Intimate Partner and Family Violence Among Women Tertiary Students in Australia: Prevalence and Cross-Cultural Differences

Most prior research on violence among tertiary students has been restricted to dating and sexual violence and neglected cross-cultural variation. To provide more comprehensive and intersectional understandings, this study examined the prevalence and cultural differences in intimate partner and family violence among women tertiary students in Australia. Data were collected from 1,845 women studying at post-secondary institutions and weighted by age and country of birth to reflect the population composition. Eighty-seven percent (86.7%) of participants reported having experienced violence (physical, sexual, psychological, and/or financial) from an intimate partner and/or family member during adulthood. Students who identified as Anglo were more likely to report victimization by intimate partners, while those who identified as non-Anglo and multicultural were more likely to report victimization by family members. The findings highlight the need for tertiary education institutions to prioritize preventing and responding to intimate partner and family violence in their culturally diverse student bodies.

Assessing the Knowledge and Awareness Among Selected Tertiary Students in the Accra Metropolis on Zoonotic Infections

Background

Zoonotic infections are a serious threat to human health and a direct risk that could potentially be fatal. Animals both domestic and wild serve as reservoirs for zoonotic infections. Thus, frequent contact with animals might occasionally result in the transfer of infections from animals to people. Ghana is especially susceptible to the effects of zoonotic infections due to the increase in the household human-animal ratio. This study assessed the awareness and knowledge level of tertiary students in a selected tertiary institution on zoonotic infections.

Methods

A quantitative research method was employed making use of a descriptive cross-sectional study design. The target population chosen for the research was mainly students from the University of Ghana. A stratified sampling technique was used in selecting participants for the study. 440 participants were selected for the study. The university's four primary colleges served as the strata for the basis of data collection.

Results

The study revealed a moderate knowledge level among students. The term "zoonoses" was understood by the majority (70%) of the respondents. Respondents knew at least one route of transmission of zoonotic infection. For the spread of zoonotic infections, close contact with infected animals and consumption of contaminated food were seen as ways of spread by a majority.

Conclusion

Although the basic strategies required for the control and elimination of the zoonotic diseases in such tertiary institutions are well known and practiced as per the study findings, zoonoses still persists and this can be attributed to low education on the subject. Knowledge and awareness level on zoonoses especially in tertiary institutions such as the University of Ghana could be improved if relevant authorities create adequate enlightenment programs on improving the knowledge of zoonotic diseases through a variety of media including seminars, workshop, television, radio, newspaper and social media.

Comparison of knowledge, perception and willingness to receive covid-19 vaccines among tertiary students in Osun State, Nigeria

Background

Vaccination remains a potent way to curb the present covid-19 global pandemic.

Objectives

To assess knowledge, perception and willingness to receive covid-19 vaccines among tertiary students in Nigeria.

Methods

In the descriptive cross-sectional study, a sample size of 750 respondents was randomly selected from a university, polytechnic and college of education (COE) in Osun State, Nigeria. Independent sample T and Pearson correlation tests were used to analyse the responses.

Results

There was a significant increase in the percentage score of poor perception, relative to good perception among the university and polytechnic respondents. Among the COE respondents, significant increases in the percentage scores of poor knowledge, perception and willingness to receive covid-19 vaccines, relative to the good variables were observed. Weak positive correlations between knowledge and willingness & perception and willingness to receive covid-19 vaccines among all the respondents were noted. In addition, there was a significant increase in good perception to covid-19 vaccines among university and COE, relative to polytechnic respondents. Asides, a significant increase in good willingness to receive covid-19 vaccines was observed among the university, compared to COE respondents.

Conclusion

There is poor knowledge, perception and willingness to receive covid-19 vaccines among tertiary students in Osun State, Nigeria.

Development of a Secondary Prevention Smartphone App for Students With Unhealthy Alcohol Use: Results From a Qualitative Assessment

BACKGROUND

Despite considerable efforts devoted to the development of prevention interventions aiming at reducing unhealthy alcohol use in tertiary students, their delivery remains often challenging. Interventions including information technology are promising given their potential to reach large parts of the population.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to develop a secondary prevention smartphone app with an iterative qualitative design involving the target population.

METHODS

The app development process included testing a first prototype and a second prototype, developed based on the results of 2 consecutive qualitative assessments. Participants (aged ≥18 years, screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use) were students from 4 tertiary education institutions in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Participants tested prototype 1 or prototype 2 or both and provided feedback in 1-to-1 semistructured interviews after 2-3 weeks of testing.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 23.3 years. A total of 9 students (4/9 female) tested prototype 1 and participated in qualitative interviews. A total of 11 students (6/11 female) tested prototype 2 (6 who tested prototype 1 and 5 new) and participated in semistructured interviews. Content analysis identified 6 main themes: "General Acceptance of the App," "Importance of the Targeted and Relevant App Content," "Importance of Credibility," "Importance of the App Usability," "Importance of a Simple and Attractive Design," "Importance of Notifications to Ensure App Use over Time." Besides a general acceptance of the app, these themes reflected participants' recommendations toward increased usability; to improve the design; to include useful and rewarding contents; to make the app look serious and credible; and to add notifications to ensure its use over time. A total of 11 students tested prototype 2 (6 who tested prototype 1 and 5 new) and participated in semistructured interviews. The 6 same themes emerged from the analysis. Participants from phase 1 generally found the design and content of the app improved.

CONCLUSIONS

Students recommend prevention smartphone apps to be easy to use, useful, rewarding, serious, and credible. These findings may be important to consider when developing prevention smartphone apps to increase the likelihood of app use over time.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN registry 10007691; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN10007691.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.1186/s13063-020-4145-2.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Determinants of Acceptance among Healthcare Workers, Academics and Tertiary Students in Nigeria

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in millions of human deaths, prompting the rapid development and regulatory approval of several vaccines. Although Nigeria implemented a COVID-19 vaccination program on 15 March 2021, low vaccine acceptance remains a major challenge. To provide insight on factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (VH), we conducted a national survey among healthcare workers, academics, and tertiary students, between 1 September 2021 and 31 December 2021. We fitted a logistic regression model to the data and examined factors associated with VH to support targeted health awareness campaigns to address public concerns and improve vaccination rates on par with global efforts. A total of 1525 respondents took part in the survey, composed of healthcare-workers (24.5%, 373/1525), academics (26.9%, 410/1525), and students (48.7%, 742/1525). Only 29% (446/1525) of the respondents were vaccinated at the time of this study. Of the 446 vaccinated respondents, 35.7% (159/446), 61.4% (274/446) and 2.9% (13/446) had one, two and three or more doses, respectively. Reasons for VH included: difficulty in the vaccination request/registration protocols (21.3%, 633/1079); bad feelings towards the vaccines due to negative social media reports/rumours (21.3%, 633/1079); personal ideology/religious beliefs against vaccination (16.7%, 495/1079); and poor confidence that preventive measures were enough to protect against COVID-19 (11%, 323/1079). Some health concerns that deterred unvaccinated respondents were: innate immunity issues (27.7%, 345/1079); allergic reaction concerns (24.6%, 307/1079); and blood clot problems in women (21.4%, 266/1079). In the multivariable model, location of respondents/geopolitical zones, level of education, testing for COVID-19, occupation/job description and religion were significantly associated with VH. Findings from this study underscore the need for targeted awareness creation to increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Nigeria and elsewhere. Besides professionals, similar studies are recommended in the general population to develop appropriate public health interventions to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

Can Online Academic Integrity Instruction Affect University Students' Perceptions of and Engagement in Academic Dishonesty? Results From a Natural Experiment in New Zealand

The problem of academic dishonesty is as old as it is widespread – dating back millennia and perpetrated by the majority of students. Attempts to promote academic integrity, by comparison, are relatively new and rare – stretching back only a few hundred years and implemented by a small fraction of schools and universities. However, the past decade has seen an increase in efforts among universities to promote academic integrity among students, particularly through the use of online courses or tutorials. Previous research has found this type of instruction to be effective in increasing students’ knowledge of academic integrity and reducing their engagement in academic dishonesty. The present study contributes to this literature with a natural experiment on the effects of the Academic Integrity Course (AIC) at The University of Auckland, which became mandatory for all students in 2015. In 2012, a convenience sample of students (n = 780) had been asked to complete a survey on their perceptions of the University’s academic integrity polices and their engagement in several forms of academic dishonesty over the past year. In 2017, the same procedures and survey were used to collect data from second sample of students (n = 608). After establishing measurement invariance across the two samples on all latent factors, analysis of variance revealed mixed support for the studies hypotheses. Unexpectedly, students who completed the AIC (i.e., the 2017 sample) reported: (1) significantly lower (not higher) levels of understanding, support, and effectiveness with respect to the University’s academic integrity policies; (2) statistically equivalent (not higher) levels of peer disapproval of academic misconduct, and; (3) significantly higher (not lower) levels of peer engagement in academic misconduct. However, results related to participants’ personal engagement in academic misconduct offered partial support for hypotheses – those who completed the AIC reported significantly lower rates of engagement on three of the eight behaviors included in the study. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed as well as possible future directions for research.

Impact of social media usage on daytime sleepiness: A study in a sample of tertiary students in Singapore

Objective

Many tertiary students access social networking sites on a daily basis. With the increased usage of smartphones, accessing social networking sites while commuting, in schools, waiting for friends, television commercial breaks has become prevalent among tertiary students. What started as a lifestyle choice has now become a daily necessity. Such behavior among tertiary students raises an important question for educators: how does social media usage affect tertiary students’ sleep patterns and daytime sleepiness, their attention difficulties, especially in school? Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the relationships between tertiary students' self-reports of social media usage and daytime sleepiness.

Design

The design was a cross-sectional, quantitative research study.

Methods

We used a survey that contained questions concerning demographic data, daytime sleepiness, total sleep time and social media usage and a version of the Cleveland Adolescent Sleepiness Questionnaire, modified for use in tertiary students, were used for data collection (n = 969).

Results

The most preferred tool for accessing social networking sites was smartphones and WhatsApp was the most accessed site. Results indicated that nocturnal technology use has a weak, negative impact on tertiary students’ quantity of sleep that may lead to daytime sleepiness. Local Singapore students spent significantly more time on social networking sites at night compared to foreign students. As a result, local students experienced more daytime sleepiness compared to foreign students.

Conclusions

Prolonged social media usage, especially in bed, has a negative impact on tertiary students’ daytime sleepiness. Since the technology is such an integral part of most tertiary students’ lives, it is important to understand the impact it has on their sleep and daytime sleepiness.

Factors Influencing Changes in Eating Patterns Among Hong Kong Young Adults Transitioning to Tertiary Education

Transitioning to tertiary education is a significant life course event that has the potential to influence lifelong eating patterns. This study used a theoretic model developed from a life course perspective to examine factors influencing the change of food choices among 31 young adults in Hong Kong after they moved on to tertiary education. Qualitative analysis of transcripts based on the constant comparative method revealed that present life course experiences, especially increased autonomy, and social-environmental factors strongly influenced young adults' present food choices. A model was developed from life course theory and social-ecological theory to reflect the factors that led to change of food choices among participants. The model provides unique insights on food choices of the future adult population. It could also be used as a reference for the development of nutrition education interventions targeting tertiary students as they experience increased autonomy. In conclusion, food choices of young adults on transitioning to tertiary education are strongly influenced by increased autonomy and change of social and environmental factors.

Knowledge of contraceptive methods and services among tertiary students in far North Queensland

Despite the availability of a wide range of contraceptive options in Australia, rates of unintended pregnancy remain high. A survey of tertiary students in Far North Queensland in regard to their knowledge of contraceptive methods and services revealed significant deficiencies, suggesting that existing sex education and contraceptive advice services need improving if unplanned pregnancy rates are to be reduced in this population.