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Objective To determine the frequency of acne formation with usage of face masks among health care workers and to determine factors associated with acne formation in relation to usage of face masks. Methods This was a cross sectional study, conducted in a tertiary care hospital. Study participants were 191 healthcare workers in different categories. Data was obtained on the face mask related factors and acne development or exacerbation. Chi Square test will be applied to see the relationship between acne formation and usage of face masks. Results Among the participants 70% were female and 30% are male. Surgical mask were the most common type of mask used by them. on average the duration of mask use was 6 to 12hrs/day and majority was using facemasks for more than 6 weeks. Among the participants 20% of those experienced acne at O-Zone of face. Conclusion There is an association of acne formation at O-zone of the face and duration of mask wearing per day among healthcare workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the frequency of burnout syndrome in junior doctors who worked in COVID 19 units of a tertiary care hospital. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration: The study was conducted at Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College Karachi by the Department of Community Medicine during 1st August 2020 to 30th June 2021. Methodology: The study population was house officers, interns, medical officers and junior residents working solely in COVID 19 isolation wards, high dependency units and intensive care units. The data was collected on structured questionnaire which had sections of socio-demography and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services survey (MBI-HSS). MBI-HSS is reliable and validated tool for assessment of burnout syndrome. It evaluates three sub-dimensions of burnout that is emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP) and low personal accomplishment (PA). Data analysis was done on SPSS version 21. Results: Total 106 doctors were working in different COVID 19 units and all of them had participated in the study. Majority were females and young. Around 55% of participants had high emotional exhaustion scores. All the participants had high (>9) depersonalization scores, and low (<32) personal accomplishment scores. Doctors working less than eight hours a day had low levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores and high personal accomplishment as compared to doctors working more than eight hours a day. There was no significant difference in scores among the designations of junior doctors. Conclusion: The health authorities need to take supportive measures to improve mental health of workers for attaining better health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the frequency and association of symptoms of hearing loss among traffic police wardens. Study Design: Observational (Cross-sectional) study. Setting: Karachi, Pakistan. Period: January to June 2019. Material & Methods: Nonprobability purposive sampling technique was used to employ 181 traffic police wardens. A selfadministered questionnaire translated into Urdu language was used. Written informed consent was taken from the participants. IBM SPSS Statistics version 22 was used for the data entry and analysis. Frequencies were determined of socio-demographic data. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to assess the factors associated with tinnitus. Results: Most of the traffic police wardens were young (mean age: 29.96 years), non-smokers (95%) and having a matriculate degree (49.7%). Around 97.8% documented working in noisy places; 98.3% of the wardens did not use any hearing protection devices during work, while 98.9% stated that they never had a hearing test. Multivariable logistic regression showed strong inverse associations of tinnitus with higher education levels, longer duration of work, working in a noisy area, and experiencing sudden noise exposures in their lifetime. Conclusion: Traffic police wardens are exposed to loud noise during work, exhibiting the deleterious health impacts of occupational exposure. This workforce needs to be educated regarding the adverse health impacts of occupational noise pollution, the importance and use of personal protective equipment. Further research is warranted using more quantitative assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To identify sex-based differences in the perception of benefits and barriers toward exercise and to determine the sex- and age-based differences in the level of physical activity (PA) among adult residents of Karachi. Methods: Three hundred adult individuals were included in cross sectional survey conducted during July-October 2010. Perception of benefits and barriers to exercise and the level of PA were measured through a questionnaire. Differences in the perception of benefits and barriers of exercise and level of PA were calculated with age and sex strata. Results: Women perceived more barriers to exercise than men (P-value < 0.001). In all age strata women have higher ranks for domestic-related physical activity while men have higher ranks for job-related PA. Leisure time PA were significantly lower for females in all age groups. Total PA is also affected by age and socioeconomic status, higher among people having monthly income < 6000 rupees and lower in males > 45 years of age. Conclusion: Sex-based differences exists in the level of PA and perception regarding exercise in mega city of Pakistan. There is a need to design programs that influence PA determinants connected to sex to prevent impending epidemic of non communicable diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the demographic and academic characteristics of MBBS students suffering from sleep disorders. Study Design: Cross sectional descriptive study Place and Duration: The research was conducted from 4th September 2016 to 30th November 2017 at the Department of Community Medicine Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan Methodology: The data were collected by using standardized structured questionnaires which included the Insomnia Severity Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Berlin Questionnaire to assess sleep disorders, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale to assess stress and anxiety among medical students. Results: Sleep disorders are common among female medical students (68%). Among the students with sleep disorders, 33 % were studying in third year MBBS, 55 % were suffering from anxiety disorders and 43 % were using internet daily for more than 4 hours. Conclusion: Female gender and third year medical students had higher frequency of sleep disorders. The results of this study highlighted that daily internet use of more than four hours and anxiety disorders are frequent among the students suffering from sleep disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Efficient stoves reduce household air pollution (HAP) due to solid fuel use. Two stove intervention programs were evaluated and compared for short term impact on respiratory and eye symptoms, lung function, blood pressure and burns. METHODS: A total of 83 and 134 improved and 209 and 179 traditional stoves in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan, respectively, were evaluated after 3 months of implementation, during June to September, 2014. 24-hour particulate matter (<2.5 µm) (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) levels were measured in the kitchens in a subsample. Multivariate logistic regression and general linear model were used to determine health impact of stoves. RESULTS: PM2.5 and CO were significantly less among improved stoves kitchens. Among women in Sindh program, significant reduction occurred for cough (aRR: 0.27, CI: 0.20, 0.38), phlegm (aRR: 0.27, CI: 0.18, 0.40), shortness of breath (aRR: 0.16, CI: 0.11, 0.22), chest tightness (aRR: 0.23, CI: 0.17, 0.31), attack of asthma (aRR: 0.33, CI: 0.22, 0.49) (p<0.001), sandy eyes (aRR: 0.63, CI: 0.47, 0.97) and itching in eyes (aRR: 0.62, CI: 0.41, 0.95 (p<0.050). While in Punjab program, risk reduction for phlegm (aRR: 0.60, CI: 0.45, 0.81) and protection from burns (aRR: 0.56, CI: 0.34, 0.91) was observed. Mean peak expiratory flow was higher among improved stoves users in Sindh program (31.58, CI: 17.90, 45.25 L/min). CONCLUSION: Stove interventions can have favorable health impact among women. However, variation in health gains were noted among programs with more pronounced impact among closed kitchen users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the knowledge scores of basic medical subjects in annual versus modular system among undergraduate medical students., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 4th year undergraduate medical students of annual and modular system of Liaquat National Medical College, Pakistan. Study was conducted from 30th November 2017 to 1st June 2018 for a total of 6 months. Sample size was calculated to be 82 students. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The student's t-test was applied to compare the mean difference of knowledge scores between the two groups., Results: Students in modular system retained better knowledge of anatomy as compared to annual students. However, the annual system students retained higher knowledge in subjects of community medicine and pharmacology. Mean knowledge score among students for annual system was 12.98 ± 2.92 and semester system was 13.1 ± 3.03. There was no significant difference observed in overall mean knowledge scores between the two groups (p=0.85)., Conclusions: Students in the annual system scored higher in pharmacology and community medicine. This highlighted the need to address the issues of time allocation and implementation strategies for the subjects in the new system. There was no difference between overall knowledge scores in each group, hence, it would be inappropriate to conclude that one system is superior to the other.

Background: Antenatal Care is one of the fundamental rights for women to safeguard their health. Neonatal mortality rates have remained relatively static, compared to the decline in infant and under 5 mortality rates, adverse practices regarding breast feeding and pre-lacteal feeds being the important factors responsible. This study aimed to explore the Antenatal Care, delivery and breastfeeding practices in three districts of Baluchistan., Methods: It was a qualitative phenomenological design using Constructivist approach. The study was conducted in three districts of Baluchistan province, Gwadar, Quetta, Qila Saifullah. There were a total of 14 Focus Group Discussions with women regarding Antenatal Care, delivery and Breastfeeding practices, followed by audio taping, transcription as verbatim and analysis through Nvivo version 2. A process was deployed for identification and reporting of the components in order to ensure quality and validity of the qualitative findings., Results: Across the sites, women attended ANC at least once. However, their descriptions of ANC often varied. The women preferred Dais instead of doctors, due to the affordability, customs and availability. A lack of trained doctors and long distances to get a check-up lead to home deliveries in the study setting. Colostrum was discarded by majority of the mothers, while prelacteal feed was a common practice., Conclusion: This paper has explored factors affecting ANC attendance, delivery and breast feeding practices across three settings. Both the demand and supply side factors have an important influence on practices.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and predictors of good knowledge, appropriate attitude and appropriate protective practices regarding respiratory symptoms among textile workers, and to determine the association of knowledge, attitude and practices with respiratory symptoms., Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009 and comprised male workers from 15 textile mills in and around Karachi. A structured and pre-tested questionnaire was used which included questions to explore the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding respiratory symptoms. SPSS 19 was used for statistical analysis., Results: The study had a sample size of 372 and found prevalence of good knowledge to be in 182 (48.9%) workers and appropriate attitude in 302 (81%), while only 80 (21%) were practising these measures appropriately. Being educated and older than 38 years of age, belonging to Sindhi ethnicity, and working in the weaving section were significant (p<0.05) predictors of knowledge, attitude and practices. Generally, there was no significant association of knowledge, attitude and practices with respiratory symptoms (p>0.05)., Conclusions: There was low prevalence of appropriate practices, high prevalence of good knowledge and attitude, indicating an interplay of several other social and environmental factors which need to be explored.