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An Unhealthy, Obesogenic Lifestyle: A Case Study of Urban Primary School Children in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe
Dube Adiele,
Gundani Patrick Morgan,
Lunga Mande Carolyne
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 2, March 2018
Pages:
35-42
Received:
16 January 2017
Accepted:
1 April 2017
Published:
17 January 2018
Abstract: Objectives: To determine the socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics of 9-11 years old children in relation to their tuck-shop purchasing habits. Methods: A cross-sectional research design using a pre-designed questionnaire was administered to Grades 3, 4 & 5 children and two tuck shop managers from group A schools. Weight and height were measured through standardized techniques and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. BMI was interpreted in relation to tuck-shop purchasing habits. The distributions of blood pressure by anthropometric characteristics were examined. Mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Chi square were used for statistical analysis using SPSS 20.0 software. Results: The sample comprised 53.01% females (n = 334) and 46.98% males (n = 296). The children’s mean age was 9.8 (± 0.44) years, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 20.5 (± 4.6) kg/m2 for girls and 19.7 (± 4.9) kg/m2 for boys. Basing on BMI, 27% of the male subjects were predominantly overweight, whereas 28.4% of the female subjects were more prone to obesity. Out of the total population, 26.4% of the children reported that they frequently purchase from the tuckshop. There was a positive significant (p <0.013) association existed between the BMI and the frequency of purchasing from the tuckshop. Purchasing times continued to be unassociated to perceived health status despite that items purchased and age were inversely associated students’ food consumption (Item purchased: OR= 1.12, CI= 1.03 – 1.13, p = 0.001; Age OR= 1.06, CI= 1.02 – 1.12, p = 0.001) An average of USD$0.50 or ZAR5 is spent by children at the tuck-shop on a daily basis. Conclusion: Poor tuck-shop purchasing practices by primary school children contribute to the development of childhood overweight and obesity. Despite, schools covering nutrition in their educational curriculum, their tuck shops stocked poor nutritional quality items which were used to generate revenue/profit. Therefore, school management has a vital role in imposing restrictions over trading of unhealthy items to school children. Also, there is need to improve the nutrition educational curriculum in lower grade levels to ensure that they adopt healthier purchasing practices.
Abstract: Objectives: To determine the socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics of 9-11 years old children in relation to their tuck-shop purchasing habits. Methods: A cross-sectional research design using a pre-designed questionnaire was administered to Grades 3, 4 & 5 children and two tuck shop managers from group A schools. Weight and height...
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Homocysteine and Lipid Peroxidation in Active and Passive Smoking
Duangkamol Viroonudomphol,
Pornpimon Poomrittikul,
Tharntip Jirakanjana,
Siriwan Tribanyatkul,
Saowanee Kanjanachumpon
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 2, March 2018
Pages:
43-49
Received:
13 December 2017
Accepted:
12 January 2018
Published:
25 January 2018
Abstract: Disease risk due to smoking is not limited to smokers only. Passive smoking (exposure to environmental tobacco smoke) is associated with adverse health effect especially in cardiovascular disease. Side-stream cigarette smoke, a major component of secondhand smoke induces reactive oxygen species with promote oxidative stress. This paper summarizes the cardiovascular effects of tobacco smoke. According to the results of the alternative level of biochemistry substances, Cholesterol (C), HDL- Cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C), Triglyceride (TG), Malondialdehyde (MDA), Conjugate diene (CD), vitamin B12, folate and Homocysteine (Hcy). The results showed that vitamin B12 and Hcy of smokers were significantly higher than those of non-smokers while C, LDL-C, TG and folate were significantly lower than those of non-smokers. More detail of smoking group, the industrial tobacco smokers had HDL-C and vitamin B12 lower than those in non-smokers whereas passive smokers and local handmade tobacco smokers had serum HDL-C and vitamin B12 higher than those in non-smokers. For serum C, LDL-C, TG and folate of all groups of smokers were significantly lower than non-smokers. The industrial tobacco smokers had serum MDA significantly higher than non-smokers but passive smokers and local handmade tobacco smokers had serum MDA lower than non-smokers. The industrial tobacco smokers and passive smokers had serum Hcy significantly higher than non-smokers but local handmade tobacco smokers had serum Hcy lower than non-smokers.
Abstract: Disease risk due to smoking is not limited to smokers only. Passive smoking (exposure to environmental tobacco smoke) is associated with adverse health effect especially in cardiovascular disease. Side-stream cigarette smoke, a major component of secondhand smoke induces reactive oxygen species with promote oxidative stress. This paper summarizes t...
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Salary for Smoking Break (SSB) of Civil Servants (CS) in Japan
Jun Sono,
Hajime Ishikawa Sono,
Yoshikazu Saito
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 2, March 2018
Pages:
50-54
Received:
1 December 2017
Accepted:
18 December 2017
Published:
2 February 2018
Abstract: Salary for Smoking Break (SSB) of Civil Servants (CS) of Japan was estimated after a survey of the number of smoking CS during office hours at outdoor Designated Smoking Area (DSA) of two cities, namely Amagasaki and Nishinomiya. The total number of smoking CS during office hours per day at these city main offices was 547 and 400 respectively. The total SSB of CS of two cities combined per year is estimated as more than US$ 2 million. Approximately, the number of CS all over Japan is 526 times as much as that of two cities combined. Based on this data, total SSB during office hours of CS all over Japan is estimated as more than US$ 1,052 million. The source of this huge amount of SSB for CS is the tax paid by the people and is not acceptable from tax-payers’ point of view. Ban on smoking of CS during office hours is beneficial not only for smoking CS to have the chance to quit or reduce smoking, but also for no smoking colleagues to be free from extra work during the absence of smokers for smoking break and to avoid the risk of the exposure to third-hand smoke from returned smokers. Therefore, ban on smoking of CS during office hours should be welcomed not only by the people, but also by CS regardless of smoking status. This ban could be extended to private work places as a good role model, and protect the health of workers from the risk of active and passive smoking including third-hand smoke. The implementation of this ban may help the better understanding of Japanese people for tobacco de-normalization as the social norm.
Abstract: Salary for Smoking Break (SSB) of Civil Servants (CS) of Japan was estimated after a survey of the number of smoking CS during office hours at outdoor Designated Smoking Area (DSA) of two cities, namely Amagasaki and Nishinomiya. The total number of smoking CS during office hours per day at these city main offices was 547 and 400 respectively. The ...
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The Correlation Analysis on Glycolipid Metabolism, CysC and Homocysteine of Thyroid Dysfunction
Rongqin Dai,
Zhenjiang Hou,
Jingyu Zhang,
Hong Fan,
Hongsheng Wang,
Jianzhang Hou
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 2, March 2018
Pages:
55-60
Received:
30 January 2018
Published:
5 February 2018
Abstract: The objective is to discuss about the correlation of Glycolipid Metabolism, Cystatin C (CysC) and Homocysteine (Hcy) of thyroid dysfunction. 100 cases of hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism and the control group are chose respectively to measure Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG), Blood Lipid, Thyroid Hormone (TH), CysC and Hcy, calculate the blood lipid ratio and make analysis. As a result, Thyroid Carcinoma (TC), Thyroglobulin (TG), Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C), High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C), TC/HDL-C, TG/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, Lipid comprehensive index (LCI) and non-HDL-C of hyperthyroidism group are obviously lower than the control group. The decrease of LCI is the most prominent. Hcy is slightly lower than the control group. FBG and CysC are obviously higher than the control group. TC, TG, LDL-C, TG/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, LCI and non-HDL-C, Hcy of hypothyroidism group are higher than the control group (P＜0.05), and FBG, HDL-C and CysC are lower than the control group (P＜0.05). Various kinds of TH have the highest connection with TC, followed by non-HDL-C, LDL-C and LCI. It comes to the conclusion that patients with thyroid dysfunction easily appear the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism. The change in blood lipid ratio is more pronounced than that of single lipid indicator and is closely related to CysC and Hcy. Dynamic monitoring of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), blood lipid ratio, CysC and Hcy is of great value in the diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction and the prediction of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) in concurrent Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and so on.
Abstract: The objective is to discuss about the correlation of Glycolipid Metabolism, Cystatin C (CysC) and Homocysteine (Hcy) of thyroid dysfunction. 100 cases of hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism and the control group are chose respectively to measure Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG), Blood Lipid, Thyroid Hormone (TH), CysC and Hcy, calculate the blood lipid ratio ...
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Teenage Marriage in Post Conflict Northern Uganda: A Case of Amuru District
Simple Ouma,
Kenneth Odong Obita,
Turyasima Mananura,
Acca Harriet Omara,
Florence Nabbale,
Moses Toe Rama,
Caroline Cephas Adong,
Mpora Beatrice Odongkara,
Emmanuel Igwaro Odongo-Aginya,
Silvia Awor
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 2, March 2018
Pages:
61-65
Received:
25 January 2018
Accepted:
16 February 2018
Published:
15 March 2018
Abstract: Background: Teenage marriage eventually lead to teenage pregnancy with all it associated adverse consequences. Moreover, teenagers are less likely to utilize antenatal care and as well exhibit sub-optimal neonatal care compared to adult women. Thus, the need to report on teenage marriage in order to inform policy makers to provide necessary teenage sexual reproductive health services with relevant policies especially in post-conflict settings like Northern Uganda. Objectives: To describe prevalence and determinants of teenage marriage in post-conflict Northern Uganda. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data was collected from 424 females of reproductive age using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires. Univariate and bivariate analyses were carried out using SPSS 16.0. Results: Mean age of study participants was 27 years. Majority of participants (79.0%) and their husbands (67.2%) were peasant farmers. Majority of participants were married (85.8%) with about one-fifth (18.1%) of the participants pregnant at the time of interview. Among the married participants, majority of the participants (65.1%) and their husbands (64.2%) had only primary education. Majority (86.3%) of the married women first got married as teenagers. Mean age at first marriage was 17 years. Women in this population generally got married at early ages. Women who got married at younger ages were lowly educated and generally never had formal paid employments. Likewise, women who got married at younger ages were generally married to lowly educated men with no formal employments. In contrast, women who married later in life had better education and married men with better education level and above all such couples tend to engage in formal paid employments. In addition, women who got married at older ages had less number of live births and desired to give birth to less children than women who got married at younger ages. Conclusions: Women in post-conflict Northern Uganda are experiencing high level of teenage marriage. This put them at risk of not attaining necessary education and employable skills hence poverty. This calls for targeted interventions from both government and development partners in order to reverse the current trend in teenage marriage due to inequality in formal education and other social amenities and thus save the girl child from poverty.
Abstract: Background: Teenage marriage eventually lead to teenage pregnancy with all it associated adverse consequences. Moreover, teenagers are less likely to utilize antenatal care and as well exhibit sub-optimal neonatal care compared to adult women. Thus, the need to report on teenage marriage in order to inform policy makers to provide necessary teenage...
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