Yoxas/statistical_literacy huggingface dataset:
In high-dimensional data (HDD) settings, the number of variables associated with each observation is very large. Prominent examples of HDD in biomedical research include omics data with a large number of variables such as many measurements across the genome, proteome, or metabolome, as well as electronic health records data that have large numbers of variables recorded for each patient. The statistical analysis of such data requires knowledge and experience, sometimes of complex methods adapted to the respective research questions. Advances in statistical methodology and machine learning methods offer new opportunities for innovative analyses of HDD, but at the same time require a deeper understanding of some fundamental statistical concepts. Topic group TG9 "High-dimensional data" of the STRATOS (STRengthening Analytical Thinking for Observational Studies) initiative provides guidance for the analysis of observational studies, addressing particular statistical challenges and opportunities for the analysis of studies involving HDD. In this overview, we discuss key aspects of HDD analysis to provide a gentle introduction for non-statisticians and for classically trained statisticians with little experience specific to HDD. The paper is organized with respect to subtopics that are most relevant for the analysis of HDD, in particular initial data analysis, exploratory data analysis, multiple testing, and prediction. For each subtopic, main analytical goals in HDD settings are outlined. For each of these goals, basic explanations for some commonly used analysis methods are provided. Situations are identified where traditional statistical methods cannot, or should not, be used in the HDD setting, or where adequate analytic tools are still lacking. Many key references are provided. This review aims to provide a solid statistical foundation for researchers, including statisticians and non-statisticians, who are new to research with HDD or simply want to better evaluate and understand the results of HDD analyses.
In HIV medicine, the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) index is associated to some geriatric syndromes and has also been recently used as a proxy of frailty. However, using it as a proxy for the frailty phenotype may inadvertently interchange two different concepts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate to what extent the frailty phenotype may be explained by the index. Cross-sectional analysis included 393 participants with HIV aged 50 or older. Somers' delta (d) was calculated, and a multinomial logistic regression model was run to determine to what extent the VACS index scores explained the probability of being prefrail or frail. Mean age was 57.6 (standard deviation 6.5) years and 87.3% men. A weak, but positive association between the VACS 2.0 index score and the frailty phenotype was established (Somers' d = 0.120, p < .001). The multinomial logistic regression showed that prefrail and frail participants had higher probabilities for greater VACS index scores [OR = 1.05, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.01-1.09; p = .006 and OR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.09-1.26; p < .001, respectively]; however, VACS index only explained <12% of the variability observed in the frailty phenotype. High VACS index scores were associated with a greater probability of being frail; however, with a weak association. Thus, we should be cautious when using the VACS index as a general proxy of frailty, particularly for the frailty phenotype. However, the VACS index may be used as a means to identify persons who might benefit from further comprehensive geriatric assessment.
In India, the prevalence of depression among older adults dealing with multiple health conditions varies between rural and urban areas due to disparities in healthcare access and cultural factors. The distinct patterns observed underscore the necessity for tailored research and interventions to address mental health inequalities among multimorbid older patients in diverse geographic contexts. This study used data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) wave 1 (2017-18). A total of 7,608 adults aged ≥ 60 years who were diagnosed with two or more chronic conditions (such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, chronic lung disease, chronic heart diseases, stroke, bone/joint disease, any neurological or psychiatric diseases, and high cholesterol) were included in this study. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, logistic regression estimates, and Fairlie decomposition method were used to accomplish the study's objectives. The prevalence of depression among older adults with multimorbidity was 9.48% higher in rural areas (38.33%) than in urban areas (28.85%).. Older adults with multimorbidity belonging to the scheduled caste group were 40% more likely to experience depression. Moreover, those with multimorbidity and any form of disability in activities of daily living (ADL) were 93% more likely to experience depression than those without disability, whereas those with multimorbidity and perceived good general health were 65% less likely to suffer from depression than those with poor self-perceived health. Additionally, decomposition analysis revealed that education (35.99%), caste status (10.30%), IADL disability (19.30%), and perceived discrimination (24.25%) were the primary factors contributing to the differences in depression prevalence among older adults with multimorbidity between rural and urban areas. We found significant rural-urban differences in depression among older Indians with multimorbidity. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that address the unique challenges faced by older patients in rural areas, including lack of social capital, discrimination, and limited resources that enable access to healthcare services. Policymakers and healthcare professionals must collaboratively design and implement effective strategies to improve the mental health and overall well-being of rural older adults, particularly those with multiple comorbidities.
In India, the use of social security schemes by the rural population has not been evaluated with much consideration. The awareness of these social security programs plays a vital role in their use. This research was conducted to evaluate the awareness among the rural population regarding government-initiated social security schemes and to provide recommendations based on the results of the study. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural health care center. A sample of 250 individuals in the rural health care center of a dental college was subjected to a questionnaire regarding the awareness of the government-launched social security schemes-Sukanya Samridhi Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. The study data were analyzed by Epi Info™ 7 software package. Descriptive statistics were assessed and differences between the two groups were compared using the Chi-square test and the P value of < 0.05 was considered to be significant. In the present study, 212 rural people were aware of any one of the recently initiated social security schemes, and the awareness level of these social security schemes was higher in those with age more than 30 years, males, literates, and classes 3 and 4 economic groups of population. The rural population's knowledge of the government's social security schemes is strong, and it is affected by people's age, gender, literacy level, and socioeconomic status.
In Indonesia, the number of Type 2 diabetes cases is increasing rapidly, making it the third leading cause of death and among the leading noncommunicable disease healthcare expenditures in the country. Thus, there is a critical need for Indonesians with Type 2 diabetes to perform better self-care to optimize their health and prevent the onset of comorbidities. This study was designed to investigate the influence of knowledge, depression, and perceived barriers on Type 2 diabetes self-care performance in Indonesia. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 185 patients with Type 2 diabetes, with demographic, diabetes history, obesity status, diabetes knowledge, depression, perceived barriers, and self-care performance data collected. The Indonesian version of the Revised Diabetes Knowledge Test, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Perceived Barrier Questionnaire and Self-Care Inventory-Revised were used. Descriptive, bivariate, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Study participants were found to have moderate diabetes self-care performance scores. Annual eye checks, blood glucose self-monitoring, healthy diet selection, and regular exercise were the least common self-management techniques performed and were consistent with the perceived difficulties of the participants. Being illiterate or having an elementary school education (β = 4.59, p = .002), having a junior or senior high school education (β = 3.01, p = .006), having moderate depression (β = -0.92, p = .04), diabetes knowledge (β = 0.09, p = .006), and perceived barriers (β = 0.31, p < .001) were found to explain 40% of the variance in self-care performance. Educational level, depression, and perceived barriers were the strongest factors that impacted Type 2 diabetes self-care performance in this study. Nurses should not only provide diabetes education but also identify barriers to diabetes self-care early, screen for the signs and symptoms of depression, and target patients with lower levels of education.
In intensive care medicine (ICM), the use of Patient-Management Problem (PMP) remains limited and no feedback from students is available. To compare the feasibility of employing PMP referring to clinical cases (CC) as assessment tools for appraising the knowledge and competencies in ICM students; and to gather the students' perception regarding this experience. it was a cross-sectional randomized trial. Were included, external students in the 3rd year of the 2nd cycle of medical studies (3rd-SCMS) during their ICM externship. All the participants underwent two random draws (the 1st one for assessment tool to be started (PMP or CC) and the 2nd for the passage order for PMP. Two PMPs versus two grouped QCMs-CC were prepared and a satisfaction questionnaire was distributed. The main judgment criterion was the effect of each assessment tool on the students' decision-making process. This focused on the relevance of the elements provided by each technique, the implication and the difficulty felt. The secondary endpoint was the scores taken for each tool tested. 20 students were included. All participants had previous experience with PMPs and only nine were familiar with grouped MCQs-CC. PMP scores were 14.9 for the 1st theme and 15.8 for the 2nd theme. The median of the grouped MCQs-CC scores was 14 [12-16] for both. The scores didn't differ between the two techniques. For the 1st theme: the scores were negatively correlated (r=-0.58 and p=0.007). Students felt a better satisfaction for PMP evaluation (p<10-3), the elements provided by PMP were more relevant for decision-making process (p<10-3), the involvement was more felt with PMP (p<10-3) and difficulty was more felt with CCs (p<10-3). The effect of PMP was found to be significant on clinical reasoning (n=36), self-assessment (n=38), problem solving (n=40) and decision making (n=39). Students recommended strongly PMP as a tool of evaluation in ICM (p<10-3). scores were comparable between the two tested techniques. The positive perception of students regarding PMP encourages its generalization and teacher training must be strengthened.
In January 2020, a small, private school of nursing in a university in the pacific northwest, established the Initiative for Vital Practice (I4VP). The I4VP's primary goal was to create a sustainable pathway for increasing vital practice through increasing resiliency and self-care practices. The ensuing pathway's objectives were to, (1) take previously identified factors related to perceived stress related to workloads, impacts on professional quality of life and psychosocial exposures during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (2) develop and pilot test a wellness intervention (i.e., wellness pods) for faculty and staff to build community and find new ways to enhance well-being through peer support. Five focused Wellness Pods were developed on Microsoft Teams platform using the individual channels: (1) stress and mind-body exploration pod; (2) mindfulness in healthcare pod; (3) healing relationship pod; (4) environmental pod; and (5) physical activity pod. Faculty and staff self-selected into a Wellness Pod that interested them. The Wellness Pods met weekly in person over a period of two months. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected via cross-sectional surveys including: four sociodemographic items, one item on current stress level, one write-in item on current stress management at work, two write-in items focused on the cognitive reasoning for participation, the 7-item subjective vitality scale focused individual difference, the 7-item subjective vitality scale focused on the state level, the 10-item perceived stress scale, and one item ranking which wellness pod the individual wanted to participate in. There was one trained facilitator for the overall Wellness Pods operations and communication. The average score on the perceived stress scale was 22.3 (SD = 3.5), indicating moderate levels of perceived stress. The average score on the individual difference vitality score was 26.5 (SD = 7.6), whereas the state level vitality score was 21.4 (SD = 9.98), indicating moderate levels of subjective vitality. Two categories: stress management and wellness pods, were identified through content analysis. Through pilot testing, this project demonstrated feasibility for future wellness pods interventions for faculty and staff at schools of nursing. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the wellness pods intervention.
In Japan, HPV vaccination rates has dramaticaly declined since 2013. Since mothers are the ones making the decision to vaccinate their daughters against HPV, we probed the mothers' intention to receive vaccinations for themselves and to vaccinate their daughters against HPV, and their reasoning. An internet survey was conducted in March of 2021. Through the screening, 1576 participants were extracted from a survey panel and divided into 3 groups based on their daughter's birth fiscal year (Group 1: 1994 to 1999, Group 2: 2000 to 2003, Group3: 2004 to 2008). The chi-square test and residual analysis were used for the statistical analysis of comparison among the groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent variables with mothers intention to get their daughters vaccinated under specific situations. The percentage of respondents without anxiety regarding their daughter's general vaccination was significantly higher in Group 1 (p < 0.05). In the mothers of daughters born in or after 2000 when vaccination rates declined (Groups 2 and 3), a situation in which 'The daughter's best friends were vaccinated before her' made the mothers think positively about HPV vaccination, and to the same degree as a situation in which 'You received a notice from your local government recommending vaccination' (Group 2: 41.6% (214/514) and 40.5% (208/514), Group 3: 48.5% (257/530) and 47.0% (249/530)). If mothers who have had their daughters vaccinated were to recommend HPV vaccination to their close friends, 'the best friend effect' should promote others to be vaccinated.
In Japan, many workers are exposed to chronic stress, sleep deprivation, and nutritional imbalance. They tend still to go to work when ill, leading to decreased work performance and productivity, which has become a major social problem. We conducted a human entry study with the aim of finding a link between these two factors and proposing an optimized diet, believing that a review of diet may lead to an improvement in labor productivity. In this study, we used subjective accomplishment (SA) as a measure of productivity. First, we compared nutrient intake between groups with high and low SA using data from a health survey of 1564 healthy male and female adults. Significant differences were found in the intake of 13 nutrients in males and 15 nutrients in females, including potassium, vitamin A, insoluble fiber, and biotin. Recommended daily intake of these nutrients was determined from survey data. Next, we designed test meals containing sufficient amounts of 17 nutrients and conducted a single-arm intervention study (registration code UMIN000047054) in Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Healthy working adults (males and females aged 20-79 years) were recruited and supplied with test meals, which were eaten once a day 5 days a week for 8 weeks. SA was significantly higher and daytime sleepiness (DS) was significantly lower after lunch on workdays in younger participants (under 60 years) when they ate the test meals as breakfast or lunch. Our results suggest that SA and DS, which change daily, are strongly influenced by the meal eaten before work, and that taking the 17 nutrients may help prevent presenteeism and improve labor productivity.
In Jordan, several steps have been done to implement One Health (OH) approach. To increase the awareness for OH concept and approach among health professionals, there was an apparent need to develop an OH curriculum or package to orientate human, animal, and environmental health officials and professionals. The aim of this study was to describe the development and piloting of a OH curriculum for human, animal, and environmental officials and professionals in Jordan. OH curriculum was developed and consisted of four chapters/sections, each of which contained series of power point presentations that covered subject thoroughly and met the learning objectives for each section. Four day workshops on OH curriculum were done for four cohorts of participants from different OH partners. Each section started and ended with a quick knowledge assessment consisting of multiple choice questions (MCQs) (pre- and post-chapter). Comparison of the pre- and post-chapter knowledge assessment scores/results were used to assess gain of knowledge after each section of OH curriculum was completed. The scores of correct answers were compared within the different cohorts using Pearson's chi-square test with p-values ≤0.05 considered significant. Of the total attendance, pre- and post- training quizzes were scored for 102 participants (816 quizzes). Pre-training scores for the different cohorts ranged from 29% to 36%, while post-training scores for the different cohorts ranged from 80% to 87%. Post-training correct answers scores were significantly higher than those were for pre-training scores for the different cohorts (p < 0.05). Percentage of knowledge gain ranged from 41% to 62% for the first section, 34% to 47% for the second section, 41% to 55% for the second section, and 48% to 60% for the fourth section. Average percentage of knowledge gain for the first, second, third, and fourth cohorts were 51%, 53%, 47%, and 47%, respectively, and was 50% for all cohorts. The developed OH curriculum improved different OH partners and officials understanding of the OH concept and approach.
In K-12 STEM education, engineering design is emphasized, as demonstrated by the bridge-design project. Due to the iterative nature of engineering design, engineering practice is frequently complicated and requires pedagogical guidance. As an emerging pedagogy in STEM education, REP (Reverse Engineering Pedagogy) is showing, but not enough, some benefits in several cases. This paper aims to explore the effects of REP in a bridge-design course. A comparison experiment, REP versus PBL (Project-Based Learning), was conducted by randomly forming two groups of fourth-grade students from a primary school in China. Results indicated that REP was more advantageous than PBL in terms of decreasing students' cognitive load, boosting their scientific knowledge level and engineering design skills. However, REP and PBL have the same effect on the students' learning attitude and engagement. The key findings, possible reasons, and suggestions for practice are also discussed.
In Kazakhstan, a country of 19 million residents, more than 100,000 patients need palliative care. Since at least one family member is usually involved in the care of a terminal patient, more than 200,000 people would benefit from high-quality palliative care services in the country. However, with only 45 physicians and 101 nurses attending to 1925 palliative beds, Kazakhstan seeks to develop palliative services that meet the national needs in resource-limited settings and international standards. The objectives of this study are to explore the challenges faced by stakeholders involved in palliative care in Kazakhstan and to subsequently provide recommendations that can guide policymakers towards further developing palliative care services in the country. This cross-sectional descriptive study collected narrative data with in-depth interviews from n= 29 palliative stakeholders (family caregivers n= 12, healthcare professionals =12, administrators n= 5) across five regions of Kazakhstan. Verbatim transcripts of interviews were analyzed using content analysis to identify needs and challenges of stakeholders involved in palliative care. Our analysis identified seven main challenges of palliative care stakeholders: high out-of-pocket expenditures; lack of mobile palliative care services for home-based care; severe shortages of opioids to prevent pain suffering; poor formal palliative care education; absence of practical skills training for family caregivers; lack of awareness about palliative care in the society, and lack of state support. Implementation of national palliative care strategies and policies require a large-scale coordinated involvement of all stakeholders. Our recommendations are based on the idea that coordinated, targeted, and tailored stakeholder engagement is preferred to a one-size-fits-all strategy.
In Kenya, there is a lack of data on the number of people with dementia. In this article, we aim to estimate the number of community-dwelling older adults (aged 60 years and above) that are potentially living with dementia in rural Kenya. Recruitment of older adults occurred through adopting a convenience approach based on the catchment areas served by trained ten Community Health Workers (CHWs). Screening was conducted using the Brief Community Screening Instrument for Dementia (CSI-D), in which prevalence ratios were reported. Regression analyses were run to understand the association between screening outcome and wellbeing, social isolation, and employment status (adjusted for age, sex, literacy, geography, and social status). Of the 3,546 older adults who were screened for dementia, 652 screened positive (PR = 0.18, 95%CIs 0.17 to 0.20). Back estimating screen positives based on established sensitivity and specificity of the tool against a gold standard (clinical diagnosis), yielded a prevalence of 9.4% (0.09, 95%CIs 0.08 to 0.11). Screening positive for dementia was associated with poorer quality of life (B =-0.17, p<0.001) and loneliness (B= 0.28, p<0.001). There is potentially 258,000 older adults living with dementia in Kenya, who likely have poorer outcomes. We need to encourage a timely diagnosis and develop better ways to support people living with dementia in Kenya and other resource-limited settings.