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Objective: To identify relationships between the health literacy and self-reported preventive health practices of US adults.Methods: Measured health literacy and preventive health practices for a nationally representative sample of adults (N = 18,100) and conducted probit regression analyses after controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, poverty level, insurance status, self-reported health status, and oral reading fluency.Results: Low literacy was associated with a decreased likelihood of using most preventive health measures under study for adults aged 65 and older, but not for adults of 2 younger age groups.Conclusion: The relationship between health literacy and preventive health practices varied substantially by adult age group.

Background Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease endemic to West Africa, particularly Nigeria. Despite efforts to control its spread, gaps in knowledge and preventive behaviours remain, particularly among mothers of young children. This study assessed the knowledge, perception, and preventive practices regarding Lassa fever among mothers of under-five children in Esan Central Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 mothers with children under five using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Participants were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 30, employing descriptive and inferential statistics to assess the associations between sociodemographic factors, knowledge, and preventive practices. Results All participants (100%) had heard of Lassa fever, with health workers being the most common source of information (55.4%). Most mothers (72%) demonstrated good knowledge of Lassa fever symptoms, where as 67% reported good preventive practices, such as handwashing (71.5%) and maintaining proper drainage systems (70.8%). Ethnicity and education were significantly associated with knowledge of Lassa fever ( p  < 0.001), while marital status, ethnicity and parity were significantly associated with preventive practices ( p  < 0.05). Conclusion This study revealed high awareness and knowledge of Lassa fever among mothers, yet preventive practices were suboptimal. Public health interventions should focus on improving preventive behaviours through targeted health education, particularly in underserved communities, to reduce the disease burden in endemic regions.

It is well established that the hiring of temporary agency workers has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years, and the main distinctive feature of this industry lies in its employment structure, known as the tripartite relationship. This article aims to identify key issues in managing occupational health and safety (OHS) for temporary agency workers and to propose new preventive practices. Using an exploratory inductive design based on grounded theory, the study draws on two empirical data sources: interviews with forty-two agency workers in the Montréal (n=28) and Québec (n=14) regions, and interviews with sixteen OHS professionals in Montréal. The findings highlight four major clusters of OHS issues—economic, legal, organizational, and risk-perception—which explain gaps in preventive measures between agency workers and regular workers, as well as the need for new practices capable of curbing rising occupational injuries and reducing inequalities in treatment. The study argues for stronger regulation of the tripartite relationship and for greater attention to the coexistence of diverse workforces (e.g., agency workers, temporary foreign workers, self-employed workers) within companies, and calls for innovation and stakeholder mobilization to transform current OHS practices.

Purpose Knowledge, positive attitude and good preventive practices are keys to successful myopia control, but information on these is lacking in Africa. This study determined the KAP on myopia in Ghana. Methods This was a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted among adults (aged 18 years and older) living across 16 regions of Ghana between May and October 2021. Data on socio-demographic factors (sex, age, gender, level of education, working status, type of employment, monthly income, and region of residence), respondents’ awareness, and knowledge, attitude and preventive practices (KAP) about myopia were collected. Composite and mean scores were calculated from eleven knowledge (total score = 61), eight attitude (48), and nine preventive practice items (33). Differences in mean scores were assessed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and standardized coefficients (β) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), using multiple linear regression to determine the associations between the dependent (KAP) and demographic variables. Results Of the 1,919 participants, mean age was 37.4 ± 13.4 years, 42.3% were aged 18–30 years, 52.6% were men, 55.8% had completed tertiary education, and 49.2% had either heard about myopia, or accurately defined myopia as short sightedness. The mean KAP scores were 22.9 ± 23.7, 33.9 ± 5.4, and 22.3 ± 2.8, respectively and varied significantly with many of the demographic variables particularly with age group, region, marital status, and type of employment. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed significant associations between region of residence and knowledge (β =—0.54, 95%CI:-0.87, -0.23, p  < 0.001), attitude (β =—0.24, 95%CI:-0.35,-0.14, p  < 0.001) and preventive practices (β = 0.07, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.12, p  = 0.015). Preventive practices were also associated with type of employment (self-employed vs employee: β = 0.25, 95%CI: 0.15, 4.91, p  < 0.05). Knowledge scores were significantly higher in those who lived in the Greater Accra (39.5 ± 18.5) and Eastern regions (39.1 ± 17.5) and lower among those who lived in the Upper West region (6.4 ± 15.6). Government employees and those with tertiary education had significantly higher mean knowledge scores compared with non-government employees (β = 4.56, 95%CI 1.22, 7.89, p  = 0.007), and those with primary/no education (β = 18.35, 95%CI: 14.42, 22.27, p  < 0.001). Conclusion Ghanaian participants had adequate knowledge of myopia but showed poor attitude and low preventive practices, which varied significantly between regions and were modified by socio-demographic factors. Further research into how education can be used to stimulate Ghanaians’ engagement in preventive practices is needed.

In Pakistan effective border control measures and school closures were implemented after declaration of COVID-19 pandemic. Public awareness campaigns were started to educate public including adolescents. This study aims to assess adolescent’s knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices during pandemic in Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 328 individuals from October 2021 to February 2022 among school going adolescents aged 10–19 years in Pakistan. An online questionnaire was administered using online platforms. The questionnaire included sections on socio-demographic information, knowledge, attitudes, preventive practices, vaccine practice and information on new COVID-19 variants. Data was analyzed using multiple linear regression method. Among these individuals, mean knowledge scores were 9.64 (3.53), mean attitude score were 4.12 (1.77) and mean preventive practice score were 17 (6.83). Older adolescents exhibited better adherence to preventive measures and support to travel bans and adherence to SOPs during lock down. Multiple linear regression revealed that higher knowledge (β = 0.22, p = 0.03) and positive attitudes (β = 0.92, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with better preventive practices. This indicated that adolescents living in Pakistan have moderate knowledge about COVID-19 pandemic, with positive attitudes towards preventive measures taken by the government. However, there is a need for targeted educational interventions to enhance understanding and adherence to preventive measures among adolescents to better manage the pandemic in near future.

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the issue of vaccine hesitancy, leading researchers to study the determinants of people's willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This study is the first to comprehensively investigate the role of preventive practices at both the individual and contextual level, drawing on the theoretical concept of “cultural health capital”. Utilizing data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement (SHARE), covering information from 18,454 individuals aged 50 years and above residing in 25 European countries, we examined the influence of past engagement in preventive practices and the prevalence of such practices within a country on the likelihood of COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Our analysis included (i) previous vaccination behaviors, (ii) other healthcare-related behaviors, and (iii) lifestyle factors at both the individual and contextual levels. Leveraging the longitudinal design of the SHARE, we accounted for the temporal ordering of the relationships. At the individual level, almost all preventive behaviors were significantly related to people's willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Individuals who (i) had received an influenza vaccination prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and during childhood, (ii) had regularly participated in dental and blood pressure check-ups throughout their lives, and (iii) did not engage in lifestyle-related risk behaviors, were more likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Notably, alcohol use was not significantly associated. At the contextual level, only the vaccination coverage rate for influenza was found to be robustly related, indicating that individuals were more inclined to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in countries with higher influenza vaccination rates prior to the pandemic. Active participation in preventive practices and effective implementation of vaccination campaigns can contribute to the development of (institutional) cultural health capital, which ultimately promotes a greater willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19. •Individual and contextual factors are related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.•Prior preventive practices relate to lower COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.•Higher pre-COVID influenza vaccination relate to lower COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.•(Institutionalized) social learning effects play a key role.•The concept of cultural health capital deserves further attention within the field.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has had a profound global impact. Vaccination remains a key strategy for controlling transmission and reducing morbidity and mortality. However, vaccine hesitancy poses a significant public health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. This study assessed COVID-19 vaccine acceptability and the determinants of vaccine hesitancy among adults in Lagos State, Nigeria. Methods A cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted among 854 adults selected through multistage sampling across three Local Government Areas in Lagos State. Data were collected using a pretested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize variables, while chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with vaccine hesitancy. Statistical significance was set at p  ≤ 0.05. Results The mean age of respondents was 42.5 ± 13.6 years, and 51.2% were female. Overall, 44.1% of participants accepted the COVID-19 vaccine, while 55.9% were hesitant. Vaccine hesitancy was significantly associated with age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, religion, and educational level ( p  ≤ 0.05). Multivariable analysis showed that respondents aged ≤ 20 years (OR = 5.5) and 21–40 years (OR = 2.0), as well as those with secondary education (OR = 2.0), were more likely to be hesitant. Independent predictors of vaccine hesitancy included secondary education (AOR = 2.3; p  < 0.001), low perceived risk of COVID-19 (AOR = 1.7; p  = 0.011), and poor preventive practices (AOR = 1.8; p  = 0.002). Conclusions COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy remains high among adults in Lagos State despite generally good knowledge levels. Targeted, context-specific health promotion interventions addressing risk perception, misinformation, and safety concerns are essential to improve vaccine uptake and strengthen pandemic response efforts.

Background Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection with recurring outbreaks across tropical and subtropical climatic regions worldwide. Dengue was one of the major public health threats and a leading cause of hospitalization in Thailand. High population mobility contributes to the spread of dengue in endemic areas. Our study sought to investigate the level of dengue preventive practices and its associated socio-ecological factors among Myanmar migrants in Samut Sakhon Province, Thailand. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in Mueang Samut Sakhon District, Samut Sakhon Province, Thailand. A total of 415 participants from three migrant clusters within the district were recruited by using voluntary response sampling. Participants were approached during their leisure time with the help of community leaders. Data collection took place between June and July 2024 through interview-administered questionnaires, facilitated on mobile devices using KoboToolbox. Results Good levels of dengue preventive practices were reported by more than half of the respondents (56.6%). Multiple logistic regression revealed that participants residing in Thailand for ≥ 3 years (AOR: 1.647, 95% CI: 1.003–2.706), those with high knowledge about dengue (AOR: 1.741, 95% CI: 1.119–2.708), those reporting high social support for dengue prevention (AOR: 1.978, 95% CI: 1.255–3.118) and those exposed to five or more sources of stagnant water (AOR: 2.751, 95% CI: 1.476–5.128) were significantly more likely to practice effective dengue prevention. Conclusion While over half of Myanmar migrants in Samut Sakhon demonstrate good dengue preventive practices, notable gaps remain in knowledge, social support, and community engagement. Tailored health education targeting newly arrived migrants, strengthened social support networks, enhanced risk communication, and multi-stakeholder collaboration are recommended to sustain and improve dengue control efforts in migrant communities.

Background The new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a virus in the coronavirus family called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Due to lack of effective treatment, the major way to breakdown the disease transmission is by application of preventive measures. For this, a preventive practice questionnaire was used to assess the preventive practice during COVID-19. A definite advantage of this questionnaire is its ability to identify individual level preventive practices. The objective of the study was to validate the Nepali version of Questionnaire to assess preventive practices against the COVID-19 pandemic in the General population. Methods A web-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2022 to April 2023 using preventive practices against the COVID-19 pandemic questionnaire and was conducted among 351 respondents. The sensitivity and specificity of the questionnaire were calculated for validation. The best cutoff point for the Nepalese version of the questionnaire was identified and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated. Results The overall prevalence of good preventive practices was 90.6%. The best cutoff points for the Nepali version of the questionnaire were 93% sensitivity and 67% specificity, respectively at a cutoff level of 47/48. The area under the curve was 0.859. Thus, the Nepalese version of the questionnaire concerning preventive practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population had an accuracy of 85.9% (95% CI 0.757–0.961, p  = 0.001). Conclusion The Nepalese version of the questionnaire on preventive practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population can be successfully used as a survey tool. These findings might help to detect appropriate adherence to preventive practices can be achieved in busy outpatient departments. Detecting adherence to preventive practices may help local health authorities and policymakers in identifying specific populations for future awareness campaigns during infectious disease outbreaks.

Introduction: The COVID-19 is currently the most horrible issue around the world as there is no proven vaccine or medicine for this rapidly spreading disease. The only way left to this situation is to slow down or eradicate the spreading by adopting preventing measures. Objective: The purpose of the study is to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices toward COVID-19 among Bangladeshi internet users. Material and Methods: A total of 441 respondents voluntarily participated in a web-based cross-sectional survey. A structured questionnaire was created using Google Forms and the link was shared through authors’ networks. Collected information was analyzed using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate techniques. Results: Respondent of age 30 and above are more optimistic (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] =1.96, 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.13 to 3.41; P=0.016) compared to respondent of age 18-29. For 1 unit change in the knowledge score the likelihood of staying home and wearing mask increases by 1.73 (95% CI, 1.43 to 2.09; P<0.01) and 1.54 (95% CI, 1.25 to 1.77; P<0.01) times respectively. From the linear regression analysis, we see that urban residence type (vs. rural, β=0.274; P=0.024) are significantly associated with higher knowledge scores. Additionally, a significant positive correlation exists between the COVID-19 knowledge score and the preventive practice score (r=0.291, P <0.01). Conclusion: Although knowledge and preventive practices among Bangladeshi internet users are encouraging, this study suggests updated knowledge be provided by healthcare authorities to enhance appropriate preventive practices throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.