Conectar
by Awole Seid, Zelalem Debebe, Abebe Ayelign, Bilal Shikur Endris, Mathewos Assefa, Ahmedin Jemal
BackgroundNutrition impact symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and taste alterations are common side effects of chemotherapy and can lead to malnutrition. There is a paucity of data regarding the nutritional challenges faced by cancer patients, particularly in resource-limited settings. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of nutrition impact symptoms among patients undergoing chemotherapy at a major cancer center in Ethiopia.
MethodsAn interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted from November 11–29, 2024, involving 26 cancer patients treated at the Oncology Center of Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Both data and thematic saturation were employed to determine the sample size. Participants were selected using heterogeneous sampling, and data were collected through in-depth interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim in Amharic, followed by a contextual translation into English. The data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach with the aid of MAXQDA24 software.
ResultsThree themes were identified: symptom burden and coping, individualized food choices, and unmet nutritional support needs. Symptoms were particularly severe during the early stages of treatment, disrupting typical dietary patterns and leading to physical limitations, negative emotional responses, and decreased productivity. The finding also revealed financial barriers to accessing nutritious foods, nutritional misinformation, and unsatisfactory experiences with hospital food.
ConclusionSymptoms vary in onset, severity, and pattern among individuals, significantly impacting their quality of life. Nutritional support is a pressing need for cancer patients. The findings underscore the critical need for dietitian-led, patient-centered nutritional interventions, along with socioeconomic support for patients undergoing chemotherapy in Ethiopia.
To assess the pooled prevalence of self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their associated factors among adults in South and Southeast Asia, using the Demographic and Health Survey data collected between 2015 and 2023.
A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted using a multistage cluster sampling approach. Multilevel multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify predictors of self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Model selection was guided by Akaike’s information criterion, and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% CIs were estimated to determine statistically significant associations.
South and Southeast Asia.
This analysis included a weighted sample of 791 019 adults aged 15–49 who reported ever having had sexual intercourse. The majority of the participants were female (n=6 87 880; 87%), and most were from Southeast Asia (n=7 00 539; 89%).
The pooled prevalence of self-reported STIs among adults in South and Southeast Asia was 12.94% (95% CI 7.73% to 18.14%). At the individual level, higher odds of reporting STIs were associated with being female (AOR 1.84; 95% CI1.68 to 2.02), having middle (AOR 1.11; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.19) or high wealth status (AOR 1.15; 95% CI 1.07 to 1.24]), being employed (AOR 1.14; 95% CI 1.07 to 1.22), having multiple sexual partners (AOR 2.79; 95% CI 2.22 to 3.52) and having undergone HIV testing (AOR 1.10; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.20). Conversely, lower odds of self-reported STIs were observed among individuals aged 35–39 years (AOR 0.78; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.92), 40–44 years (AOR 0.68; 95% CI 0.58 to 0.82) and 45–49 years (AOR 0.61; 95% CI 0.52 to 0.73); those who had ever been in a union (AOR 0.71; 95% CI 0.62 to 0.83); individuals with higher education (AOR 0.84; 95% CI 0.76 to 0.93); and those with comprehensive HIV knowledge (AOR 0.82; 95% CI 0.77 to 0.87). At the community level, high illiteracy rates (AOR 1.25; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.35) and high media non-exposure (AOR 1.11; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.20) were positively associated with STIs, while rural residence (AOR 0.81; 95% CI 0.74 to 0.89) and living in Southeast Asia (AOR: 0.47; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.53) were linked to lower odds of self-reported STIs.
A substantial prevalence of self-reported STIs was observed among adults in South and Southeast Asia. Both individual- and community-level factors influence STI risk. The individual-level determinants include socio-demographic characteristics, sexual behaviours, HIV-related knowledge and testing history, while community-level factors reflect disparities in geographic location, educational attainment and media exposure.
Monkeypox (Mpox) is an emerging public health concern globally as well as in Pakistan, with over 100 000 confirmed cases reported across 120 countries as of July 2024.
To assess healthcare professionals’ knowledge and preparedness regarding Mpox and examine its association with demographic factors.
Quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study.
Conducted in tertiary care public sector hospitals of Rawalpindi district, Pakistan, from October 2024 to February 2025.
A total of 230 healthcare professionals of either gender, aged over 18 years, currently working in the public sector tertiary care hospitals of Rawalpindi district for at least 6 months were included.
The mean age of the respondents was 29.13±6.55 years. The majority were women (147, 63.9%), post-graduate trainees (106, 46.1%), with 1–5 years of experience (184, 80%) and from medicine and allied disciplines (131, 57%). Most participants had an average level of knowledge regarding Mpox (137, 59.6%), with only a few demonstrating good knowledge (40, 17.4%). Half of the participants reported that their healthcare facilities lacked proper protocols for managing Mpox cases (97, 42.2%). Significant associations were observed between Mpox knowledge scores and participants’ field of specialty (p=0.007); notably, respondents from basic sciences had a higher proportion of good knowledge scores.
Overall, the level of knowledge and preparedness regarding Mpox among healthcare professionals was average. There is an urgent need for standardised Mpox preparedness protocols, outbreak response planning and comprehensive training programmes to enhance readiness for future outbreaks.
FreshRSS 