Biology subjects

Tuot, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Tuot, S..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2019

Health behaviors among male and female university students in Cambodia: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundStudents go through a transition when they enter university, which involves major individual and contextual changes in every domain of life that may lead to several behavioral and health problems. This paper describes a wide range of health behaviors among male and female university students in Cambodia.\n\nMethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 among students randomly selected from the Royal University of Phnom Penh and University of Battambang. Health-related behaviors in different domains were collected using a structured questionnaire. Chi-square test, Fishers exact test, or independent Students t-test was used as appropriate to describe and compare the variables among male and female students.\n\nResultsThis study included 1359 students, of whom 50.8% were male, and the mean age was 21.3 years (SD= 2.3). Of the total, 79.5% reported not having any vigorous-intensity activities, 25.9% not having moderate-intensity activities, and 33.5% not having walked continuously for 10 minutes during the past seven days. The prevalence of substance use was low with 38.3% currently drinking alcohol, 1.1% smoking tobacco, and 0.4% using an illicit drug during the past 12 months. About one in ten (10.6%) reported having sexual intercourse, with a mean number of partners of 2.1 (SD= 2.4) during the past 12 months, and 42.4% not using a condom in the last intercourse. Only 7.1% reported having been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection in the past 12 months; of whom, 60% sought for treatment. About one-third (33.6%) reported eating fast food once or twice, and 5.3% having it three times or more over the last week. More than half (55.6%) had one to two servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and 9.9% did not eat any fruits and vegetables over the last week.\n\nConclusionsWe found that the prevalence of sexual risk behaviors and substance use was plausibly low among university students in this study. However, the rates of inactive lifestyle and unhealthy food consumption were concerning. Public policy and universities should promote healthy behaviors among the students. The interventions may take advantage of and expend upon the good health behaviors and consider gender differences.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2019

Childhood conditions, pathways to entertainment work and current practices of female entertainment workers in Cambodia Baseline findings from the Mobile Link trial

BackgroundEntertainment venues have been identified as an important location for HIV prevention due to the increasing number of young female entertainment and sex workers at these venues. The purpose of this report is to increase understanding of the childhood conditions, pathways to entertainment work and current practices of female entertainment workers (FEWs) in Cambodia.\n\nMethodsData used for this study were collected in April 2018 as part of the baseline survey of the Mobile Link, a randomized controlled trial to improve sexual and reproductive health of FEWs in Cambodia. We used a stratified random sampling method to recruit 600 FEWs for face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive analyses were performed.\n\nResultsMost participants came from childhood homes without electricity (82.0%) or running water (87.0%). Most women moved to the city in the last ten years (80.5%) for economic reasons (43.7%). About a third worked in the garment industry prior to the entertainment industry (36.7%). Participation in transactional sex in the past three months was reported by 36.0%. Women reported low condom use practices with non-paying partners (23.4% used condom with partner at last sex), excessive and forced alcohol use at work (33.1% reported being forced to drink alcohol at work more than once a month), low modern contraception use (31.4% was using modern contraception), and experiences of gender-based violence (23.3% reported verbal threats, physical abuse or forced sex in the past six months).\n\nConclusionsThis information will help to support the development of future individual and structural level interventions for the safety and support of FEWs. In addition, these results may contribute to an evidence base that can inform policy level changes intended to support the realization of full human rights for entertainment works in Cambodia including the rights to health, safety, and respectful employment.

epidemiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Acceptability of active case finding with a seed-and-recruit model to improve tuberculosis case detection and linkage to treatment in Cambodia: a qualitative study

BackgroundWith support of the national tuberculosis (TB) program, KHANA has implemented an innovative approach using a seed-and-recruit model to actively find TB cases in the community. The intervention engaged community members including TB survivors to recruit people with TB symptoms in a snowball approach for screening and linkage to treatment. This study aims to explore the acceptability of active case finding with the seed-and-recruit model in detecting new TB cases and determine the characteristics of successful seeds.\n\nMethodsThis qualitative study was conducted in four provinces (Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Chhnang, Siem Reap, and Takeo) in Cambodia in 2017. Fifty six in-depth interviews and ten focus group discussions were conducted to gain insights into the acceptability, strengths, and challenges in implementing the model. Transcripts were coded and content analyses were performed.\n\nResultsThe seed-and-recruit active case finding model was generally well-received by the study participants. They saw the benefits of engaging TB survivors and utilize their social network to find new TB cases in the community. The social embeddedness of the model within the local community was one of the major strengths. The success of the model also hinges on the integration with existing health facilities. Having extensive social network, being motivated, and having good knowledge about TB were important characteristics of successful seeds. Study participants reported challenges in motivating the recruits for screening, logistic capacities, and high workload during implementation. However, there was a general consensus that the model ought to be expanded.\n\nConclusionsThese findings indicate that the seed-and-recruit model should be fine-tuned and scaled up as part of the national TB Program to increase TB new case detection in Cambodia. Further studies are needed to more comprehensively evaluate the impacts and cost-effectiveness of the model in Cambodia as well as in other resource-limited settings.

epidemiology↗