Effectiveness of first-aid education in road traffic crashes on non-healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitude, and skills: a systematic review

This review aimed to evaluate and synthesize information on the effects of first-aid education in road traffic crashes on knowledge, attitudes, and skills among non-healthcare professionals. A qualitative study was designed according to the Prepared Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards to evaluate three outcomes, knowledge, skills, and attitude. The search strategy was performed in five databases (Science Direct, Scopus, CINAHL Plus, PubMed, and Google Scholar) to retrieve primary studies published between January 2011 and December 2021. In addition, the full texts of randomized controlled trials conducted on adults were included. Among the 2,399 articles retrieved from the databases, 2,388 were discarded, and only five studies met the inclusion criteria and were used in the final analysis and synthesis. Three of the five studies suggested that knowledge and skills are crucial in differentiating outcome factors between intervention and control groups regarding the effectiveness of first aid education. However, two studies on attitude and behaviour toward first-aid found no discernible change between the intervention and the control group. Therefore, our review revealed that only a well-structured first aid education is crucial to leverage the knowledge and skills of non-healthcare professionals before first aid provision, not attitude or behaviours.

Evaluating Health Education Module on Hand, Food, and Mouth Diseases Among Preschoolers in Malacca, Malaysia

This study aims to improve parents' perceptions of susceptibility, severity, benefits, and barriers to children's handwashing practice by utilizing the Health Belief Model. In Alor Gajah, Melaka, a parallel cluster-randomized controlled study was conducted over 26 months. Parents who agreed to participate completed pre-test (t0) questionnaires. Data analysis used IBM SPSS version 25. The descriptive analysis described the baseline data pre-intervention. Chi-square and T-test or Mann-Whitney U test for non-parametric analysis assessed baseline data comparability between intervention and control groups. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) analyzed between and within-group comparison of the outcomes, and multivariate analysis determined the effectiveness of the intervention with clustered data. The individual participation rate was 86%. Parents who followed up immediately had higher perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and perceived barriers (p < 0.001). Each unit increment in parents' practice score was 0.02-unit higher preschool children's hand hygiene practice score (p = 0.045). The intervention effectively improved parents' perceived susceptibility and benefits at immediate follow-up compared to baseline. However, there were no significant intervention effects on parents' perceived severity and barriers and preschool children's handwashing practices. The follow-up time significantly affected each outcome. There were significant covariates as the outcome predictors in this study, besides intervention groups and follow-up time. Parents' knowledge and age of the youngest child were significant predictors of parents' perceived susceptibility, besides parents' knowledge and perceived susceptibility being the predictors of parents' practice score. As a result, parents, teachers, and communities can implement this intervention in other schools with susceptible children.

Effectiveness of lumbar support with built-in massager system on spinal angle profiles among high-powered traffic police motorcycle riders: A randomised controlled trial

Traffic police riders are exposed to prolonged static postures causing significant angular deviation of the musculoskeletal, including the lumbar angle (L1-L5). This postural alteration contributes to awkward posture, musculoskeletal disorders and spinal injury, especially in the lower back area, as it is one of the most severe modern diseases nowadays. Thus, the study aimed to evaluate the effect of lumbar support with a built-in massager system on spinal angle profiles among traffic police riders. A randomised controlled trial (pre-testpost-test control design) was used to assess spinal angle pattern while riding the high-powered motorcycle for 20 minutes. Twenty-four traffic police riders were randomly selected to participate and 12 riders were assigned to the control group and 12 riders to the experimental group. The pre-test and post-test were conducted at a one-week interval. Each participant was required to wear a TruPosture Smart Shirt (to monitor spinal posture). The TruPosture Apps recorded the spinal angle pattern. The data indicated that the police riders using motorcycle seat with lumbar support and built-in massager system showed a huge improvement in maintaining posture which only involves slight spinal angle deviation changes from the spinal reference angle throughout the 20 minutes ride. The data collected then were analysed using the Mann-Whitney test and Wilcoxon signed-ranked test to verify a statistically significant difference between and within the control and experimental groups. There were significant differences in all sensors between the control group and experimental groups (p<0.05) and within the experimental group. According to the findings, it can be said that the ergonomic intervention prototype (lumbar support with built-in massager system) successfully helps to maintain and improve the natural curve of the spinal posture. This indirectly would reduce the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders and spinal injury among traffic police riders.

Occupational hazard in Malaysian traffic police: special focus on air pollutants

This paper provides a specific deliberation on occupational hazards confronted daily by Malaysian Traffic Police. Traffic police is a high-risk occupation that involves a wide range of tasks and, indirectly, faced with an equally wide variety of hazards at work namely, physical, biological, psychosocial, chemical, and ergonomic hazards. Thereupon, occupational injuries, diseases, and even death are common in the field. The objective of this paper is to collate and explain the major hazards of working as Malaysian traffic police especially in Point Duty Unit, their health effects, and control measures. There are many ways in which these hazards can be minimised by ensuring that sufficient safety measures are taken such as a wireless outdoor individual exposure indicator system for the traffic police. By having this system, air monitoring among traffic police may potentially be easier and accurate. Other methods of mitigating these unfortunate events are incorporated and addressed in this paper according to the duty and needs of traffic police.

Road traffic accidents in Bangladesh: Why people have poor knowledge and awareness about traffic rules?

Purpose:

The study aimed to identify the characteristics of road traffic accident (RTA) and to determine the role of different socioeconomic and demographic factors on the knowledge and awareness about traffic rules among people in Bangladesh.

Study Design:

This was a cross-sectional study.

Methods:

To conduct this study, 700 primary data were collected from respondents who were involved in RTA by interviewing in medical college hospitals and several private clinics of Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Khulna division in Bangladesh. For the achievement of the objective, the Chi-square test, Cramer's V correlation, and the logistic regression model have been applied in this study.

Results:

Traffic rules violation was identified as the second-most important reason behind RTA. Respondent's age, gender, residence, education, occupation, awareness about RTA, etc., were significantly associated with having knowledge and awareness about traffic rules. The result of multivariate analysis showed that respondent's age (<30: odds ratio [OR] = 2.019, confidence interval [CI]: 1.377–2.960); residence (rural: OR = 0.288, CI: 0.193–0.431); education (literate: OR = 5.064, CI: 3.332–7.698); and categories of victims (driver: OR = 2.731, CI: 1.676–4.450 and passenger: 1.869, CI: 1.198–2.916) were the vital predictors of having knowledge and awareness about traffic rules.

Conclusions:

By imposing strict traffic act, increasing public awareness through various types of education and awareness/outreach about traffic rules-related program, especially in rural areas, by strictly prohibiting the license giving to unskilled drivers or unfit vehicles, RTA can be minimized.

Effectiveness of mobile SMS based counselling intervention in improving the knowledge, attitude, and practices of HIV/AIDS patients enrolled in hospitals/NGOs in Terengganu, Malaysia: a mixed mode study protocol

Background

HIV/AIDS is one of the most serious problems in many parts of the world, and is a high priority for health managers and decision-makers. The aim of the qualitative part of this study will be to develop a mobile SMS (short messaging services) counselling intervention to prevent HIV/AIDS, while the quantitative part will be to test the effectiveness of a mobile SMS counselling intervention to improve the knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients concerning the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Method

A mixed methods approach will be used. Qualitative part: Design: focus group discussions (FGDs) will be conducted. Setting: Hospital/NGOs in Terengganu, Malaysia. Participants: Three FGDs will be conducted with male and female HIV/AIDS patients, and one group of local community leaders. One FGD will be conducted for each group. Three in-depth interviews (IDIs) will be conducted with patients who had HIV/AIDS, of which one will be female. Quantitative part: Design: a cluster randomized clinical trial with 384 HIV/AIDS patients in Terengganu, Malaysia. Intervention: Mobile SMS counselling intervention for patients concerning the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Results

The main outcomes of this study will be the differences in knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients concerning the prevention of HIV/AIDS between the baseline and immediate follow-up after the intervention, and after 3 months.

Conclusions

The mobile based SMS counselling intervention developed will be effective in improving the knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients concerning HIV/AIDS prevention in Terengganu, Malaysia.

Trial registration

Thai Clinical Trials Registry, TCTR20200212001; 7/02/2020.

How safe are standard certified motorcycle safety helmets? Malaysian postal delivery riders scenario

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of motorcycle safety helmets (MSHs) used by postal delivery riders (PDRs) that comply with the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia's (SIRIM) MSH standard guidelines and identify factors that contribute toward compliance of used MSHs with the standards. Methods: The presence of SIRIM certification label, the status of MSH, type of chinstrap, MSH crash history, and duration of MSH use were observed. The dependent variable was the results of the SIRIM testing procedures (SIRIM tests). MSHs that passed the SIRIM tests were considered "standard certified" MSHs. Results: The odds of the complimentary MSHs passing all of the SIRIM tests were 3.7 times the odds of the self-purchased MSHs passing the tests. The odds of MSHs with the SIRIM certification label passing all of the SIRIM tests were 24.2 times the odds of MSHs without the SIRIM certification label, and the odds of MSHs used <3 years passing the SIRIM tests were 3.75 times the odds of the MSHs used ≥3.8 years. Conclusion: PDRs provided with complimentary MSHs with the SIRIM certification label by the employer for their daily delivery routines and duration of MSH used for less than 3 years were found to be safe MSHs for male occupational riders in Malaysia.

Socio-demographic, environmental and caring risk factors for childhood drowning deaths in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

Drowning contributes to incapacity and early death in many countries. In low- and middle-income countries, children are the most susceptible to fatalities. Over 50 % of the global drowning deaths occur among children aged under 15 years old with children aged between 1 and 4 years of age being most at risk. In Bangladesh, drowning rates are 10 to 20 times more than those in other developing countries. The object of this study is to determine the socio-demographic, environmental and caring hazard issues for child drowning in Bangladesh.

METHODS

A case-control study was conducted, with data collected from the Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey (BHIS) to identify the social-demographic and environmental factors associated with childhood drowning. The participants represented 171,366 households from seven divisions of Bangladesh-Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Barisal, Sylhet, Khulna and Rangpur. The survey was conducted between January and December of 2003. A total of 141 children drowning were identified in the year preceding the survey. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. The odds ratios with 95% CI intervals were estimated for various associated factors for child drowning deaths.

RESULTS

In Bangladesh, in 2003, the incidence of drowning deaths was 104.8 per 100,000 among those aged less than 5 years; 168.7 per 100,000 in rural areas; male 32.4 per 100,000; 112.7 per 100,000 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.; and cannot swim 134.9 per 100,000. The socio-demographic danger factors for child drowning deaths were: being male (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.34-1.78), aged less than 5 years (OR = 2.89, 95% CI = 1.89-3.11), urban areas (OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.67-1.87), and mother being illiterate (OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.01-2.81). Significant environmental and caring factors included mother/caregiver not being the accompanying person (OR = 25.4, 95% CI = 14.4-45.3) and children cannot swim (OR = 4.5, 95% CI = 1.25-19.4).

CONCLUSION

Drowning is the single largest reason for the mortality of children aged less than five years. There is a need to educate Bangladeshi parents and encourage behavioural change concerning supervision. The Government should use mass media to raise awareness about drowning among the community with a focus on rural areas. Policies should focus on increasing supervision by mothers/care persons, swimming skills, and should target illiterate mothers. Therefore, there is an immediate need for the Bangladeshi Government to address the problem of drowning.

Randomized controlled trial on drowning prevention for parents with children aged below five years in Bangladesh: a study protocol

BACKGROUND

Drowning is the third leading cause of death for children aged 0-4 years in many Asian countries, and is a serious but neglected health problem in low and middle-income countries like Bangladesh. The aim of the study is to outline the study protocol of a trial to test the efficacy of a mobile coach based intervention for the prevention of childhood drowning.

METHOD/DESIGN

A two-arm cluster randomized community trial will be conducted to test the efficacy of the mobile coach intervention for childhood drowning on parents with children below five years of age and compared to an assessment only control group. A total of 1680 parents in the villages with children aged below five years of age will participate. The village will be used as a randomized unit, randomly assigned to an intervention group (N = 840) receiving the mobile coach based intervention or an assessment only control group (N = 840). An individualized mobile coach intervention based on the demographic data and the individual will be developed, and SMSs, audio messages, videos and images about childhood drowning will be sent to the participants of the intervention group over a period of six months. The participants will receive per week one text message (SMS) and image and one video and audio text per month. The primary outcome measure will be increased knowledge and safety awareness, and behaviour practice about childhood drowning assessed at the six-month follow-up, and the secondary outcome measure will be the reduced incidence of childhood drowning in Bangladesh. The study assistants conducting the baseline and the follow-up assessments will be blinded regarding the group assignment.

DISCUSSION

This is the first study testing a fully mobile coach intervention for childhood drowning prevention in Bangladesh. It is hoped that the programme will offer an effective and inexpensive way to prevent childhood drowning among children aged below five years and also increase the awareness of parents concerning the risks to their children from drowning.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN13774693, 08/03/2015.

Prevalence and determinants of the gender differentials risk factors of child deaths in Bangladesh: evidence from the Bangladesh demographic and health survey, 2011

Background

The number of child deaths is a potential indicator to assess the health condition of a country, and represents a major health challenge in Bangladesh. Although the country has performed exceptionally well in decreasing the mortality rate among children under five over the last few decades, mortality still remains relatively high. The main objective of this study is to identify the prevalence and determinants of the risk factors of child mortality in Bangladesh.

Methods

The data were based on a cross-sectional study collected from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), 2011. The women participants numbered 16,025 from seven divisions of Bangladesh – Rajshahi, Dhaka, Chittagong, Barisal, Khulna, Rangpur and Sylhet. The 𝟀² test and logistic regression model were applied to determine the prevalence and factors associated with child deaths in Bangladesh.

Results

In 2011, the prevalence of child deaths in Bangladesh for boys and girls was 13.0% and 11.6%, respectively. The results showed that birth interval and birth order were the most important factors associated with child death risks; mothers’ education and socioeconomic status were also significant (males and females). The results also indicated that a higher birth order (7 & more) of child (OR=21.421 & 95%CI=16.879-27.186) with a short birth interval ≤ 2 years was more risky for child mortality, and lower birth order with longer birth interval >2 were significantly associated with child deaths. Other risk factors that affected child deaths in Bangladesh included young mothers of less than 25 years (mothers’ median age (26-36 years): OR=0.670, 95%CI=0.551-0.815), women without education compared to those with secondary and higher education (OR =0 .711 & .628, 95%CI=0.606-0.833 & 0.437-0.903), mothers who perceived their child body size to be larger than average and small size (OR= 1.525 & 1.068, 95%CI=1.221-1.905 & 0.913-1.249), and mothers who delivered their child by non-caesarean (OR= 1.687, 95%CI=1.253-2.272).

Conclusion

Community-based educational programs or awareness programs are required to reduce the child death in Bangladesh, especially for younger women should be increase the birth interval and decrease the birth order. The government should apply the strategies to enhance the socioeconomic conditions, especially in rural areas, increase the awareness program through media and expand schooling, particularly for girls.

Children are a significant asset of a country. Child deaths are an important way to determine the health sector development. The effectiveness of the interventions is required to prevent child deaths. The purpose of this study is to identify the prevalence and risk factors of child deaths in Bangladesh. Data were collected from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 2011. The results indicate that in Bangladesh there is an association with child deaths and mothers’ age, mothers’ education, social-economic status, birth interval, birth order, baby size and place delivered. For Bangladesh, this study recommends expanding female education to increase mothers’ knowledge, an awareness program about birth order (take one child) and an increase in the birth interval.