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Browsing Sri Lanka by Subject "Adolescent"
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Item Aspiration of adolescents (a sociological survey of adolescents in an urban and a rural area)(University of Colombo: UC(CEN.)., 1984) SENEVIRATNE, SDSEItem Attempted Suicides Antecedents \& Consequences(Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo: PGIM., 2000) Thalagala, NIBased on the data obtained from different components of the study, it was possible to develop a " model" identifying relationship between precipitating factors,predisposing factors and depressive illness which enabled identification of strategies for intervention.Based on the observations of the study following recommendations could be made. Empowering individuals \& families to cope with situations where a suicidal act might occur, taking actions to control depressive illness, improving patient management skills and facilities at local and specialist hospitals, and establishing a program for the follow up of persons who attempt suicides after returning to community from hospital.Item The Periodontal status of adolescent Danish school children(University of Peradeniya: UP(MED)., 1980) Hoover, JNItem Prevalence of emotional disorders and their correlates among 15-19 year old students in the MOH area of Dankotuwa(Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo: PGIM., 2000) WICKRAMASINGHE, SCThe objective of the study was to modify, adapt and validate an instrument for detection of emotional disorders as well as to estimate the prevalence of such illness in a school going community.Factors associated with emotional disorders in this population were also studied.An important finding of the study was the high prevalence (16.6 per cent) of the feeling that " life is not worth living" among the study population irrespective of their emotional health status.Furthermore, 4 per cent of this total population expressed suicidal ideas.Both these are confirmed by the current high suicide rates observed nationally and highlight the importance of instituting preventive action.The key source of emotional distress in adolescents was identified as relationship with the family.This is related to the findings of the study that corporal punishment and strictness of parents were important risk factors for emotional disorders in the population studied. Part time employment of school going adolescents was the other important risk factor.This needs further explorative study.Another key finding of the present study was the association of emotional disorders with the ability to grasp information.Participation in extra curricular activities was shown to have an inverse relationship with emotional health.These findings highlight the need for institutionalizing a screening program for this age group within the school setting.This has to be perceded by extensive validation studies as well as assessment of acceptability and economic feasibility. An important area of intervention would be the creation of increased awareness in the community in general as well as programs directed towards improving parenting practices. Education of teachers towards better understanding of emotional changes associated with adolescence also appears very important.Item Prevalence of iron and vitamin A deficiency among adolescent school girls, and the effectiveness of nutrition education alone, or together with iron supplementation on iron and vitamin A status(University of Colombo: UC(MED)., 1999) LANEROLLE, PThe prevalence of anaemia, and iron and vitamin A deficiency was assessed in adolescent school girls of low socio-economic status in an urban (n=576) and a rural area (n=339). Their baseline knowledge on nutrition was evaluated and general nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric parameters. Haemoglobin concentration was measured to determine the prevalence of anaemia. Iron status was assessed by measuring erythrocyte protoporphyrin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity and serum ferrtin concentration. Folic acid concentration and vitamin B12 concentration was assessed in the rural area only. Vitamin A status was assessed by measuring serum vitamin A concentration and by conjunctival impression cytology. The urban sample was drawn from eleven schools and the rural sample was drawn from four schools. Girls from ten schools in the urban area and two schools in the rural area were subjected to nutritional intervention, while the remaining schools were assessed as contro schools. All subjects in the intervention schools were given njtrition education, in the form of lecture discussions and interactive group discussions with the help of visual aids such as flip charts. All subjects were given a single dose of menendazole (500mg). In both urban and rural settings, girls were assigned to one of three groups matched for initial haemoglobin. Group 1 was given nutrition education and placebo and group 2 received education together with ferrous sulphate (60mg of elemental iron/day), for ten weeks while the control group received no intervention. The subjects were reassessed after the 10 week period of intervention and subjects in the intervention groups were reassessed three months after stopping intervention. Twenty percent of subjects studied had body mass index values less than the fifth percentile for age. The prevalence of anaemia when subjects in both areas were considered together was 18.0 percent. There was no significant difference in prevalence between girls in the urban area and those in the rural area. Depleted iron stores (serum ferritin \<12æg/L) were noted in 22.5 percent of subjects, while a further 28.7 percent had marginal iron stores. Although the prevalence of anaemia was similar in the two groups, the percentage of subjects with iron deficiency was significantly higher in the urban area than in the rural area. The prevalence of low folic acid status (\<3?g/ml) was 22.8 percent in the rural area. However, these subjects had a satisfactory vitamin B12 status, as low vitamin B12 concentrations (\<150 pg/ml) were noted in only 1.4 percent of subjects. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency as indicated by low serum vitamin A deficiency as indicated by low serum vitamin A concentration (\<20æg/dl) and abnormal or borderline conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) was 21.1 percent and 16.0 percent respectively. There was no significant difference in vitamin A status between urban and rural subjects, but, 12 subjects (2.5 percents in the urban area had very low vitamin A levels (\<10æg/dl) whereas, only one subject in the rural area had low values. Subjects with abnormal or borderline conjunctival impressions in the urban area had significantly lower serum vitamin A levels than those with normal impressions. Although CIC is a less sensitive indicator of vitamin A status than serum vitamin A concentration and occurrence of borderline or abnormal conhuctival impressions. Hence it is a useful field test to assess vitamin A status of a population, especially when HPLC facilities are not available. Prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura infection was significantly higher (p\<0.00001) in the urban area than in the rural area, and this was associated with poor living conditions and personal hygiene. The prevalence of hookworm infection was similar in the two areas. Thus nutrition education alone was effective in improving knowledge on nutrition, haemoglonin concentration, iron status and serum vitamin A concentration in both urban and rural areas, while the beneficial effect on haemoglobin and iron status was greater when combined with supplementation. The sustainability was more marked in the rural area than the urban area, which could be due at least in part, to differences in living conditions and the availability of land for cultivation of home gardens. There was no significant difference in prevelence between girls in the urban area and those in the rural area. Depleted iron stores serum ferritin.Item A Study of acetylcholinesterase activity in school children(University of Colombo: UC(MED)., 1997) WIJESEKARA, GUSAcetylcholinesterase activity of one hundred and sixty one school children in the age group 15-16 years, belong to two districts, Kurunegala and Kegalle where Organophosphate and Carbamate pesticides are widely used, were studied. Venous blood samples were collected in the mornings. A rapid, field methods for whole blood cholinesterase assay was developed in the laboratory by modifying the Michel's method. A Lovibond comparator with Bromothymol blue was used instead of a pH meter. The pH of the phosphate buffer was reduced to 7.6 from 8.1. The reaction time was reduced to half an hour. In this method the dercrease of pH was measured and the whole blood cholinesterase activity was reported in ..pH/min. The studies of the stability of the buffer and substrate showed that no statistically significant variation of cholinesterase activity when the buffer and the substrate were stored at room temperature (30 C) for 48 hours. The studies of the effect of temperature on whole blood cholinesterase activity by the Lovibond method showed an increase of 0.0007..pH/m.n/..C from 15 Cto 30C. From 30 C to 35 C no increase in enzyme activity was observed by the Lovibond method and Michel's method, indicating that the enzyme is inactivated at temperatures above 30 C. When the cholinesterase activity was estimated by the Michel's method and Lovibond method, the results obtained were different and the difference was significant to a 0.01 level of the t-test.Acetylcholinesterase activity of one hundred and sixty one school children were determined by the Lovibond method under field conditions in Kurunegala and Kegalle districts. The whole blood cholinesterase activity varied from 0.026..pH/min to 0.04..pH/min. The mean value obtained for enzyme activity was 0.030..pH/min with the standard deviation of +/-0.0043. There was no significant difference between the whole blood cholineaterase activity of childdren exposed to pesticides and children not exposed to pesticides. This indicates very low exposure to pesticides. The studies showed that there was no statistically significant correlation between Erythrocyte cholinesterase activity and Hemoglobin content. Studies of anthropometric measurements showed there was no statistically significant correlation between Erythrocyte cholineaterase activity and Height, and Erythrocyte cholinesterase activity and weight. The results indicate that cholinesterase activity can be measured unde rfield conditions using Lovibond comparator and thus detect Organophosphate poisoning at early stages. In Kurunegala district, the mean plasma cholinesterase activity of males was 3563 U/L with the standard deviation of 807.5 while that of females was 3329U/L with the standard deviation of 791.4. In Kegalle district, the mean plasma cholineasterase activity was 3560U/L with the standard deviation of 512.4. In the study, eighteen (11.2 percent)) subjects had plasma cholinesterase activity higher than the upper limit of the normal range (1700-4100 U/L) of plasma cholinesterase activity. In Kurunegala district, the mean Erythrocyte cholinesterase activity of males was 6300 U/L with the standard deviation of 1020 while that of females was 6335 U/L with the standard deviation of 954. In Kegalle distirct, the mean Erythrocyte cholinesterase avtivity of subjects was 6257 U/L with the standard deviation of 903. In the study, seven (4.3 percent) subjects had Erythrocyte cholinesterase activity higher than the upper limit of the normal range. (4400-8200 U/L). In the present study, none of the subjects had plasma cholineserase activity and Erythrocyte cholinesterase activity lower than the normal range. The studies of the Dibuvcaine inhibition of subjects showed that there were cholinesterase variants in the Kurunegala and Kegalle districts. In the Kurunegala district 30 percent of the females and 16 percent of the males wereheterozygotes (Dibucaine number 40-47 percent) while 70 percent of the females and 84 percent of the males were normal homozygotes (Dibucaine number 70-85 percent). In Kegalle district, only 11 percent heterozygotes were detected. In the study, atypical homozygotes (Dibucaine number 15-30 percent) were not detecte.Item A Study of some aspects of adolescent pregnancy at Dankotuwa medical officer of health area(Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo: PGIM., 2002) Samarasekera, SDAdolescent pregnency affects the socio-economic status of the family the pregnency wastage and the pesentage of chilren with low birth weight were high among adollescent mothers.age apprpriate weights of the children were below 3rd centile in more adolescent mothers than the non-adolescent mothers.So immediate measures shold be taken to delay the pregenecy among adolescents.Item Study on morbidity pattern among adolescents and services provided by tertiary care institutions in Sri Lanka(Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo: PGIM., 2003) SIRITUNGA, TLSSMost illness were due to symptoms, sighns and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings not elsewhere classified,mostly due to fever,followed by injury,poisoning and sertain other consquances of external causes which where mostly due to accidents admissions to the N.H.S.L.during the first quarter of the year 2003.Nearly 15 percent of the adolscent who were admitted the N.H.S.L.had left the ward before dischange and about 60 percent of the atendence at the O.P.D.T.H.C.S Kalubowila had been discharged without giving an apointment to review.Over 905 of health care workers were aware of the adolescent health problems and their needs.Almost all adolecent and the health care workers suggested the need of a special place for conclution/examination.Item A Study to assess the impact of the regular school dental care on the oral health status of adolescents in Maharagama and Nugegoda health areas(Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo: PGIM ., 1992) JAYASUNDARA BANDARA, JMWPresent study eas undertaken with the prime objective of studying the impact of the regular school dental care on the oral health status of 15 years old adolescents. Studying the baseline oral health data for the age group was a specific objective. A radom sample of three hundred and thirty five students from schools situated in Maharagama and Nugegoda health areas were investigated for dental caries and periodontal disease. Decayed, missing and filled surfaces index and community prtiodontal index for treatment needs were used as indices. Sample was dicided into two groups on the basis of receiving the regular school dental care for at least 3 years. A moderate level of caries experience and a low level of periodontal conditions were observed for the age group. A mean DMFT of 3.1 and a prevalence of 81.1 percent, with a higher proportion of untreated caries were recorded. Mean DMFS was 5.64 with a median value of 4 inddicating the majority to have lower values than the mean value. Half of the dental caries experience of the sample was in first permanent molars. Approximately onr out of 8 indiciduals had their all 4 first molars affected by caries and one out of 4 had lost one or more first molar tooth. More than fifty percent of the lesions were on occlusal surfaces. Tooth loss was at a higher level than th expected level. Percentage of individuals with the full compliment of teeth was far below the global indicator for 18 year olds. Periodntal conditions were much better compared to that of 12 year olds in 1983/84. Percentage of persons with no gingival bleeding in all sextants. 5 percent of the sample exhibited pocket formation. 31 percent of the sample did not show any sign of periodontal condition and the mean number of healthy sextants per person was 3.85. A reduction in severity of dental caries was observed in students who had received a regular school dental care. However the number of occlusal surfaces affected were similar in both groups. There was a reduction in smooth surface caries among the students who received school dental care. Percentage of persons with tooth loss was low in students who had received regular dental care but much higher than globally expected level. Much lower values for periodontal conditions were observed in students with regular school dental care, with a general reduction in bleeding of gums and calculus in the total sample. However percentage of persons with pocket formation was significantly higher in students who had no regular school dental care. The effect of regular school dental care was much clear on periodontal disease than on dentalm caries.Item A Study to determine the knowledge attitudes and practices associated with menstruation and menstrual hygiene in adolescent school girls.(Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo: PGIM., 2003) FERNANDO, WMPA