Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Breast Cancer In Pakistan - Awareness And Early Detection, Saba Sohail, Shams Nadeem Alam

Department of Radiology

No abstract provided.

Neurosurgical Training In Pakistan, Ather Enam

Section of Neurosurgery

No abstract provided.

Poor Knowledge--Predictor Of Nonadherence To Universal Precautions For Blood Borne Pathogens At First Level Care Facilities In Pakistan, Naveed Z. Janjua, Mahreen Razaq, Subhash Chandir, Shafquat Rozi, Bushra Mahmood

Community Health Sciences

Background: We conducted an assessment of knowledge about blood borne pathogens (BBP) and use of universal precautions at first level care facilities (FLCF) in two districts of Pakistan.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey and selected three different types of FLCFs ; public, general practitioners and unqualified practitioners through stratified random sampling technique. At each facility, we interviewed a prescriber, a dispenser, and a housekeeper for knowledge of BBPs transmission and preventive practices, risk perception, and use of universal precautions. We performed multiple linear regression to assess the effect of knowledge score (11 items) on the practice of universal precautions score …

Incidence, Patterns And Severity Of Reported Unintentional Injuries In Pakistan For Persons Five Years And Older: Results Of The National Health Survey Of Pakistan 1990–94, Zafar Fatmi, Wilbur C. Hadden, Junaid A. Razzak, Huma Qureshi, Adnan A. Hyder, Gregory Pappas

Community Health Sciences

Background

National level estimates of injuries are not readily available for developing countries. This study estimated the annual incidence, patterns and severity of unintentional injuries among persons over five years of age in Pakistan.

Methods

National Health Survey of Pakistan (NHSP 1990–94) is a nationally representative survey of the household. Through a two-stage stratified design, 18, 315 persons over 5 years of age were interviewed to estimate the overall annual incidence, patterns and severity of unintentional injuries for males and females in urban and rural areas over the preceding one year. Weighted estimates were computed adjusting for complex survey design …

Irritable Bowel Syndrome And Health Seeking Behaviour In Different Communities Of Pakistan, Wasim Jafri, Javed Yakoob, Nadim Jafri, Muhammad Islam, Qazi Masroor Ali

Section of Gastroenterology

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the frequency of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and health seeking behaviour in patients belonging to different ethnic groups and their squatter settlements in two cities of Pakistan.

METHODS:

Questionnaire based on Rome II criteria for the diagnosis of IBS was sent to 1167 persons living in, Karachi and Bahawalpur and their squatter settlements in Baloch Colony and Tibba Badar Sher respectively. About 90% (1048) completed the questionnaire.

RESULTS:

The overall frequency of IBS was 14% with a mean age of 30 +/- 12.5 years and range of 16-85 years. Of the IBS positive patients, 56% (82/146) were …

Family Systems: Perceptions Of Elderly Patients And Their Attendents Presenting At A University Hospital In Karachi, Pakistan, Ahmed Itrat, Ather Mohammed Taqui, Fahd Qazi, Waris Qidwai

Department of Family Medicine

Objective:

To know the present status of family systems in Pakistan, changes they are undergoing and implications of such trends on health of the elderly population.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was carried out at the out-patient clinics, AgaKhan University Hospital, using convenience sampling method. Verbal informed consent was taken from the participants. The questions included demographic profile, satisfaction with current family system, opinions about changing trends of family systems, and their implications on health. Analysis was done using SPSS 13.0.

Results:

Four hundred subjects aged 65 and above were interviewed, out of which 226 (56.5%) were living in the …

Are Unhygienic Practices During The Menstrual, Partum And Postpartum Periods Risk Factors For Secondary Infertility?, Tazeen S. Ali, Neelofar Sami, Ali Khan Khuwaja

School of Nursing & Midwifery

This study was aimed at identifying practices during the menstrual, partum and postpartum periods posing possible risk factors contributing towards secondary infertility in women of a selected population in Karachi, Pakistan. A matched case-control study was conducted from April 2003 to March 2004. Four hundred cases were selected from five infertility clinics affiliated with tertiary-care hospitals, and 400 age-matched controls were recruited from the neighbourhood of each case. After taking written consents, trained interviewers conducted interviews using a pretested structured questionnaire. Factors found to be independently associated with secondary infertility were: previous delivery at an unclean place (adjusted odds ratio …

Cost Of Diabetes Care In Out-Patient Clinics Of Karachi, Pakistan, Liaquat A. Khowaja, Ali K. Khuwaja, Peter Cosgrove

Community Health Sciences

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a growing epidemic and the cost of treating diabetes is largely increasing. The objective of this study was to estimate the cost-of-illness of DM among attendees of out-patient clinics in Karachi, Pakistan. This is the first study conducted from a societal perspective to estimate the cost of managing diabetes in Pakistan.Methods: A prevalence-based 'Cost-of-Illness' study for diabetes care was conducted in six different out-patient clinics of Karachi, Pakistan from July to September 2006. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered to collect the data from 345 randomly selected persons with diabetes.Results: The annual mean direct cost for …

Adults' Perceived Prevalence Of Enteric Fever Predicts Laboratory-Validated Incidence Of Typhoid Fever In Children, Xinguang Chen, Bonita Stanton, Al Pach, Andrew Nyamete, R. Leon Ochiai, Linda Kaljee, Baiqing Dong, Dipika Sur, S.K. Bhattacharya, Siti Sapardiyah Santoso, Magdarina Agtini, Zahid Memon, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Canh Gia Do, Lorenz Von Seidlein, John Clemens

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

This study was undertaken to develop a model to predict the incidence of typhoid in children based on adults’ perception of prevalence of enteric fever in the wider community. Typhoid cases among children, aged 5-15 years, from epidemic regions in five Asian countries were confirmed with a positive Salmonella Typhi culture of the blood sample. Estimates of the prevalence of enteric fever were obtained from random samples of adults in the same study sites. Regression models were used for establishing the prediction equation. The percentages of enteric fever reported by adults and cases of typhoid incidence per 100,000, detected through …

Knowledge And Beliefs Of Adolescents Regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections And Hiv/Aids In A Rural District In Pakistan, Hafsa Raheel, Franklin White, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

Objective:

To assess the knowledge and beliefs of adolescents (15-19 years girls and boys) regarding sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS.

Methods:

A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted in October 2002 in a rural district (Mirpurkhas) of Sindh province, Pakistan.

Results:

A total of 428 adolescent girls and boys were interviewed. Only 44% correctly named at least one STI, while 55% knew at least two modes of transmission for HIV/AIDS. Adolescents with education greater than or equal to secondary level, those who were able to read the newspaper, possessed electricity in their homes and were allowed to meet their …

Resource Allocation Within The National Aids Control Program Of Pakistan: A Qualitative Assessment Of Decision Maker's Opinions, Sara Husain, Masood Kadir, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

Background:

Limited resources, whether public or private, demand prioritisation among competing needs to maximise productivity. With a substantial increase in the number of reported HIV cases, little work has been done to understand how resources have been distributed and what factors may have influenced allocation within the newly introduced Enhanced National AIDS Control Program of Pakistan. The objective of this study was to identify perceptions of decision makers about the process of resource allocation within Pakistan's Enhanced National AIDS Control Program.

Methods:

A qualitative study was undertaken and in-depth interviews of decision makers at provincial and federal levels responsible to …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Smokeless Tobacco Use Among High-School Males In Karachi, Pakistan, S Rozi, S Akhtar

Community Health Sciences

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 towns in Karachi, Pakistan to investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with the use of smokeless tobacco among 772 high-school adolescent males. A structured questionnaire collected data on sociodemographic factors and history of cigarette and smokeless tobacco use. Prevalence of smokeless tobacco use (gutka, snuff, niswar) was 16.1% (95% CI: 13.5%-18.9%). On multiple logistic regression analysis, the factors significantly related to smokeless tobacco use among the sample were: attending government school [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 6.3], smoking cigarettes (OR 3.2), not seeing anti-tobacco advertisements (OR 1.5), family history of tobacco use (OR …