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Objectives: The main objective of this study was to investigate the COVID-19 beliefs of a random sample of Mauritian social media users. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: This quantitative research was undertaken by means of an online survey instrument, with questions on participants' behaviour towards COVID-19 and their belief with respect to susceptibility, barriers, benefits, cues to actions and self-efficacy. Results: In total, 405 participants completed the survey. Participants had a low mean COVID-19 perceived susceptibility and perceived severity. Significant differences in susceptibility were observed among different age groups, places of residence and educational levels. A significant difference in self-efficacy was found between people living in urban and rural areas. Participants aged

Purpose Since there is no existing qualitative study on Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in Mauritius, this study was undertaken to explore the lived experience of mothers having a child with T1D in Mauritius. Design and methods This research work used a phenomenological approach with the interview of a purposeful sample of eleven mothers having a child diagnosed with T1D. Data collected was analyzed by two independent investigators. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Department of Medicine Ethics Committee of the University of Mauritius. Results The emerging themes were ‘Facing disruption in life’, ‘Experiencing mixed feelings’, ‘Taking matters in hands’ and ‘Coping with life’. They put forward the four major components of the lived experience of being the mother of a child diagnosed with T1D. 3 to 4 minor themes. Conclusions The study shows that diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes in a child has a profound psychosocial impact on mother's personal, family and professional lives. There is need to support parents in the delivery of optimal care to their child to avoid unpredictable complications and unnecessary loss of lives. Practice implications Both nurses and doctors should be aware of their crucial role in demonstrating empathy towards parents/children affected by T1D. There is a need for training programs to develop a culture where empathy enhances nursing and medical practice.

Introduction A literature review has revealed an absence of studies investigating the knowledge and behaviour of teachers towards secondhand smoke (SHS). This study was thus designed with the following objectives: 1) Assess the knowledge of SHS among primary school teachers, 2) Determine their behaviour towards SHS, and 3) Identify any relationship between knowledge and behaviour of participants. Methods A national cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample from 28 primary schools in all four educational zones of Mauritius in 2017. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from primary school teachers. Data analysis was performed on 389 questionnaires. Results The mean knowledge score was found to be 28.9 (SD=4.8), which is just above the threshold score (>27) for good knowledge. Less than two-thirds of the participants (63.2%) were in the 'good knowledge' category. The mean behaviour score was found to be 26.6 (SD=6.8), which is situated in the range for 'satisfactory behaviour' in terms of avoiding SHS. Pearson correlation testing revealed a significant association between knowledge of SHS and behaviour towards exposure to SHS. Conclusions This study showed that nearly two-thirds of teachers had good knowledge of the health dangers of SHS and applied this knowledge in their behaviour by keeping away from cigarette smoke.

BackgroundIn response to high smoking rates, especially among men, Mauritius launched a National Action Plan on Tobacco Control in 2008. It changed its tax system from a mixed system to a uniform specific system. Despite these interventions, cigarette consumption and smoking prevalence in Mauritius decreased only marginally in the subsequent decade.MethodUsing publicly available data, we decompose the retail price of cigarettes into tax and net-of-tax components, between 2011 and 2017. We cover premium, popular and economy cigarettes.ResultsSince its introduction in 2008, the nominal excise tax was increased six times. Between 2011 and 2017, the real value of the excise tax increased by 47%. Meanwhile, British American Tobacco (BAT) increased the real net-of-tax price of premium cigarettes by 61.8% and of popular cigarettes by 47.2%, thus overshifting the tax increase. On economy cigarettes, BAT decreased the real net-of-tax price by 14.7%, thus undershifting the excise tax increase.ConclusionThrough its pricing strategy, BAT has greatly undermined Mauritius’s tobacco control policy. However, BAT cannot continue undershifting the excise tax on economy brands, since the net-of-tax proportion of the retail price is very low already. BAT would have little choice but to increase the retail price on economy brands in response to future excise tax increases. The government of Mauritius is encouraged to keep the specific excise tax structure but to increase the rate at which it is levied.

Introduction Mauritius has one of the highest rates of smoking in Africa. Smoking cessation is a priority for preventing tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study is to identify the predictors of quit intentions among smokers in Mauritius in order to strengthen tobacco control policies and inform the development and delivery of services that may increase the likelihood of successful quitting. Methods Data were drawn from one wave (2009) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Mauritius Survey, a face-to-face cohort survey of a nationally representative sample of 598 adult smokers who were randomly selected from nine geographic districts in Mauritius using a multistage sampling procedure. Results The vast majority of smokers (77.8%) had plans to quit smoking. Longer duration of past quit attempts (6 months or less), perceiving benefits of quitting, worrying about smoking damaging health in the future, and enjoyment of smoking were significantly associated with quit intentions. However, socio-demographic characteristics, past quit attempts, overall attitude about smoking, and Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI) were not associated with quit intentions. Conclusions The predictors of quit intentions among Mauritian smokers were generally similar to those found among smokers in other high- and middle-income countries. However, in contrast to findings in those other countries, nicotine dependence as measured by the HSI was not a significant predictor of quit intentions among Mauritian smokers. These findings highlight the need to consider the predictors of quit intentions when developing and delivering smoking cessation support services in Mauritius.