http://dlfhcs.esn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/21 Collection of Dissertations submitted by students Sun, 05 Apr 2026 17:17:14 GMT 2026-04-05T17:17:14Z http://dlfhcs.esn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1539 Impact of economic crisis on attitudes & practices about complementary feeding among mothers of 6 - 24 months children in selected PHM areas of Batticaloa MOH Peshala Bandara, W.M; Wimalasiri, K.A.T.C; Miriyagalla, M.K; Wijesinghe, W.M.W.I Complementary feeding is critical for growing children specially 6 - 24 months of age as it bridges the nutritional gap between breast feeding. By our study, we attempted to evaluate current practices, attitudes & impact of financial conditions to these areas after the economic crisis in 2021. The objectives of the study is to assess the impact of economic crisis on attitudes & practices about complementary feeding among mothers of 6 – 24 months children in selected PHM areas of Batticaloa MOH. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted targeting 254 study population which were selected by simple randomized sampling method. The selected PHM areas in Batticaloa MOH area were Puliyanthivu, Kottamunai (I & II), Veechukalmuai. The study was conducted using interviewer administered questionnaire at immunization clinics with appropriate guidance. Above objective was achieved using descriptive statistics. 75% of target population (190) participated for the study. Majority (84.7%) of participants had positive attitude regarding complementary feeding. 98% of mothers accepted the importance of feeding their children slowly & patiently while 96% of mothers believed pre counseling helped them to improve feeding skills. 77% of mothers awarded about importance of feeding several meals per day. Majority of mothers continued complementary feeding while their children were ill. About half of participants waited until teeth development to start solid foods. All participants had started complementary feeding at the time the study conducted & among them, majority (80.5%) had started at 6 months of age. None of mothers had started complementary feeding beyond 6 months. 88% of mothers continued breast feeding along with complementary feeding but only half of them practiced breast feeding on demand. Almost all mothers maintained appropriate hygienic measures. 57% of mothers felt the cost of feeding this child was higher compare to previous child. Majority (80%) of financially unstable mothers who received samurdhi allowances had positive attitude regarding complementary feeding. Majority of mothers had positive attitude regarding complementary feeding and aware of continuing breast feeding beyond 6 months of age. They followed WHO recommended age-appropriate meal frequency and consistency along with proper hygienic measures. Even though breast feeding on demand along with the complementary feeding was not much established. Further, significant reduction of consuming commercially available food items were noted, while majority were able to maintain recommended meal frequency though financial obstacles. Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://dlfhcs.esn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1539 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z http://dlfhcs.esn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1538 Evaluation of physical, mental and social well-being of first year Advanced Level science stream students in Manmunai North Zone, Batticaloa Ikraam, M.H.M; Shivarnthie, S; Shirin, M.F; Maheesh, M The World Health Organization (WHO) constitution states that ‘’Health is a state of complete physical ,mental and social well –being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Health involves a strong sense of mental well-being, which goes beyond the absence of mental illness or impairment. Adolescence is a key period in life for establishing foundations for adulthood health and well-being. Well-being is a multi dimensional construct which refers to the optimal experience and human functioning. Following are some of the several facets of well-being that researches from various field have looked at physical. well-being, social well-being, economy well-being Development and activity Emotional well-being. The objectives of the study is to study physical, mental and social well-being of first year advanced level student of science stream in Manmunai north zone, Batticaloa. Self administered questionnaire was used to collect the data, and some physical parameters were measured after the pilot study. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review committee of FHCS,EUSL. Data was analyzed using statistical package of social science (SPSS) software version 27. 229 students in first year advanced level students science stream in Manmunai north zone, Batticaloa participated in this study. According to the study healthy diet is an important factor to asses the physical well-being 94.3% (n=216). Family support for the study is a important factor that influence the social well-being. 99.1%(n=227). Q-10,’regarding difficulties piling up that could not be over come’ is a important factor that assess the mental well-being. 42.8% (n=98). From this study, we found that healthy diet, difficulties that cannot be overcome by them and family support are factors that are influencing the physical, mental, social wellbeing of first year advanced level students in Manmunai north zone, Batticaloa .Students of science stream are the vulnerable group who are starting advanced level studies from ordinary level studies which is a competitive exams in their life. It seems there is a need to pay attention and take necessary action to support them. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://dlfhcs.esn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1538 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dlfhcs.esn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1537 Study the awareness on health impacts of substances abuse among students at selected schools in Batticaloa Educational Zone Thizharie, R; Gopinath, V; Samuditha, M.K.S; Sanjeewani, S.H.P Substance abuse refers to the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs. Substance abuse is a major public health concern affecting one’s physical, mental, and social well-being. In Sri Lanka, substance abuse among school students has become a growing health problem with increasing numbers day by day. Several past studies validated that this is due to a lack of awareness on this subject, difficulty in controlling substance use by legal means, psychological stress, and peer pressure. Substance abuse can cause physical health impacts such as cardiovascular, respiratory problems, liver, and kidney problems. And infections due to sharing needles. Substance abuse can cause negative mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, behavioral change, psychiatric illnesses, and suicidal tendencies. Also, it can cause social health impacts such as financial crisis, unemployment, criminal involvement, and relationship problems. This research aimed to study the awareness of the health impacts of substance abuse among school students in the Batticaloa educational zone. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out for one year in selected schools in the Batticaloa educational zone. A simple random sampling method was used to collect the sample. After obtaining informed written consent, data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. This collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 26. A total of 451 samples were collected from 4 schools in the Batticaloa educational zone. Among them, 248 (55%) were female and 203 (45%) were male students. The majority of the respondents (99.3%) possess a basic awareness that substance abuse can cause physical health impacts, but the majority of the participants have moderate knowledge (37%) of the detailed physical health effects of substance abuse. The majority of the participants (96.7%) possess a basic awareness that substance abuse can cause mental health impacts, but a majority of the participants (41%) lack the actual knowledge of mental health adverse effects of substance abuse. Even though the majority of the participants (97%) are aware that substance abuse is linked with negative health impacts, the majority of the participants (48%) lack the actual knowledge of the social health adverse effects of substance abuse. Overall findings show the majority (43%) of school students lack knowledge about the social health impacts of substance abuse. In conclusion, the majority of the students possess a basic awareness that substance abuse negatively affects the physical, mental, and social well-being of a person. However, the study concluded their knowledge of physical health impacts is average and their knowledge of mental and social health impacts is poor. And overall knowledge of the health impacts of substance abuse is poor. So there is a need for active and effective awareness. Programs targeting school students. Sentence abuse awareness should be incorporated into their studies and better student support services should be implemented. Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://dlfhcs.esn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1537 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z http://dlfhcs.esn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1536 Study on sociodemographic factors and knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases: a comparison of patients attending STD clinic and OPD of Teaching Hospital Batticaloa Jayasingha, J.A.D.T; Salinda Karunapala, J; Harshini Abeyrathne, I Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have dramatically increased in recent years, causing a large health burden in Sri Lanka. The World health organization states that more than 1 million STDs are acquired every day worldwide. The study looked into sociodemographic factors and knowledge attributed to STDs in the patients attending STD clinic at Teaching Hospital Batticaloa (THB). Data was collected from a questionnaire given to 20 patients each attending the STD clinic and Outpatients’ Department (OPD) at THB and also from patient files at the clinic. A cross-sectional study design was carried out. Among the 40 patients at the STD clinic, 35% were infected with syphilis, and 30% were infected with both genital herpes and genital warts. The majority of patients, 50%, were aged 31-44 years, while 42.5% were between 18-30 years old. Males constituted 72.5% of the patients. A significant portion, 72.5%, were educated up to the Ordinary Level, while 25% were educated up to the Advanced Level. Among the patients, 42.5% were unskilled, and 22.5% were unemployed. Half of the patients (50%) were married. A comparison between patients attending the STD clinic and those attending the OPD on knowledge of symptoms, transmission, and prevention of STDs revealed that STD clinic patients had better knowledge than OPD patients. Our results revealed that the knowledge of STDs among the patients attending the clinic OPD is limited. Further, we emphasize the importance of educating young adults at schools on STDs as a preventive measure. Since both the general population and those already attending the STD clinic do not have adequate knowledge of STDs it is important to carry out awareness programs on STD diseases and transmission, medication, and cure of STDs for the youth from school education to prevent their exposure to STD as young adults. Interventions should be done to promote health education in the community. Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://dlfhcs.esn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1536 2024-08-01T00:00:00Z