Yoxas/statistical_literacy huggingface dataset:
Aggregate statistics of maternal health care services have improved in Ethiopia. Nevertheless, the country has one of the lowest Universal Health Coverage (UHC) service coverage indices, with slight improvement between 2000 and 2019. There are disparity studies that focus on a single dimension of inequality. However, studies that combine multiple dimensions of inequality simultaneously may have important policy implications for closing inequalities. In this study, we investigated education inequalities in the receipt of maternal health care services in rural and urban areas separately, and we examined whether these inequalities decreased, increased, or remained unchanged. The data for the study came from the 2011 and 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys. Using women's education as a dimension of inequality, we separately analyzed inequalities in maternal health care services in urban and rural settings. Inequalities were measured through the Erreygers concentration index, second differences, and Relative Index of Inequality (RII). Whether inequalities changed over time was analyzed by relative and absolute measures. An Oaxaca-type decomposition approach was applied to explain changes in absolute disparities over time. There were glaring educational disparities in maternal health care services in urban and rural areas, where the services were more concentrated among women with better schooling. The disparities were more severe in urban than in rural areas. In urban areas, skilled birth service was the most unequal in both periods. Disparities in rural places were roughly similar for all services except that in 2011, postnatal care was the least unequal, and in 2016, skilled birth was the most unequal services. Trend analyses revealed that disparities significantly dropped in urban by absolute and relative measures. Conversely, in rural regions, the disparities grew by the concentration index measure for most services. The RII and second differences presented conflicting results regarding whether the gaps were increasing, shrinking, or remaining the same. Substantial disparities in maternal health care services remained and even increased, as in rural areas. Different and targeted strategies are needed for urban and rural places to close the observed educational inequalities in these areas.
Aggregated species occurrence and abundance data from disparate sources are increasingly accessible to ecologists for the analysis of temporal trends in biodiversity. However, sampling biases relevant to any given research question are often poorly explored and infrequently reported; this can undermine statistical inference. In other disciplines, it is common for researchers to complete 'risk-of-bias' assessments to expose and document the potential for biases to undermine conclusions. The huge growth in available data, and recent controversies surrounding their use to infer temporal trends, indicate that similar assessments are urgently needed in ecology.We introduce ROBITT, a structured tool for assessing the 'Risk-Of-Bias In studies of Temporal Trends in ecology'. ROBITT has a similar format to its counterparts in other disciplines: it comprises signalling questions designed to elicit information on the potential for bias in key study domains. In answering these, users will define study inferential goal(s) and relevant statistical target populations. This information is used to assess potential sampling biases across domains relevant to the research question (e.g. geography, taxonomy, environment), and how these vary through time. If assessments indicate biases, then users must clearly describe them and/or explain what mitigating action will be taken.Everything that users need to complete a ROBITT assessment is provided: the tool, a guidance document and a worked example. Following other disciplines, the tool and guidance document were developed through a consensus-forming process across experts working in relevant areas of ecology and evidence synthesis.We propose that researchers should be strongly encouraged to include a ROBITT assessment when publishing studies of biodiversity trends, especially when using aggregated data. This will help researchers to structure their thinking, clearly acknowledge potential sampling issues, highlight where expert consultation is required and provide an opportunity to describe data checks that might go unreported. ROBITT will also enable reviewers, editors and readers to establish how well research conclusions are supported given a dataset combined with some analytical approach. In turn, it should strengthen evidence-based policy and practice, reduce differing interpretations of data and provide a clearer picture of the uncertainties associated with our understanding of reality.
Aging is a ubiquitous human trait that predisposes older persons to chronic diseases. Compared with systemic non-communicable diseases, a significant gap exists in literature on the burden of non-communicable dermatoses (NCDs) amongst older adults particularly in low and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to document the epidemiology and clinical pattern of non-communicable skin diseases among older adults at a tertiary healthcare facility in Southwestern Nigeria. We conducted a retrospective review of medical records of ambulant adults aged ≥60 years referred for dermatological care at a teaching hospital in ile-ife, South-Western Nigeria between February 2017 and February 2022. The frequency and pattern of NCDs were recorded for descriptive statistical analysis using SPSS 20 statistics software. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05. A total 553 medical records were reviewed with a female: male ratio of 1.3:1 The mean age of the study population was 68.85 ±7.87. Six out of every 10 patients (60.6%) had at least one chronic NCD. The incidence of chronic NCDs declined with increasing age. Chronic eczemas (22.4%), pigmentary dermatoses (9.4%) and skin tumors (8.7%) were the most frequent chronic non-communicable dermatoses recorded. Older males had a significantly higher incidence of chronic eczemas while chronic urticarias and skin tumors demonstrated significant female preponderance. There is a high burden of chronic NCDs with significant gender disparities among older adults with skin problems in Nigeria. Pre-emptive planning and resource allocation towards specialist geriatric-dermatology services are needed to address skin-health needs of the growing geriatric population.
Agranulocytosis is a life-threatening side-effect of clozapine, the only approved drug for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The long-term profile of this complication has not yet been well established. Here we aim to describe the risk of clozapine-induced agranulocytosis over the long term. We used the entire population of Finland to identify people diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder between 1972 and 2014 and developed a Kaplan-Meier model of time to diagnosis of agranulocytosis during clozapine versus non-clozapine treatment over a 22-year observation period (1996 to 2017). Next, we developed a nested case-control model for agranulocytosis matching by sex, age, time since diagnosis, and being in the incident cohort on a 1 to 5 ratio. Various durations of use for clozapine and non-clozapine antipsychotic treatment were compared to the modal antipsychotic use duration, deriving adjusted odds ratios (aORs) in a multivariable regression model. Recurrence and lethality rates for clozapine-induced agranulocytosis were described. These data reflect on all individuals with lived experience of schizophrenia in Finland during the study time, although individuals with lived experience were not included in the design of the study. We identified 61 769 people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (14 037 individuals treated with clozapine and 47 732 individuals treated with non-clozapine antipsychotics), with a mean age of 46·67 years (IQR 34·44-57·61), of whom 30 721 (49·7%) were female and 31 048 (50·3%) were male (data on ethnicity not available). Among those, 398 individuals were diagnosed with agranulocytosis (231 individuals treated with clozapine and 167 individuals treated with non-clozapine antipsychotics), representing a cumulative incidence of agranulocytosis for 1·37% (95% CI 0·58-3·16) on clozapine and 0·13% (0·04-0·23) on non-clozapine antipsychotics. In the case (n=398) versus control (n=1987) model, the risk of clozapine-induced agranulocytosis decreased steeply over time from an aOR of 36·01 (95% CI 16·79-77·22) for less than 6 months on clozapine to 4·38 (1·86-10·34) for clozapine use of 54 months or more. Only one of 3559 individuals starting clozapine died because of clozapine-induced agranulocytosis. The risk of clozapine-induced agranulocytosis decreases steeply over time but might be persistently greater than that of non-clozapine antipsychotics. This long-term risk excess seems small in absolute terms compared with the known magnitude of the advantages of clozapine in relevant outcomes, including life expectancy. Given the widespread underuse of clozapine, relaxing the long-term neutrophil monitoring could favour the advantages of long-term clozapine use, including greater life expectancy, without incurring the intolerable risk of clozapine-induced agranulocytosis. Northwell Health and Sigrid Jusèlius Foundation.
Agreement probability p(a) is a homogeneity measure of lists of properties produced by participants in a Property Listing Task (PLT) for a concept. Agreement probability's mathematical properties allow a rich analysis of property-based descriptions. To illustrate, we use p(a) to delve into the differences between concrete and abstract concepts in sighted and blind populations. Results show that concrete concepts are more homogeneous within sighted and blind groups than abstract ones (i.e., exhibit a higher p(a) than abstract ones) and that concrete concepts in the blind group are less homogeneous than in the sighted sample. This supports the idea that listed properties for concrete concepts should be more similar across subjects due to the influence of visual/perceptual information on the learning process. In contrast, abstract concepts are learned based mainly on social and linguistic information, which exhibit more variability among people, thus, making the listed properties more dissimilar across subjects. Relative to abstract concepts, the difference in p(a) between sighted and blind is not statistically significant. Though this is a null result, and should be considered with care, it is expected because abstract concepts should be learned by paying attention to the same social and linguistic input in both, blind and sighted, and thus, there is no reason to expect that the respective lists of properties should differ. Finally, we used p(a) to classify concrete and abstract concepts with a good level of certainty. All these analyses suggest that p(a) can be fruitfully used to study data obtained in a PLT.
Agriculture contributes a third of Rwanda's GDP and is the main source of income for rural households, with 80% of the total population involved in crop and/or livestock production. The Government of Rwanda established the Muvumba rice project in 2011 amidst a policy shift towards rice as a national staple crop. However, the indiscriminate use of pesticides by local, low-income rice growers has raised concerns about potential human, animal and ecosystem health impacts as pesticide distribution and application are not strictly regulated. Although pesticide use can directly influence farmer health and ecosystems, little is known about small-scale farmers' pesticide application practices and knowledge. We aimed to assess local application practices and understanding of pesticides to identify gaps in farmers' knowledge on safe pesticide use and deviations from established standards and recommended practices. We conducted a cross-sectional study consisting of observations of pesticide practices and interviews with 206 small-scale rice growers in Nyagatare District, Rwanda, in March 2017. Descriptive statistical analyses (sample means, standard deviation and range) were performed, and we evaluated the association between farmers' personal protective equipment (PPE) use and their education level and literacy status. Over 95% of observed farmers did not comply with minimum standards for safe pesticide use, and 80% of respondents reported that they stored pesticides in their homes without personal protection measures. Education and literacy level were not significantly associated with PPE use. Additionally, 90% of respondents had experienced adverse health effects after using pesticides including intense headache, dizziness, stomach cramps, skin pain and itching, and respiratory distress. All respondents also reported animals in and around the rice scheme (cattle, birds, and fish) behaving abnormally or with signs consistent with pesticide exposure in the six months preceding the study, which may be linked to pesticide-contaminated water. Our study demonstrates potential for high exposure to pesticides for farmers, their families, and animals sharing rice-growing or downstream environments and points to the need for training on safe and effective pesticide use.
Agriculture is associated with various physical and mental health risks. There has been growing concern about the psychological hazards associated with farming including high stress levels, depression, anxiety, and increasing rates of suicide. To bolster resilience and overall survival within the farmers, it is imperative to gain a comprehensive understanding of the protective factors that contribute to mental and psychological well-being. The study followed an explorative research design and used purposive sampling to select samples from Chikkaballapur District in Karnataka. Nine farmers were interviewed based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The interview schedule was prepared based on the literature review. Experts in the field did content and face validation. The transcribed data were coded using the free version of QDA Miner. The thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. Three broader themes and 15 sub-themes emerged: (1) Personal protective factors: feeling of autonomy, purpose in life, passion for work, problem-solving skills, positive mindset and building resilience, learning new skills, and spiritual and religious beliefs; (2) social protective factors: friends and peer group, belongingness, family, and social engagements; and (3) environmental protective factors: lifestyle and being physically active, rural environment, government/institutional support, and recognition in the society. The study successfully emerged three overarching protective factors that farmers perceived as significant for their mental health and well-being, entitled personal, social, and environmental. The study findings provide valuable insights for social work practitioners, guiding them in developing interventions and strategies to support the mental health and well-being of the farming population.
AI chatbots are being increasingly used in healthcare settings. There is growing interest in using AI to assist in patient education. Currently, extensive healthcare information is found online but is often too complex to understand. Our objective is to determine if physicians can recommend the free version of ChatGPT version 3.5 (OpenAI, San Francisco, CA, USA) for patients to simplify text from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) in English and Spanish. This version of ChatGPT was assessed in this study due to its increased accessibility across various patient populations. Fifteen articles were chosen from AAO in both languages and simplified with ChatGPT 10 times each. The readability of original and simplified articles was assessed with the Flesch Reading Ease and Gunning Fog Index for English and Fernández Huerta, Gutiérrez, Szigriszt-Pazo, INFLESZ, and Legibilidad-µ for Spanish. Grade levels to assess readability were calculated with Flesch Kincaid Grade Level and Crawford Nivel-de-Grado. Mean, standard deviation, and two-tailed t-tests were performed to assess differences before and after simplification. Average grade levels before and after simplification were as follows: English 8.43±1.17 to 8.9±2.1 (p=0.41) and Spanish 5.3±0.34 to 4.1±1.1 (p=0.0001). Spanish articles were significantly simplified per Legibilidad-µ (p=0.003). No significant difference was noted for other scales. The readability of AAO articles in English worsened without significance but significantly improved in Spanish. This may result from simpler syllable structures and a lesser overall vocabulary in Spanish. With increased testing, physicians can recommend ChatGPT for Spanish-speaking patients to improve health literacy.
Aim  To investigate the relationship between health literacy (HL), self-efficacy (SE), and achievement of treatment goals in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Method The cross-sectional study was conducted with a random sample of patients with T2DM attending the diabetology clinic and the Home Care department of the General Hospital of Drama, Greece. They completed two questionnaires: the short form of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16) to measure HL and the Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale (DMSES) for people with T2DM to measure SE. Medical history, demographic characteristics, and values related to glycemic control were also recorded. Linear regression analysis was used to search for the dependence of glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) values with HL and SE and the dependence between them. Result About 120 patients with T2DM (response rate of 92.3%) were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the participants was 62.5 years [standard deviation (SD) = 10.6 years] and most of them were female (53.3%). A1C was found to be significantly negatively associated with diet, physical activity, and SE score. Also, a statistically significant positive correlation was found between HL and SE. HL was correlated with age, gender, education level, and A1C, with women and older people having lower HL, while conversely higher education level was significantly associated with higher HL. Higher A1C was significantly associated with lower HL. Also, SE partially mediates the relationship between HL and A1C, in a significant way. Conclusion The results of the study confirm the important role of HL and SE in the successful management of T2DM. Multi-level educational interventions for diabetic patients could improve HL and SE and promote diabetes self-management.
Aim - to study functional organization of hemodynamic processes in brain basins of healthy children and children with mild mental retardation depending on the nature of asymmetry and gradient of cerebral blood filling are investigated. The research executed in the scientific laboratory of the special and inclusive education department of the Armenian State Pedagogical University after Kh. Abovyan and Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport. The study involved children aged 8 to 11 years, a total of 131. 73 of them are healthy schoolchildren and 58 children with a low degree of mental retardation. Each category of subjects was divided into 2 age groups: 8-9 years and 10-11 years. The results of the experimental study of task performance show that interesting data have been obtained which will serve as a basis for the development of necessary means, methods, and conditions for the development of elementary practical orientation in mentally retarded elementary school children. The analysis of the results of the study allows us to highlight the following important points: in the control group, 88% of the examined patients showed a hyperfrontal pattern in terms of RI (rheogramm amplitude). In seven children, the hypermastoidal pattern was observed, and in the two children of the control group, no significant differences between the RI values in the frontal and mastoidal basins were found. The study involved 131 children aged 8 to 11 years old. 73 of them were healthy with normal physical and mental development as well as 58 children with a weak degree of mental retardation. The study was undertaken to determine which sport and physical activity allowed children with mental retardation. Established that the parameter of TPWV in 8-9-year-old and 10-11-year-old schoolchildren of the control group was significantly higher than that of experimental children in the frontal, bimostoidal and hemispheric basins.
Aim and objectives To assess oral hygiene status and salivary and microbiological parameters among 12 to 15-year-old visually impaired and normal-sighted children before and after oral health education (OHE). Methodology An interventional study was conducted among 25 visually impaired children (Group A) and 25 normal-sighted children (Group B) in the age range of 12 to 15 years. Simple random sampling was used to select the study participants. A questionnaire was designed to record socio-demographic data and the dietary habits of the children on pre-decided days. The oral hygiene practices and the Decayed Missing Filled Teeth (DMFT) index were recorded, and salivary physicochemical parameters for all the selected children were evaluated, followed by saliva collection for microbial analysis. After baseline assessment, the Audio-Tactile Performance technique for Group A and the animated visual performance technique for Group B children were used to impart OHE. Periodic assessments of salivary parameters were conducted at one-month and three-month intervals. Unpaired T test/Mann-Whitney U test, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA)/Friedman test, followed by Bonferroni's post hoc test were carried out to determine the difference between and within groups, respectively. All statistical tests were performed at a significance level of 5%. Results Group A demonstrated a greater change in salivary pH (6.20 ± 0.41 to 6.96 ± 0.20), salivary buffering capacity (5.80 ± 0.82 to 7.20 ± 0.65), and Streptococcus mutans count (9.36 ± 0.41 to 8.7 ± 0.45 x 104 CFU/mL) when compared to Group B. Group B demonstrated a greater Lactobacillus acidophilus count reduction (7.96 ± 0.66 to 7.50 ± 0.64 x 104 CFU/mL) when compared to Group A. Conclusion The appropriate use of specialized OHE holds particular significance in the improvement of oral hygiene status and salivary parameters, along with a reduction in the bacterial count in both visually impaired children and normal-sighted children.