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Malaria Journal Dec 2022Uganda conducted its third mass long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) distribution campaign in 2021. The target of the campaign was to ensure that 100% of households own...
BACKGROUND
Uganda conducted its third mass long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) distribution campaign in 2021. The target of the campaign was to ensure that 100% of households own at least one LLIN per two persons and to achieve 85% use of distributed LLINs. LLIN ownership, use and associated factors were assessed 3 months after the campaign.
METHODS
A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in 14 districts from 13 to 30 April, 2021. Households were selected using multistage sampling. Each was asked about LLIN ownership, use, duration since received to the time of interview, and the presence of LLINs was visually verified. Outcomes were having at least one LLIN per two household members, and individual LLIN use. Modified Poisson regression was used to assess associations between exposures and outcomes.
RESULTS
In total, 5529 households with 27,585 residents and 15,426 LLINs were included in the analysis. Overall, 95% of households owned ≥ 1 LLIN, 92% of the households owned ≥ 1 LLIN < 3 months old, 64% of households owned ≥ 1 LLIN per two persons in the household. Eighty-seven per cent could sleep under an LLIN if every LLIN in the household were used by two people, but only 69% slept under an LLIN the night before the survey. Factors associated with LLIN ownership included believing that LLINs are protective against malaria (aPR = 1.13; 95% CI 1.04-1.24). Reported use of mosquito repellents was negatively associated with ownership of LLINs (aPR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.95-0.98). The prevalence of LLIN use was 9% higher among persons who had LLINs 3-12 months old (aPR = 1.09; 95% CI 1.06-1.11) and 10% higher among those who had LLINs 13-24 months old (aPR = 1.10; 95% CI 1.06-1.14) than those who had LLINs < 3 months old. Of 3,859 LLINs identified in the households but not used for sleeping the previous night, 3250 (84%) were < 3 months old. Among these 3250, 41% were not used because owners were using old LLINs; 16% were not used because of lack of space for hanging them; 11% were not used because of fear of chemicals in the net; 5% were not used because of dislike of the smell of the nets; and, 27% were not used for other reasons.
CONCLUSION
The substantial difference between the population that had access to LLINs and the population that slept under LLINs indicates that the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) may need to focus on addressing the main drivers or barriers to LLIN use. NMCP and/or other stakeholders could consider designing and conducting targeted behaviour change communication during subsequent mass distribution of LLINs after the mass distribution campaign to counter misconceptions about new LLINs.
Topics: Humans; Infant; Child, Preschool; Ownership; Insecticides; Uganda; Cross-Sectional Studies
PubMed: 36463150
DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04401-5 -
Scientific Reports May 2023It is widely accepted that the representation of the body is not fixed and immutable, but rather flexible and constantly updated based on a continuous stream of...
It is widely accepted that the representation of the body is not fixed and immutable, but rather flexible and constantly updated based on a continuous stream of multisensory information. This mechanism can be very useful to adapt to several situations, but it would not be adaptive if the body representation was too malleable or if it wasn't capable of restoring its integrity after a transient modification. Here we used the Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) to investigate how quickly the body representation can be modified. Previous studies have investigated the timing of the onset and offset of the illusion, however, they did not assess a fine temporal resolution. Here, we used a potentiometer to record a moment-by-moment rating of the feeling of owning the RH for two minutes during the visuo-tactile stimulation and two minutes following the stimulation. Our results suggest that the feeling of Ownership is already established during the first 19 s of stimulation then it continues to grow, but at a much slower pace. The feeling of Ownership disappears within 66 s from the end of the stimulation. This work sheds new light on the temporal dynamics of the RHI and the malleability of the body self-consciousness.
Topics: Humans; Illusions; Hand; Upper Extremity; Emotions; Ownership
PubMed: 37160924
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33747-2 -
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Mar 2018
Topics: Contract Services; Cross-Sectional Studies; England; General Practice; Humans; Multilevel Analysis; Ownership; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 29521564
DOI: 10.1177/0141076817750551 -
PloS One 2023This paper applies quantitative and narrative approaches to fiscal and financial policies of Chinese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in order to study the support...
This paper applies quantitative and narrative approaches to fiscal and financial policies of Chinese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in order to study the support effect of macro policies on micro enterprises. As the first researchers to focus on the firm heterogeneity of SMEs' policy effects, we show that the "flood irrigation" supportive policies for SMEs have not achieved the expected "help the weaker" effect. Non-state-owned SMEs and small(micro) enterprises have a low sense of policy gain, which is contrary to some "positive" research conclusions from China. The mechanism study found that "ownership" and "scale" discrimination suffered by non-state-owned and small(micro) enterprises in the financing process are key. We suggest the supportive policies for SMEs should shift from "flood" to "precise drip" irrigation. The policy benefits of non-state-owned, small and micro enterprises need to be emphasized. More targeted policies need to be studied and provided. Our findings shed new light on the formulation of supportive policies for SMEs.
Topics: Policy; China; Ownership; Fiscal Policy
PubMed: 36996054
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280253 -
Archives of Sexual Behavior Nov 2022There is a fervent social debate ongoing that relates to the ownership of child-like sex dolls. On the one hand, some proponents of dolls suggest that they offer a safe...
There is a fervent social debate ongoing that relates to the ownership of child-like sex dolls. On the one hand, some proponents of dolls suggest that they offer a safe sexual outlet for minor-attracted people (MAPs) and could be used in efforts to prevent the sexual abuse of children. On the other side of the debate, child-like dolls are seen as articles that sexualize children, encourage deviant fantasies, and increase offending risk. To date, no empirical analyses have been undertaken with people who own such dolls. In this paper, we present data from child-like sex doll owners (n = 85) and MAPs who do not own dolls (n = 120) recruited from online forums visited by people who own sex dolls or forums for people with sexual attractions to children. Specifically, we compared their psychological characteristics and proclivities for sexual aggression. Among non-owners, 79.2% of participants declared an interest in owning a sex doll, which is higher than the 20-40% rate reported in adult-attracted samples of non-owners. We found few differences between the groups on most personality variables, with doll owners being less antisocial and anxiously attached than non-owners, but exhibiting more schizotypal traits. Related to offending proclivities, doll ownership was associated with lower levels of sexual preoccupation and self-reported arousal to hypothetical abuse scenarios, but higher levels of sexually objectifying behaviors and anticipated enjoyment of sexual encounters with children. We discuss these data in relation to a functional model of child-like sex doll ownership among MAPs.
Topics: Child; Humans; Child Abuse, Sexual; Ownership; Play and Playthings; Sexual Behavior; Family
PubMed: 36121584
DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02422-4 -
Psycho-oncology Aug 2021Although digital health tools (DHTs) are a promising alternative and effective strategy to deliver cancer care and support, their role in health promotion among cancer...
OBJECTIVE
Although digital health tools (DHTs) are a promising alternative and effective strategy to deliver cancer care and support, their role in health promotion among cancer survivors remains relatively unexplored. We aimed to investigate the acceptability and impact of DHT for health promotion in cancer survivors.
METHODS
Data was pooled from cycle three of the fifth edition of the Health Information National Trends Survey. Logistic regressions were conducted to evaluate differences between cancer survivors and the general population regarding ownership, usage, and perceived usefulness of DHT for health management. Regression models were used to identify sociodemographic predictors of DHT usage among cancer survivors.
RESULTS
Overall, cancer survivors were as likely as the general population to own and use DHT (e.g., health apps, wearable devices) for their care and they were likely to find these tools beneficial in tracking their health and communicating with healthcare providers. Cancer survivors who had health applications installed on their mobile device were more likely to meet national recommendations for diet (fruit and vegetable consumption) and strength training than those without health apps. Age, income, and education level were significant sociodemographic predictors of DHT ownership and usage.
CONCLUSION
Cancer survivors own and use DHT at similarly high rates to the general population, highlighting the potential for utilizing DHT to expand access and continuity of care in the growing and vulnerable oncology population. With increasing use of DHT in healthcare, future research that targets digital access disparities in cancer survivors from low SES is essential.
Topics: Cancer Survivors; Health Personnel; Health Promotion; Humans; Neoplasms; Ownership; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 33742737
DOI: 10.1002/pon.5677 -
Patterns of rangeland productivity and land ownership: Implications for conservation and management.Ecological Applications : a Publication... Apr 2019Rangelands cover 40-50% of the Earth's terrestrial surface. While often characterized by limited, yet variable resource availability, rangelands are vital for humans,...
Rangelands cover 40-50% of the Earth's terrestrial surface. While often characterized by limited, yet variable resource availability, rangelands are vital for humans, providing numerous ecosystem goods and services. In the conterminous United States (CONUS), the dominant component of rangeland conservation is a network of public rangelands, concentrated in the west. Public rangelands are interspersed with private and tribal rangelands resulting in a complex mosaic of land tenure and management priorities. We quantify ownership patterns of rangeland production at multiple scales across CONUS and find that both total production and average productivity of private rangelands is more than twice that of public and tribal rangelands. At finer scales, private rangelands are consistently more productive than their public counterparts. We also demonstrate an inverse relationship between public rangeland acreage and productivity. While conserving acreage is crucial to rangeland conservation, just as critical are broad-scale ecological patterns and processes that sustain ecosystem services. Across CONUS, ownership regimes capture distinct elements of these patterns and services, demonstrated through disparate production dynamics. As ownership determines the range of feasible conservation actions, and the technical and financial resources available to implement them, understanding ownership-production dynamics is critical for effective and sustained conservation of rangeland ecosystem services.
Topics: Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecology; Ecosystem; Humans; Ownership; Software
PubMed: 30706573
DOI: 10.1002/eap.1862 -
PloS One 2022Promoting the coverage and ownership of health insurance constitutes a key strategy to achieving universal healthcare, thereby meeting the Sustainable Development Goal...
BACKGROUND
Promoting the coverage and ownership of health insurance constitutes a key strategy to achieving universal healthcare, thereby meeting the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3.8) of safeguarding the vulnerable population from financial risk resulting from catastrophic health expenditures. In sub-Saharan Africa, accessing medical services is particularly challenging among women due to inadequate opportunities for socio-economic empowerment and meeting their unique healthcare needs. The present study aimed to explore the sociodemographic factors associated with health insurance ownership among women in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
METHODS
We extracted cross-sectional data on health insurance ownership and conceptually relevant sociodemographic variables on women aged 15-49 years from Demographic and Health Surveys on five selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa (n = 55,438), including Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Cameroon, Gabon and Kenya. Data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate regression analysis, and the associations were reported in terms of average marginal effects.
RESULTS
Data revealed considerable cross-country variation in health insurance ownership: Gabon (57.9%), Kenya (6.1%), DR Congo (2.8%), Cameroon (1.1%), Burkina Faso (0.4%). In the multivariate regression analysis, women's age, marital status, place of residency, educational level, household wealth status, employment, and media access were significant predictors of insurance ownership. The associations were generally similar across the five countries, with higher age, better educational level and wealth status showing a consistently positive relationship with insurance ownership.
CONCLUSION
Our findings revealed striking inequality in health insurance ownership among the studied countries, which should be given due attention to achieving universal healthcare-related goals. There also exist considerable sociodemographic disparities in health insurance ownership among women that should be addressed using context-specific programmatic interventions. Our findings revealed striking inequality in health insurance ownership among the studied countries, which should be given due attention to achieving universal healthcare-related goals. There also exist considerable sociodemographic disparities in health insurance ownership among women that should be addressed using context-specific programmatic interventions.
Topics: Burkina Faso; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Insurance, Health; Ownership; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 35413063
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264377 -
The American Journal of Tropical... Apr 2021Strengthening vector control measures among mobile and migrant populations (MMPs) is crucial to malaria elimination, particularly in areas with multidrug-resistant...
Strengthening vector control measures among mobile and migrant populations (MMPs) is crucial to malaria elimination, particularly in areas with multidrug-resistant malaria. Although a global priority, providing access and ensuring high coverage of available tools such as long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) among these vulnerable groups remains a significant challenge. We assessed mosquito net ownership, utilization, and preference among individuals who slept in a forest and/or on a farm against those residing only in village "home" settings in a priority malaria elimination area of Vietnam. Proportions of respondents owning bed nets were similar among forest, farm, and home sleeping sites, ranging between 96% and 98%. The proportion of respondents owning hammock nets was higher for the forest group (92%), whereas ownership of hammocks in general was significantly lower for the home group (55%). Most respondents (97%) preferred to bring hammock nets to their remote sleeping site, whereas a smaller proportion (25%) also considered bed nets as an option. Respondent preferences included thick hammock nets with zippers (53%), hammocks with a flip cover (17%), and thin hammock nets with zippers (15%), with none choosing polyethylene (hard) LLINs. Although there is high coverage and access to nets for this high-priority MMP group, there was a noted gap between coverage and net use, potentially undermining the effectiveness of net-related interventions that could impact malaria prevention and elimination efforts in Vietnam. The design and material of nets are important factors for user preferences that appear to drive net use.
Topics: Cross-Sectional Studies; Farms; Humans; Insecticide-Treated Bednets; Malaria; Mosquito Control; Ownership; Surveys and Questionnaires; Transients and Migrants; Vietnam
PubMed: 33819169
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0711 -
Health Informatics Journal Sep 2020Postoperative complications place a major burden on the healthcare systems. The type of hospital's ownership could be one factor associated with this adverse outcome....
Postoperative complications place a major burden on the healthcare systems. The type of hospital's ownership could be one factor associated with this adverse outcome. Using CMS's publicly available "Complications and Deaths-Hospitals" and "Hospital General Information" datasets, we analyzed the association between four postoperative complications (venous thromboembolism, joint replacement complications, wound dehiscence, postoperative sepsis) and hospital ownership. These data were collected by Medicare between April 2013 and March 2016. We found a significant association ( = 0.029) between ownership types and the postoperative complication score. A 6-percent drop in the share of not-for-profit ownership, accompanied by a 3-percent increase in each of the government and for-profit ownership, resulted in a 20-percent drop in postoperative complication scores (from 5.75 to 4.6). There is an association between hospital ownership type and postoperative complications. Creating this awareness in leadership should prompt for redesigning of hospitals' operations and workflows to become more compatible with safe and effective care delivery.
Topics: Aged; Hospitals, Private; Humans; Medicare; Ownership; United States
PubMed: 31969050
DOI: 10.1177/1460458219899827