environmental Hygiene Practices Among Children In Pakistan: Protocol For A Mixed Methods Study, Nousheen Pradhan, Waliyah Mughis, Tazeen S. Ali, Maleeha Naseem, Rozina Karmaliani Professor
School-Based Interventions To Promote Personal And Environmental Hygiene Practices Among Children In Pakistan: Protocol For A Mixed Methods Study, Nousheen Pradhan, Waliyah Mughis, Tazeen S. Ali, Maleeha Naseem, Rozina Karmaliani Professor
Community Health Sciences
Background: Poor personal hygiene and inadequate sanitation practices among young children leads to communicable diseases. There remains a gap in the holistic assessment of school children's hygiene literacy, practices and effectiveness of school-based hygiene interventions in Pakistan. Therefore, a school-based intervention protocol has been designed to promote personal and environmental hygiene practices for primary school children. Towards improving children's hygiene behaviors, the study will also focus on enhancing mothers' hygiene knowledge and practices.
Methods: Using quasi-experimental design with mixed methods data collection approaches, this study will be conducted in schools located in an urban squatter settlements in Pakistan. To assess …
Mainstreaming Nutrition Services: Stabilization Centers And Outpatient Therapeutic Program Centers, Ashar Muhammad Malik
Mainstreaming Nutrition Services: Stabilization Centers And Outpatient Therapeutic Program Centers, Ashar Muhammad Malik
Community Health Sciences
No abstract provided.
A Multicenter Case Control Study Of Association Of Vitamin D With Breast Cancer Among Women In Karachi, Pakistan, Uzma Shamsi, Shaista Khan, Syed Iqbal Azam, Aysha Habib, Amir Maqbool, Mohammad Hanif, Tiffany Gill, Romaina Iqbal, David Callen
A Multicenter Case Control Study Of Association Of Vitamin D With Breast Cancer Among Women In Karachi, Pakistan, Uzma Shamsi, Shaista Khan, Syed Iqbal Azam, Aysha Habib, Amir Maqbool, Mohammad Hanif, Tiffany Gill, Romaina Iqbal, David Callen
Community Health Sciences
Background: The prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy and breast cancer are both high among women living in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: A matched case control study was conducted in two hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan to evaluate the association of vitamin D (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D) concentrations, vitamin D supplementation and sun exposure with breast cancer among Pakistani women. A total of 411 newly diagnosed histologically confirmed primary breast cancer cases were enrolled and 784 controls, free of breast and any other cancers, were matched by age (year of birth ± 5 years), residence in the same geographic area and study site. Information …