Articles

Association Between Personal Hygiene Practices and Scabies-Like Symptoms Among Students Living in a Sports School Dormitory in Kupang, Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Scabies is a contagious skin disease with a high prevalence in communal living environments such as dormitories. Although personal hygiene is commonly regarded as a key preventive factor, growing evidence suggests that environmental conditions, crowding, and close physical contact may play a more substantial role in scabies transmission. Students living in sports school dormitories represent a population at increased risk due to shared facilities and intensive daily interactions.

Objective: To determine the association between personal hygiene practices and scabies-like symptoms among students residing in the dormitory of a Sports Talent School in Kupang City, Indonesia.

Methods: This analytical observational study employed a cross-sectional design. A total of 59 students aged 14–17 years were selected using simple random sampling. Personal hygiene was assessed using a structured questionnaire, while scabies-like symptoms were identified based on three clinical cardinal signs: nocturnal pruritus, history of close contact with an affected individual, and the presence of lesions at predilection sites. Microscopic confirmation was not performed. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test with a significance level of p < 0.05.

Results: Most respondents demonstrated good personal hygiene practices (80.8%). Scabies-like symptoms were identified in 25.4% of participants. Statistical analysis showed no significant association between personal hygiene status and scabies-like symptoms (p = 0.282). Descriptively, the proportion of scabies-like symptoms was higher among students with poor personal hygiene (41.7%) compared to those with good hygiene (21.3%); however, this difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: No significant association was found between personal hygiene practices and scabies-like symptoms among students living in the Sports Talent School dormitory in Kupang City. These findings suggest that factors beyond individual hygiene, such as dormitory crowding, shared facilities, and close interpersonal contact, may play a more prominent role in scabies transmission in communal living settings.

Female Sexual Disfunction in Teachers and Nurses of Productive Age in Lampung, Indonesia

Sexual function is an important part of an individual’s physical and emotional well-being that can be influenced by various factors, including the type of work. Vocational high school (SMK) teachers and nurses are faced with different working conditions, with levels of stress, social interactions, and workloads that may impact their sexual lives. This study aims to analyze sexual function based on the type of work of female teachers and nurses in Indonesia. This study used a cross sectional study 82 people consisting of 41 nurses at Ryacudu Hospital and 41 teachers at SMK 01 Kotabumi, SMK YPIB Kotabumi, SMK Muhammadiah Abung Timur, North Lampung, Indonesia. The sample were selected by purposive sampling from July to December 2024. Data were collected through a questionnaire that measured aspects of sexual function such as sexual satisfaction, sexual desire, and sexual disorders experienced. Data analysis using Mann-Whitney test to determine the differences in sexual function in nurses and teachers. The results show that there is no difference in sexual function in female nurses at HM Ryacudu Hospital Kotabumi and female teachers at SMK 01 Kotabumi, SMK YPIB Kotabumi, SMK Muhammadiah Abung Timur (p-value = 0.745). Female teachers and nurses are expected to pay more attention to their sexual function so that it does not affect their performance at work.

Factors Influencing Patient Delay in Pulmonary Tuberculosis in a Community Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study

Delays in the treatment of Tuberculosis (TB) result in the failure to achieve the TB program’s goals. The delay in TB treatment can be measured by patient delay and healthcare service delay.This study aims to analyze the factors influencing the occurrence of patient delay in pulmonary tuberculosis. The type of this research is quantitative with a cross-sectional approach. The research population consists of all suspected Pulmonary TB patients, totaling 182 patients, with a sample of 158 respondents using the proportional random sampling technique. This research was conducted in the Working Area of Maja Public Health Center, Marga Punduh District, Pesawaran Regency, Lampung, Indonesia, in September-October 2024. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted univariately (frequency distribution), bivariately (chi-square), and multivariately (logistic regression). The research results indicate that there are factors associated with the occurrence of patient delay in this study, namely age factor (p-value <0.001), gender (p-value = 0.017), employment status (p-value <0.001), economic status (p-value <0.001), education level (p-value = 0.003), knowledge level (p-value = 0.023), smoking history (p-value = 0.022), distance from residence (p-value = 0.040), and cadre support (p-value <0.001). The dominant factor influencing the occurrence of patient delay in tuberculosis treatment is the employment factor (p-value = 0.019; OR (95% CI) = 21.5 (1.67-279.24). Advice for healthcare workers includes providing education about TB, particularly the cough symptoms suspected to be TB, especially in the smoking community, and efforts to change patients’ perceptions about TB are essential to reduce the level of delay in seeking early healthcare.

Association of Social Anxiety Disorder and Self-Esteem among Young Adults – A Single Centre Study

Social anxiety disorder is a serious mental health issue in India which often goes undiagnosed and undertreated [3]. In addition, studies have shown social anxiety disorder to have an inverse relation to self-esteem [13]. The aim of the study is to evaluate the association between social anxiety disorder and low self-esteem among young adults. The research is a cross sectional descriptive study among the medical undergraduates. Among the participants suffering from social anxiety disorder many of the individuals had social phobia while a few had traditional social anxiety as well. As a result the prevalence of low self-esteem in the study group has a direct association with social anxiety disorder and shows statistically significant data. Thus, an effective way to deal with this condition would be to spread awareness and establish an active student support system and guidance team on campus.