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Aims: This study aimed to present national data for children and adolescents requiring hospitalization in Thailand. Background: Feeding and eating disorders can cause life‐threatening and negative health impacts. In Asia, the prevalence is rising. Data from children and adolescents in Thailand are limited. Design: This study is a retrospective study of the national database. Methods: Data from the National Health Security Office database on Universal Health Insurance Coverage (2015–2019) of 0–17‐year‐olds were analysed by diagnosis (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, vomiting associated with psychological disturbances, other eating disorders and unspecified eating disorders). Descriptive statistics, chi‐square test and multinomial logistic regression were used. Results: There were 163 patients, averaging 9.4 ± 5.2 years old, requiring 205 admissions. Most diagnoses showed stable trends, except for a slight decrease in anorexia and unspecified eating disorders. Most admissions were due to unspecified eating disorders and psychogenic vomiting, followed by anorexia nervosa. The overall prevalence was 3.86 per 100 000 admissions. Anorexia had the highest hospital costs and re‐admission rates. Anorexia nervosa was most prevalent in early adolescence and females, while bulimia nervosa was most prominent in middle adolescence and had a male predominance. Conclusion: Early recognition in clinical practice could increase early detection and improve outcomes. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that involve unhealthy eating habits and cause fatal medical complications.Most studies have been reported from Western or developed countries; recently, more data are emerging from the East, particularly in developing countries including the Southeast Asia.Underdiagnoses and underdetection can cause delayed treatment and prognosis. What this paper adds? Some types of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa have specific characteristics. ○Anorexia nervosa was mostly prominent among early adolescents but was also found in younger children. Patients with anorexia nervosa required a longer length of stay, had the highest re‐admission rate and had the highest treatment cost per admission.○Bulimia nervosa was more prominent during middle adolescence. Contrasting to previous literature, we found that Thai males were diagnosed with bulimia nervosa 2.5 times higher than females.○Psychogenic vomiting was prominent in children of both sexes. The implications of this paper: We present the prevalence of national data on feeding and eating disorders among children and adolescents, but we believe that there are more patients with eating disorders outside the health care system, who remain underdetected and underdiagnosed.For early detection, minimizing admissions and complications, clinicians, nurses and health care providers who are at the front line are encouraged to recognize eating disorders, particularly in this era where body image is a concern for adolescents.This study portrays feeding and eating disorders among children and adolescents in Thailand, and the trends may represent counties that have similar socioeconomic backgrounds and health care systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internalized sexual stigma is an important contributor to LGBT mental health disparities. In Thailand, the absence of validated instruments represents a research barrier. The study's purpose was to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Revised Internalized Homophobia (IHP-R) scale. Based on the cross-cultural principle, team translation was applied. The IHP-R was translated by the principal author and reviewed by bilingual Thai nurses, and clarifications were made. Multidisciplinary experts provided back translation and reconciled the finalized Thai version. The psychometric properties were established in 412 Thai LGBT individuals. Data was collected via online and paper-pencil surveys and analyzed using SPSS. Most participants were male, age ranged 18–53, with moderate levels of internalized homophobia (M = 2.3, SD = 1.04). The inter-item and item-total correlations were.38-.63 and.55-.68. The content validity index was high (I-CVI, S-CVI/UA/Ave = 1). The exploratory factor analysis confirmed one construct of internalized sexual self-stigma (factor loading =.702–.816). Scores on IHP-R were correlated with stress and experiences of discrimination (r =.14 and.12). Internal consistency reliability was also high (Cronbach's alpha coefficient =.83). The IHP-R Thai version has high psychometric properties and is appropriate for LGBT research in Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION Perceptions, personal perspectives, and public awareness of e-cigarette information have a significant impact on e-cigarette smoking behavior, and provide comprehensive information that can help reduce interest in e-cigarette smoking and reduce the number of new smokers. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions towards e-cigarettes related to e-cigarette use and how that information related to people's use of them. METHODS The data for this cross-sectional study were collected via an online questionnaire. Thai nationals who were aged >18 years provided data between June 2021 and January 2022. Multivariable logistic regression and the chi-squared test were used to analyze the data. RESULTS There were 340 respondents, 76 e-cigarette users, and 264 non-e-cigarette users. Most of the perceptions of information that differed statistically significantly between e-cigarette users and non-e-cigarette users included information on regulations, products, health effects, and the effectiveness of smoking cessation. The association between factors and e-cigarette smoking behavior revealed that the perception of the product information and male gender were associated with e-cigarette smoking behavior (AOR=13.59; 95% CI: 2.35-78.60, and AOR=5.19; 95% CI: 2.87-9.40, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The perception of e-cigarette product information and male gender were associated with e-cigarette smoking behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder common in children. Successful pediatric AD therapy requires parental assistance. Thus, evaluating parental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding childhood AD may lead to more educational recommendations to help children control AD in the future. This study examined parents' knowledge, attitudes, and conduct concerning AD in families with and without children with AD. Method: The Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand, conducted a cross-sectional study from June to December 2023. Parents of children who visited the dermatology clinic with or without AD were asked to complete a Google form questionnaire. Results: A total of 372 parents answered a questionnaire about AD pathophysiology, knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The participants were 293 (78.8%) female participants and 79 (21.2%) male participants. The average age was 29.79 (SD 4.91). Most parents (319, 85.8%) did not work in the medical field, and more than half (228 instances, 61.29%) had children diagnosed with AD. Conclusions: Parents of children with AD understood AD causes and triggers better than parents of children without AD. But, "exposure to furry toys" that may contain dust and allergies and "infection" that may cause AD flare-ups were the most common triggers, regardless of the group. Appropriate information should be supplied because both the parents of children with AD and those of children without AD reported immediate food avoidance without confirmatory testing, which might lead to malnutrition. Clinicians and families handling patients with AD require further education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The number of security guards in universities has increased significantly. This study aimed to predict work ability of university security guards. Methods. A cross-sectional study of 97 university security guards in Thailand was performed. Data were collected through interviews using a questionnaire covering social demographics, behavioral health and work ability. The data were analyzed using χ2 tests and logistic regression models. Results. The average work ability index (WAI) score was 38.1 ± 3.8, with 65.0% of participants scoring 'good'. Social support significantly influenced the WAI (p = 0.004). Those with insufficient support were 4.3 times more likely to show poor work ability. Mental health also impacted the WAI (p = 0.006); those with poor mental health were 4.7 times at risk. Additionally, work experience affected the WAI (p = 0.039). Those with ≥5 years of experience showed reduced work ability compared to their less-experienced counterparts (adjusted odds ratio 0.4; 95% confidence interval [0.20, 0.96]). Conclusions. Supervisors should provide social support and offer rewards and commendations to enhance employees' abilities, health behaviors and management of underlying diseases. Additionally, organizations should prioritize health and safety in the workplace to ensure their employees are healthier and perform their tasks more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While there is research on protective factors against smartphone addiction (SA) and phubbing, which impact adolescents' physical, psychological, interpersonal, and academic well-being, focused studies on these issues among Thai Muslim students in Southern Thailand remain scarce. Objectives: To bridge this gap, this research aimed to explore the influence of five family functioning factors—discipline, communication and problem-solving (CPS), relationship, emotional status, and family support—guided by family systems theory and the McMaster Model, on SA and phubbing. Methods: Data from 825 Thai Muslim adolescent secondary school students (Female N = 459 (55.7%), Mage = 15.11 ± 1.78) across three southern Thai provinces were analyzed utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: Significant connections were identified between family functioning factors, particularly emotional status and discipline, and SA, and their impact on phubbing behavior. SA was found to mediate the relationship between these two family factors and phubbing. Interestingly, a higher quality of family relationships was found to be associated with an increased risk of SA, while the other two family functions—CPS and family support—demonstrated no significant association with these digital behaviors. Conclusions: Despite its limitations, including a cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reports, the study underscores the importance of specific family functions in preventing and addressing adolescent SA and phubbing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Palliative care lower medical expenses and enhances quality of life, but misconception with euthanasia delays timely care and makes inappropriate patient management. Objective: To examine the magnitude of misconceptions between palliative care and euthanasia among Thai general practitioners, explore the association with knowledge, attitudes, and practical experience, and assess the association between misconception and confidence in practicing and referring patients to palliative care centers. Methods: All 144 general practitioners who were going to start residency training at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital in 2021 participated in this observational cross-sectional study. A chi-square test was utilized to examine the relationship between misconception and knowledge, attitude, practical experience, confidence to practice, and confidence to refer patients. Multivariable logistic regression was carried out while controlling for age, sex, knowledge, attitude, and experience to examine the relationship between misconception and confidence to practice and refer patients for palliative care. Statistical significance was defined at p < 0.05. Results: About 41% of general physicians had misconceptions regarding palliative care and euthanasia. High knowledge was associated with a lower level of misconception (p = 0.01). The absence of misconceptions was weakly associated with a higher level of confidence in practicing palliative care, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.51 (95% confidence interval 0.73 to 3.10, p = 0.07). Conclusion: High misconception rates between palliative care and euthanasia among young Thai physicians might impact their confidence in delivering palliative care. Training initiatives for medical students and practitioners can mitigate misconceptions, fostering better palliative care utilization in Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To examine the contributions of psychosocial factors (attitude towards drinking, perceived drinking norms [PDNs], perceived behavioural control [PBC]), and biological sex on drinking intention and behaviours among rural Thai adolescents. Design: A cross-sectional study design. Methods: In 2022, stratified by sex and grade, we randomly selected 474 rural Thai adolescents (Mage= 14.5 years; SD = 0.92; 50.6% male) from eight public district schools in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modelling with the weighted least square mean and variance adjusted was used for data analysis. Results: All adolescents' psychosocial factors contributed significantly to the prediction of drinking intention, which subsequently influenced their drinking onset, current drinking and binge drinking pattern in the past 30 days. PDNs emerged as the strongest psychosocial predictor of drinking intention, followed by PBC. Rural adolescents' drinking intention significantly mediated the relationship between all psychosocial factors and drinking behaviours either fully or partially. The path coefficient between drinking attitude and drinking intention was significantly different between males and females. Conclusion: Different from previous studies focus on adolescents' drinking attitude, rural Thai adolescents' PDNs play a significant role on their drinking intention and subsequently their drinking onset and patterns. This nuanced understanding supports a paradigm shift to target adolescents' perceived drinking norms as a means to delay their drinking onset and problematic drinking behaviours. Impact: Higher levels of perceived drinking norms significantly led to the increase in drinking intention among adolescents. Minimizing adolescents' perceptions of favourable drinking norms and promoting their capacity to resist drinking, especially due to peer pressure, are recommended for nursing roles as essential components of health education campaigns and future efforts to prevent underage drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]