Background It is not clearly known how well Danes estimate their chances of reaching the average ... more Background It is not clearly known how well Danes estimate their chances of reaching the average life expectancy and whether identifiable population subgroups misestimate their life expectancy, and potentially also investments and savings in health and pensions. Therefore, in this study, we examined on the individual level whether subjective life expectancy is in line with the statistically calculated chance of reaching age 85, and further explored the psychological and behavioral factors associated with under or overestimation. We opted for a cross-sectional survey design based on a sample of 5,379 Danish citizens aged 50-70 years, returning a web-based questionnaire with socio-demographic data supplemented from a national registry. Average participant estimates of their chance of reaching age 85 for each age range and sex group were compared with actuarial data. We then performed multiple linear regression analyses to examine factors associated with the subjective expectancy of reaching age 85 years. We found that 32% of females and 23% of males reported 100% certainty of reaching age 85, and average expected survival chance exceeded the statistically predicted survival chance for 23% of males and 16% for females in age-ranges 50-60 and 61-70. Our multivariable analysis found that health literacy, internal health locus of control, willingness to take health risks, self-rated health, and health and life satisfaction all showed a significant positive association with expectation of reaching age 85. Moreover, those on daily medications, ex-or current smokers, and heavy drinkers were significantly less optimistic about reaching age 85. Particularly for the population groups with inaccurate life expectancies, the significant associations with psychological and behavioral factors open a way for initiatives based on behavior change theories to reach a better agreement between subjective and statistical life expectancy.
Elderly care in Nepal: Are existing health and community support systems enough
Sage Open Medicine, 2021
In Nepal, a few governmental and community-based programmes for elderly care are in place; howeve... more In Nepal, a few governmental and community-based programmes for elderly care are in place; however, information about successful implementation and overall effectiveness of these programmes is not well understood. In this article, we introduced these programmes and discussed existing programmes’ gaps and implementation problems in light of existing grey and peer-reviewed evidence. A few notable governmental programmes, such as providing monthly allowances, pensions and free health care, have targeted specifically the elderly individuals. Yet, most health care institutions and providers are privately owned and profit-oriented, and there is a general lack of proper governmental health as well as social security systems for the elderly in the country. Generally, Nepalese communities consist of neighbourhood-based and religious-based groups that provide emotional and spiritual support to elderly individuals as well as provide support for health care access when needed. However, the influence that these groups can have on health and social well-being of elderly remains not well understood. Traditional family-based support systems may be feasible only for some families, while for others it could impose financial and psychological burdens. The role of the state is important in the effective implementation of existing programmes as well as in the development and implementation of additional programmes to ensure health and social well-being of elderly individuals. Furthermore, there is a need to establish partnerships with existing community structures and to mobilize them in the implementation of community-based programmes.
Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) adversely affects women’s reproductive health outcomes... more Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) adversely affects women’s reproductive health outcomes but to what extent women’s justification of IPV affects maternal health care service utilization is unexplored. Methods The secondary cross-sectional datasets from multiple indicator cluster surveys of Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan conducted between 2010 and 2015 were used. We used a generalized linear mixed model with random effects, at both cluster- and country-level, to determine the odds ratio of maternal health service utilization at the regional level and a multivariable logistic regression model adjusting for complex survey design at the country level. Interaction between women’s justification of IPV and residential location, and linear trend in the utilization of maternal health care services associated with increasing levels of women's justification of IPV, were examined using the Likelihood Ratio Test (LRT). Results A total of 26,029 women aged 15–49 years, livin...
Objective Traffic police are at-risk of various health problems due to an exposure to air polluti... more Objective Traffic police are at-risk of various health problems due to an exposure to air pollution and high traffic; and traffic roads in some Nepalese cities are very congested. There is very little information about health problems of Nepalese traffic police. Therefore, a cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire study among 252 traffic police was conducted to identify the common health problems and factors associated with different levels of general anxiety among traffic police working in two major cities of Nepal. Results Around 55% of traffic police had ear ringing problem, 57% had burning eyes, 64% had back pain, and 67% had breathing difficulties in the previous three months. Around 33% had moderate anxiety and 23% had persistent and severe anxiety. The multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that job dissatisfaction, ear ringing and eye irritation in the previous three months and having physical symptoms, namely eye irritation, ear ringing and back pain in la...
Background Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent hormonal/endocrine disorder in... more Background Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent hormonal/endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age and is one of the most common causes of infertility. Approximately 20% of Danish women of reproductive age are diagnosed with PCOS, and yet only a little attention has been paid to the psychological symptoms appearing in women with PCOS. The present study investigated anxiety, depression, and lower quality of life among Danish women of reproductive age who are diagnosed with PCOS. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey study among 326 Danish women who self-reported as being diagnosed with PCOS. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to measure anxiety and depression, and the PCOS-QOL scale was used to measure the quality of life. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were used for analyzing data. Results Sixty-six percent of women were found to have anxiety (n = 216), 41% of women had depression and 70% of women had low quality...
Aims: This study aimed to identify the determinants of Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) u... more Aims: This study aimed to identify the determinants of Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) use among the married women of reproductive age group living in urban areas of Nepal. Methods: This study was an analytical cross-sectional study which aimed to compare different factors between 110 IUCD users and 110 non-users. Both groups were selected randomlyand interviewed by using semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to detect the difference between two groups and corresponding odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were also computed. Results: When the IUCD users were compared to non-users, religion, occupational status of women, occupational status of the husbands, total number of children, sources of information about IUCD, having wrong beliefs about IUCD, availability of IUCD services, reproductive intention and spousal communication were significantly associated with the use of IUCD.The main reason for using IUCD was due to the effectiveness for longer dur...
Supplemental material, question-guide_SOM-WHE-18-0023 for 'Menstrual blood is bad and should ... more Supplemental material, question-guide_SOM-WHE-18-0023 for 'Menstrual blood is bad and should be cleaned': A qualitative case study on traditional menstrual practices and contextual factors in the rural communities of far-western Nepal by Subash Thapa, Shivani Bhattarai and Arja R Aro in SAGE Open Medicine
Additional file 1: of Effect of stigma reduction intervention strategies on HIV test uptake in low- and middle-income countries: a realist review protocol
Draft keyword search strategy. Provides an overview of keyword serch strategy used in several dat... more Draft keyword search strategy. Provides an overview of keyword serch strategy used in several databases in thisstudy. (DOCX 54 kb)
Additional file 2: of Effect of stigma reduction intervention strategies on HIV test uptake in low- and middle-income countries: a realist review protocol
Background: Several stigma reduction intervention strategies have been developed and tested for e... more Background: Several stigma reduction intervention strategies have been developed and tested for effectiveness in terms of increasing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test uptake. These strategies have been more effective in some contexts and less effective in others. Individual factors, such as lack of knowledge and fear of disclosure, and social-contextual factors, such as poverty and illiteracy, might influence the effect of stigma reduction intervention strategies on HIV test uptake in low-and middle-income countries. So far, it is not clearly known how the stigma reduction intervention strategies interact with these contextual factors to increase HIV test uptake. Therefore, we will conduct a review that will synthesize existing studies on stigma reduction intervention strategies to increase HIV test uptake to better understand the mechanisms underlying this process in low-and middle-income countries. Methods: A realist review will be conducted to unpack context-mechanism-outcome configurations of the effect of stigma reduction intervention strategies on HIV test uptake. Based on a scoping review, we developed a preliminary theoretical framework outlining a potential mechanism of how the intervention strategies influence HIV test uptake. Our realist synthesis will be used to refine the preliminary theoretical framework to better reflect mechanisms that are supported by existing evidence. Journal articles and grey literature will be searched following a purposeful sampling strategy. Data will be extracted and tested against the preliminary theoretical framework. Data synthesis and analysis will be performed in five steps: organizing extracted data into evidence tables, theming, formulating chains of inference from the identified themes, linking the chains of inference and developing generative mechanisms, and refining the framework. Discussion: This will be the first realist review that offers both a quantitative and a qualitative exploration of the available evidence to develop and propose a theoretical framework that explains why and how HIV stigma reduction intervention strategies influence HIV test uptake in low-and middle-income countries. Our theoretical framework is meant to provide guidance to program managers on identifying the most effective stigma reduction intervention strategies to increase HIV test uptake. We also include advice on how to effectively implement these strategies to reduce the rate of HIV transmission. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42015023687
Prolongation of disease-free life: When is the benefit sufficient to warrant the effort of taking a preventive medicine?
Preventive Medicine
The prolongation of disease-free life (PODL) required by people to be willing to accept an offer ... more The prolongation of disease-free life (PODL) required by people to be willing to accept an offer of a preventive treatment is unknown. Quantifying the required benefits could guide information and discussions about preventive treatment. In this study, we investigated how large the benefit in prolongation of a disease-free life (PODL) should be for individuals aged 50-80 years to accept a preventive treatment offer. We used a cross-sectional survey design based on a representative sample of 6847 Danish citizens aged 50-80 years. Data were collected in 2019 through a web-based standardized questionnaire administered by Statistics Denmark, and socio-demographic data were added from a national registry. We analyzed the data with chi-square tests and stepwise multinomial logistic regression. The results indicate that the required minimum benefit from the preventive treatment varied widely between individuals (1-week PODL = 14.8%, ≥4 years PODL = 39.2%), and that the majority of individuals (51.1%) required a PODL of ≥2 years. The multivariable analysis indicate that education and income were independently and negatively associated with requested minimum benefit, while age and smoking were independently and positively associated with requested minimum benefit to accept the preventive treatment. Most individuals aged 50-80 years required larger health benefits than most preventive medications on average can offer. The data support the need for educating patients and health care professionals on how to use average benefits when discussing treatment benefits, especially for primary prevention.
HIV disclosure is an important step in delivering the right care to people. However, many people ... more HIV disclosure is an important step in delivering the right care to people. However, many people with an HIV positive status choose not to disclose. This considerably complicates the delivery of adequate health care. We conducted a grounded theory study to develop a theoretical model explaining how local contexts impact on HIV disclosure and what the mechanisms are that determine whether people choose to disclose or not. We conducted in-depth interviews among 23 people living with HIV, 8 health workers and 5 family and community members, and 1 community development worker in Achham, Nepal. Data were analysed using constant-comparative method, performing three levels of open, axial, and selective coding. Our theoretical model illustrates how two dominant systems to control HIV, namely a community self-coping and a public health system, independently or jointly, shape contexts, mechanisms and outcomes for HIV disclosure. This theoretical model can be used in understanding processes of...
Background: The Intrauterine Device (IUD) is the least popular method of contraception for family... more Background: The Intrauterine Device (IUD) is the least popular method of contraception for family planning in Nepal. In addition, discontinuation in the early days after insertion is very high and information related to factors affecting early discontinuation is very limited. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out over a 5-year period to determine the associated factors for early discontinuation of the IUD. Insertion, consultation and removal records of IUD users of Kshetrapati Family Welfare Centre, Kathmandu, were reviewed. Removal within 12 months of insertion is defined as early discontinuation. The study participants were selected randomly. Uni-variate and logistic regression analysis were used to analyse predictors of early discontinuation of IUD. Results: The results showed that one fifth of the 230 women using IUD discontinued within the first year of insertion. Side-effects were the main reason for early discontinuation followed by expulsion. Woman's occupational status, husband's occupational status, husband's educational status, experience of side-effects and follow-up practice were associated with early discontinuation of IUD. Menstrual disorder and abnormal vaginal discharge were also associated with early discontinuation. Conclusion and recommendation: Risks of IUD discontinuation were found to be very high during the early days of insertion and side-effects were identified as the major cause. So, proper management of side-effects would be very important to reduce early discontinuation of IUD.
Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 2017
A scoping review of grey and peer-reviewed literature was conducted to develop a conceptual frame... more A scoping review of grey and peer-reviewed literature was conducted to develop a conceptual framework to illustrate mechanisms involved in reducing HIV stigma and increasing HIV test uptake. We followed a 3-step approach to exploring the literature: developing concepts, organizing and categorizing concepts, and synthesizing concepts into a framework. The framework contains 4 types of intervention strategies: awareness creation, influencing normative behavior, providing support, and developing regulatory laws. The awareness creation strategy generally improves knowledge and the influencing normative behavior strategy changes stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors, and subsequently, increases HIV test uptake. Providing support and development of regulatory law strategies changes actual stigmatizing behaviors of the people and, subsequently, increases HIV test uptake. The framework further outlines that the mechanisms described are influenced by the interaction of various social-contextual and individual factors. The framework sheds new light on the effects of HIV stigma reduction intervention strategies and HIV test uptake.
Several stigma reduction intervention strategies have been developed and tested for effectiveness... more Several stigma reduction intervention strategies have been developed and tested for effectiveness in terms of increasing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test uptake. These strategies have been more effective in some contexts and less effective in others. Individual factors, such as lack of knowledge and fear of disclosure, and social-contextual factors, such as poverty and illiteracy, might influence the effect of stigma reduction intervention strategies on HIV test uptake in low- and middle-income countries. So far, it is not clearly known how the stigma reduction intervention strategies interact with these contextual factors to increase HIV test uptake. Therefore, we will conduct a review that will synthesize existing studies on stigma reduction intervention strategies to increase HIV test uptake to better understand the mechanisms underlying this process in low- and middle-income countries. A realist review will be conducted to unpack context-mechanism-outcome configurations o...
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