Despite the existing campaigns on obesity prevention, there's still high incidence which can lead to complications. This study determined the effectiveness of obesity prevention campaign (OPC) among adolescents, and the difference according to sex and groups. Aquasi-experimental time-series design was used. The participants were 56 Grade 7 high school students from Baguio City, randomly chosen through one-stage cluster sampling, assigned in the interventions groups, assessed using a self-made questionnaire, introduced with OPC and reassessed for three weeks. Frequency percentages and Chi-square were utilized. The brochure plus health teaching is an effective OPC. There is a significant difference in BMI according to sex of the adolescents. The OPC yielded effective results in the physical aspects for both groups. Repeated campaign can produce a successful effect in preventing obesity among adolescents. Utilization of either the brochure alone or brochure with health teaching is enough to create a successful change.

Human ; Adolescent (a Person 13-18 Years Of Age) ; Obesity ; Adolescent ; Health Promotion

Authors suggest efforts are needed to further explore the usefulness and utilization of psychoeducation at the community and professional levels as applied to various settings and populations. In addition, if developed and implemented carefully, psychoeducational interventions have promising application on other life challenges across levels of the public health, social, and educational systems. This quasiexperimental three group pre-test post-test study aims to investigate the effect of psychoeducation on the self-esteem and self-efficacy of college students. A total of 105 college students (35 subjects per group) who were enrolled at Saint Louis University, Baguio City, Philippines were included as sample. Sampling technique was purposive. The Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale and Schwarzer's General Selfefficacy Scale were used as data gathering tools. A self-made psychoeducational module that was validated by experts in mental health and psychiatric nursing was utilized as intervention. SPSS version 20 was used for the statistical analysis. The results on the post-test scores of both treatment arms (informational and comprehensive model) were significantly higher compared to control group after eight sessions of psychoeducation. The researchers therefore conclude that both psychoeducation models (informational and comprehensive) showed evidence of effectiveness in increasing the self-esteem and self-efficacy levels of college students. 

Human ; Male ; Female ; Self Efficacy ; Universities ; Mental Health ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Public Health ; Saints ; Self Concept ; Students ; Life ; Nursing ; Students

BACKGROUND

Nursing, as a profession, is a facet where job satisfaction and performance matter. In the changing landscape of nursing practice in the Philippines and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to revisit and to perform an empirical investigation of the current state of nurses' job satisfaction and performance in the hospital setting. This study aimed to describe the job satisfaction and performance among staff nurses in private and government hospitals in Baguio City.

DESIGN

Using a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional survey design, a sample of 313 randomly selected staff nurses working in two private and two government hospitals in Baguio City were surveyed from March to April 2023, using a questionnaire. This study's protocol was approved by two ethics committees, namely the Saint Louis University Research Ethics Committee and the BGHMC REC. Nominal data was analyzed using the SPSS trial version employing frequencies, percentages, and the Chi-square test.

FINDINGS

There are more staff nurses in both private and government hospitals who reported satisfactory job satisfaction levels (276 nurses, 87.9%) and had good job performance (303 nurses, 96.5%) in all domains. However, results show that there are more nurses (209 nurses, 90.7% ) in government hospitals who are satisfied with their jobs than in private hospital nurses (67 nurses, 80.1%) in the domains Intra practice Partnership/Collegiality (p=0.010); Challenge/Autonomy (p=0.001); Professional, Social and Community Interaction (p=0.010); Professional Growth (p=0.036); Time (p=0.009); and Benefits (p=0.045). In terms of job performance, more government nurses at 97.3% (224 nurses) rated a higher self-appraisal of job performance. In comparison, only 94.8% (79 nurses) of private staff nurses appraised themselves as having good performance. No significant differences were found in the domains of job performance, namely leadership, teaching, planning, communications, and professional development, except in critical care. In "Critical care," which showed significance, the results suggest that more nurses in government hospitals perceive higher job performance, revealing a significant difference (p=0.011) in the "critical care" domain, indicating that a higher proportion of nurses in government hospitals demonstrate superior performance in this area.

CONCLUSION

Through this study, it was learned that nurses in both private and government hospitals generally experience high job satisfaction and performance, reflecting a fulfilled workforce and indicating commendable competency among the staff nurses. However, more nurses in government hospitals report high satisfaction and perceived performance in critical care compared to those in private hospitals. Thus, the findings of this study can contribute to and serve as a rationale for policy making regarding creating a positive work environment, proper management and leadership, creation of training and skill development for critical care, providing opportunities for professional growth, and conducting regular evaluation and feedback----- all geared towards a satisfied and productive workforce.

Job Satisfaction ; Job Performance ; Work Performance ; Work Environment ; Working Conditions

BACKGROUND: Epidemic thunderstorm asthma (ETSA) severely affected Melbourne, Australia in November 2016. There is scant literature on the natural history of individuals affected by ETSA. OBJECTIVE: A multicentre 12-month prospective observational study was conducted assessing symptomatology and behaviors of ETSA-affected individuals. METHODS: We used a structured phone questionnaire to assess asthma symptom frequency, inhaled preventer use, asthma action plan ownership and healthcare utilization over 12 months since the ETSA. Analysis of results included subgroup analyses of the “current,” “past,” “probable,“ and “no asthma” subgroups defined according to their original 2016 survey responses. RESULTS: Four hundred forty-two questionnaires were analyzed. Eighty percent of individuals reported ongoing asthma symptoms at follow-up, of which 28% were affected by asthma symptoms at least once a week. Risk of persistent asthma symptoms was significantly higher in those with prior asthma diagnosis, current asthma, and probable undiagnosed asthma (all p < 0.01). Of 442 respondents, 53% were prescribed inhaled preventers, of which 51% were adherent at least 5 days a week. Forty-two percent had a written asthma action plan and 16% had sought urgent medical attention for asthma in the preceding year. CONCLUSIONS: Following an episode of ETSA, patients experience a pivotal change in asthma trajectory with both loss of asthma control and persistence of de novo asthma. Suboptimal rates of inhaled preventer adherence and asthma action plan ownership may contribute to asthma exacerbation risk and susceptibility to future ETSA episodes. Longer-term follow-up is needed to determine the extent and severity of this apparent change.
Asthma ; Australia ; Delivery of Health Care ; Diagnosis ; Environmental Exposure ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Natural History ; Observational Study ; Ownership ; Prospective Studies ; Public Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Weather

Background: Cholesterol is an important biomolecule for cells. However, because of certain lifestyle, the amount of cholesterol can increase beyond what our bodies can consume. Increased intake may result in the accumulation of cholesterol in the blood leading to atherosclerosis that can lead to congestive heart failure. With the use of statins, cholesterol levels are reduced therefore lowering the risk for this disease. It does so by inhibiting the hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, the first committed enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. In light of the increasing cases of hypercholesterolemia, there is a need to discover novel classes of HMG-CoA inhibitors. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to screen extracts of leaf-associated fungi for their capacity to inhibit hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, the first committed enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. Methods: Eight (8) plants were sampled for the fungal epiphytes and endophytes on their leaves. The fungal isolates were identified by sequencing the internal transcribed region (ITS) of the 18S rDNA. All fungal isolates were cultured in 20 flasks containing 300 mL potato dextrose broth at 30°C for 14 days. The culture broths were then subjected to reduction in volume using a rotary evaporator. HMG-CoA reductase inhibition assay was carried out using the ethyl acetate extracts from the culture broths. Reagent grade pravastatin was used as the positive control. Results: There were a total of sixty-six (66) fungal taxa that were tested for their capacity to inhibit the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. Of the 50 that tested positive, there were 25 families represented and 5 isolates were of uncertain status taxonomically (incertae sedis). There were also nine classes that were represented and the class with the most number of isolates was Sordariomycetes. The highest percentage inhibition was observed in Pestalotiopsis lespedezae with 65.01 % inhibition. The other fungi with notable inhibitory activities were Colletotrichum cymbidiicola (64.16%) and Schizophyllum commune (57.85%). Conclusions This study may be the first report of production of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors in the genus Colletotrichum and in the other leaf-associated fungal taxa that tested positive for HMG-CoA reductase inhibition. It is therefore very promising that a novel statin compound, or even a new class of substances with antihypercholesterolemic bioactivity may be discovered from these leaf-associated fungal isolates. The crude extracts of these fungi are prime candidates for downstream fractionation for the subsequent isolation and structure elucidation of the bioactive compound.
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Endophytes ; Cholesterol

BACKGROUND: Recent findings on emergency department (ED) patient experience surveys and concerns for the low response rates challenge the quality and reliability of the survey reports. We assessed the consistency of an ED patient experience survey report and identified the effects of patient demographics on ED patient experiences. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, cross-sectional study at a university-based ED from July to December 2017. We obtained ED patient experience scores from an institutional version (IS) survey and the Press Ganey Associates-distributed survey (PGA). We compared top box scores from the two reports using frequency analysis and performed multivariable logistic regressions to identify associations between IS patient demographics and scores. RESULTS: We obtained 289 PGA and 234 IS responses. The IS reported significant, higher top box scores in doctor-specific patient questions compared to PGA (all four P-values < 0.01). Female, Christian and White patients were more likely to give top box scores (OR 3.07, OR 2.22 and OR 2.41, P-value < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION We found significant differences in ED patient experience scores between the IS and PGA surveys. We recommend that healthcare providers consider patient demographic variables when interpreting ED experience score reports. Multiple survey techniques and distribution methods may be adopted to best capture ED patient experiences.