Allied Health Sciences

Use of Vitamins and Minerals among Nurses in Sri Lanka in the Context of Getting Covid-19

2023-04-26T11:36:20Z

Use of Vitamins and Minerals among Nurses in Sri Lanka in the Context of Getting Covid-19 Dharmasiri, WWTMM; Gunarathne, NWPKD; Weerarathne, WGW; Hettiarachchige, JN; Jayasekara, MBN; Nisansala, MWN; Senarath, NSASN Due to frequent exposure to infected patients, coronavirus disease (COVID19) causes mortality among a significant proportion of nurses. The use of vitamins and minerals against COVID-19 is a growing trend and its utilization may be high among nurses. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the practice of the use of vitamins and minerals among nurses in the context of getting COVID-19. A webbased descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 150 nurses attending KIU who were working in government hospitals in Sri Lanka. The Google form of questionnaire was circulated among participants and the simple random sampling method was used. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. The study was ethically approved by the ERC at KIU. The mean age was 32.08 +5.79 years. The majority were females (94.6%), married (64.4%), vaccinate against COVID-19 (97.3%), and worked with handling COVID-19 infected or suspected patients (59.7%). Most (58%) stated that vitamins and minerals help to prevent or reduce the risk of getting COVID-19. On daily basis, Vitamin C (40.3%) and Multivitamins (20.8%), Calcium (21%), and iron (9.5%) were used. Further, on a few times per week basis, Vitamin A (25.5 %), B (24.8%), D (23.5%), E (23.5%), and zinc (20.1%) were used while 20.1% used Omega 3 in weekly basis. Gender, age, vaccination against COVID-19, working unit, and opinion on the risk of getting COVID-19 were not associated with the consumption of multivitamins or other vitamins and minerals. However, the working hospital of nurses was associated with the consumption of Vitamin C (p = 0.028) and Vitamin D (p = 0.039). The use of vitamins and minerals is a growing trend against COVID 19 and the use of vitamins C is more common. The working hospital was associated with the consumption of Vitamin C and D in the current study.

A Study on the Influence of Attendance and Types of Dental Clinics for the Development of Dental Caries in Young Adults

2023-04-26T10:59:59Z

A Study on the Influence of Attendance and Types of Dental Clinics for the Development of Dental Caries in Young Adults Medawathta, HMSNB; Yapa, HAS; Munazil, A; Gomis, PJNN; Perera, GAN; Arachchi, MPS; Walpola, LH Oral hygiene is defined as the practice of keeping the mouth, teeth, and gums clean and healthy. As poor oral hygiene contributes to the occurrence of dental cavities, regular dental checkups and treatments are essential to maintain good oral hygiene. The present study investigated how frequency of attending dental check-ups and types of dental clinics affect for the development of dental caries. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out using convenient sampling among individuals belonging to the young adult population (age group 18 – 35) who have access to internet facilities in Sri Lanka by distributing a pre-tested self-administrated questionnaire through social media. Data on diagnosis, treatment of dental cavities and attendance to dental clinics, types of dental clinics were analysed using SPSS version 25. Out of the 442-sample population, 18.32% of individuals had attended a dental clinic more than one year before the study, 20.81% attended a dental clinic during the one year of the study and 7.2% had never visited a dental clinic. A significant association (p= 0.000) was found between attendance at dental clinics and diagnosis of dental cavities within the past five years. Also, there was a significant association (p= 0.013) between the diagnosis of dental cavities and the type of dental clinic attended. Therefore, our study concludes that regular attendance for dental check-ups plays an important role in the maintenance of cavity-free teeth and gums.

Impact of Covid-19 on Health-Related Behaviours among Parents with Children Under 10 Years in Wennappuwa Divisional Secretariat Area, Sri Lanka – A Cross-Sectional Study

2023-04-26T11:31:44Z

Impact of Covid-19 on Health-Related Behaviours among Parents with Children Under 10 Years in Wennappuwa Divisional Secretariat Area, Sri Lanka – A Cross-Sectional Study Perera, SN; Silva, ERH; Rodrigo, CD; Fernando, SN; Balasooriya, VJL; Wijesinghe, MW; Rahinduwa, HRBK The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted millions of individuals causing major changes to their livelihood, health behaviours, and physical and mental well-being. The general objective of this study was to describe the changes in health-related behaviours during COVID-19 in parents with children under 10 years old in the Wennapuwa Divisional Secretariat Area, Puttalam District, Sri Lanka. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a Google form that was shared through social media and emails. A total of 206 have responded to the google form. The google form consisted of questions regarding demographics, changes in food patterns, physical activity, sleep patterns and screen time due to COVID-19 from the parents who fit the expected description. Out of the total participants, 133 (64.6%) were females and 73 (35.4%) were males. More than half of the total participants 177 (85.9%) reported that their eating and meal routines have changed since COVID-19; the most commonly reported changes were eating more food 141 (68.4%). Increased Screen time and increased time spent on sitting were reported by 167 (81.1%) and 162 (78.6%) of the total participants respectively. Some unhealthful behaviours appeared to have been exacerbated since COVID-19. Further studies are needed to determine the longer-term impact of the pandemic on behaviours and to identify effective strategies to support families in the post-COVID- 19 context. COVID-19 has had a negative impact on these parents.

Stress Level and Associated Factors among Undergraduates of KIU during Covid-19 Pandemic

2023-04-26T11:29:56Z

Stress Level and Associated Factors among Undergraduates of KIU during Covid-19 Pandemic Rathnamali, HGG; Gunawardhana, MVN; Mohamed, MH; Meerigama, KMWML; Jayalath, SWSS; Kulathunga, H; Ubhayawardana, DLNL Undergraduates feel a significant amount of stress due to a variety of factors. The covid-19 pandemic has negatively affected the students to increase their stress. Identification of the stress in the early stage is vital. A descriptive crosssectional study was conducted to investigate the levels of perceived stress and its association with some selected factors among KIU undergraduates during the Covid -19 pandemic. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics review committee, KIU. A pretested questionnaire consisting of 4 sections; demographic data, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Student Stress Survey (SSS) was distributed among the selected population after taking the informed written consent to collect data. A total of 235 responses were received. Majority (67.65%, n=159) were females and were aged between 18-30 years (96.17%, n=226). A Percentage of 71.4 had a moderate level of stress and showed no significant difference between the mean perceived stress score of males and females (p = 0.058). Low levels of interpersonal stressors (47.23%), moderate levels of intrapersonal stressors (42.97%), and high levels of environmental stressors (50.21%) were observed. A significant association was observed between perceived stress and interpersonal stressors, intrapersonal stressors, academic stressors and environmental stressors as (P <0.005). A Moderate positive correlation was observed with sleep quality (R2 = 0.338). No significant difference was observed between mean perceived stress levels and gender. Environmental factors have led to the highest levels of stress and it may be due to the Covid -19 health rules and regulations. Therefore, early detection and remedying of stressors will help to build good physical and mental health among undergraduates.