One Health Journal of Nepal

Elderly Abuse and Its Associated Factors in Chandragiri Municipality: A Cross-Sectional Study

Gobind Prasad Pant — 2024-08-21

Introduction: Elder abuse is a complex issue that affects older people as a result of poor physical and mental health, aging, shared living, social isolation, a lack of support, and a generation gap. It is the result of shifting socioeconomic paradigms and demographic developments, which have an impact on individuals, families, and societies. The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of elder abuse and the factors that are linked to it among the elderly population in the Chandragiri municipality.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 204 elderly people over 60 years residing in a community of Chandragiri municipality through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Simple random sampling was used to select wards and proportionate stratified sampling was used to select participants from each ward. Descriptive and bi-variate analysis was done using SPSS v.25.

Results: More than two-thirds (67.6%) of the elderly experienced at least one form of abuse. Caregiver neglect (57.8%) and psychological abuse (42.2%) were the most common types of abuse. This study showed that 17.6% of the elderly experienced sexual abuse. Elderly abuse was strongly associated with illiteracy (p value=0.032) and Cancer (p value= 0.027).

Conclusions: The majority of the elderly had been abused in some way, the most common being caregiver neglect, followed by psychological abuse. A deeper investigation is required to learn more about the true nature of elderly abuse in Nepal and appropriate strategies should be adopted for healthy aging without any sort of abuse against them.

Adverse Birth Outcomes among Hospital Deliveries in Pokhara Metropolitan

Binita Acharya — 2024-08-21

Introduction: Birth outcomes are a category of measures that describe health at birth. Adverse birth outcomes are other than normal live births, which majorly include preterm birth, stillbirth, and low birth weight. These are major causes of neonatal morbidity, mortality, and long-term physical and psychological issues. This study aimed to determine the proportion and identify the associated factors of adverse birth outcomes among hospital deliveries at Pokhara Metropolitan.

Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in the selected hospitals of Pokhara Metropolitan among 258 admitted women in the maternity ward who had received delivery services within three days of delivery. Birth records of the newborn babies of the same respective mothers were taken and verified from hospital records. Initially, descriptive analysis was done to calculate the frequencies and then a chi-square test was done to identify the associated factors of adverse birth outcomes.

Results: Out of 258 participants, 20.9 % of adverse birth outcomes were identified. Factors increasing the risk of adverse birth outcomes include poor knowledge of pregnancy or delivery complications, inadequate nutrition, lack of family support, previous adverse birth outcomes, history of miscarriage, tobacco use, and gestational age.

Conclusions: The prevalence of the overall adverse birth outcome was more than one-fifth which is a public health concern. Adverse pregnancy outcome reduction strategies should consider early identification and management of the preconception risk factors. The preconception care should include educating all eligible or reproductive-aged couples about preconception care/ health. Creating awareness about family planning methods, types and efficacy for women of reproductive health is mandatory.

Knowledge and Preventive Practice Regarding Dengue Among Community People of Bharatpur-05, Chitwan, Nepal

Jeevan Saud — 2024-08-21

Introduction: Dengue infection transmitted by Aedes aegypti is endemic in Nepal. Gaining a preliminary understanding of people's knowledge and preventive practices will enable health professionals to better comprehend the challenges we face and contribute to the enhancement of dengue prevention programs. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and preventive practice regarding dengue among the community people of Bharatpur -5, Chitwan.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 188 people of age above 18 through face-to-face interviews using self-developed questionnaires. Data were entered and analyzed into SPSS version 20. The main analytical procedure was descriptive using frequencies, and percentages.

Results: The study shows that 21.8% of respondents had adequate knowledge and 11.2% had good preventive practice regarding dengue.

Conclusions: Overall, the majority of respondents had been found to have inadequate knowledge and poor preventive practice regarding dengue. This highlights an urgent need for an extensive dengue prevention program.

Spectrum of Adverse Event Following COVID-19 Immunization in High Altitude, Nepal

Bibek Rajbhandari — 2024-08-21

Introduction: Nepal started vaccinating frontline workers against COVID-19, in January 2021. Side effects of the vaccine are still unknown in high-altitude regions. Poor surveillance and the lack of health workers in remote places to take care of people in case of vaccination could prove to be a challenge in the drive, in high altitudes like Humla district, Nepal. High-altitude regions are harder to access and mobilization of vaccines and manpower is strenuous due to harsh weather conditions and complex geography. We aimed to study the spectrum of Adverse Events Following COVID-19 Immunization among the front liners of the Humla district.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Humla district, Nepal. COVID-19 Immunization vaccine recipients were contacted through a phone call within 5 days of vaccination to record the adverse effects. Patterns and distribution of adverse effects were analyzed in high-altitude settings. Ethical approval was taken from the Nepal Health Research Council.

Results: Of the total respondents, 84.1% (95% C.I: 80.9 to 86.9) had shown symptoms after vaccination. The average time for the appearance of symptoms was 1.27 +_ 0.60 days. For systemic effects, tenderness was the side effect seen after vaccination (63.8%) followed by other side effects like pain (58.5%), Pyrexia (37.4%), Chills (29.8%), Myalgia (28.9%), and Malaise (15.2%) while for localized effects, the symptoms such as Arthralgia (16.6%) and Bruising (16.1%) were the most common effects.

Conclusions: Serious and life-threatening adverse effects following immunization were not seen in our study site which was at an altitude of 2500 meters and above. Our study shows a similar type of side effect pattern as that of the lower altitude regions.

Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) in Nepal: Current Challenges and Opportunities in their role in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Screening and Diagnosis

Pragya Sharma — 2024-08-21

Established in 1988, Nepal's Female Community Health Volunteers have been on the front lines of promoting family planning and maternal health through community engagement. From an initial role in distributing birth spacing products, FCHVs have evolved in their responsibilities over the past three decades to take on leading Health Mothers' Groups and addressing a wide array of public health issues. There has been reasonable progress in the reduction of maternal and child mortality. This article will be focused on the increasing burden of NCDs, particularly CVD, in Nepal, where limited resources exist for its management. FCHVs reflect a promising, underutilized resource for community-level NCD care. Using available evidence and targeted training in the prevention of NCDs and CVD risk screening would help reduce the burden of NCDs through the preventive services delivered by FCHVs. This viewpoint aims to explore the potential of integrating FCHVs for strategies for prevention of NCDs and the need for adapting training programs.

Optimizing the Use of HMIS Data for Health Decision-Making in Nepal: Current Utilization, Challenges, and Opportunities

Lisasha Poudel — 2024-08-21

Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) are crucial in strengthening healthcare systems by providing data to inform policy, program design, and service delivery. In Nepal, HMIS data is collected across various health system levels; however, the extent to which this data is effectively utilized in decision-making still needs to be explored. This viewpoint examines the use of HMIS data within Nepal's health sector and assesses its influence on health policies, resource allocation, and program implementation.