Abstract The purpose of the study is to assess the knowledge on Balanced Nutrition and its practices among pre-school teachers in Subang district, West Java, Indonesia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (before March 2020 vs. October 2021) and to seek differences in the knowledge and practices of teachers who attended nutrition training and those who did not attend any nutrition training. We evaluated the knowledge and practice of 142 teachers based on 10 messages of the 2014 Indonesian Balanced Nutrition Guidelines, using google online survey platform. The top three messages mostly selected by the teachers were consuming a variety of staple foods (87%), drinking adequate and safe water (87%), and eating plenty of vegetables and fruits (86%), while the least selected were enjoying a variety of foods (41%) and reading food labels (28%). A slight increase was found in teachers who consumed fruits daily, while the practice of washing hands before and during the pandemic was statistically and significantly increased (58% to 72%; p < 0.05). A slight decrease was found in teachers who consumed vegetables and animal protein, as well as performed physical exercise daily. Majority of teachers (80%) participated in some kinds of nutrition training in the last four years. The top three gaps of knowledge between trained and non-trained teachers were on physical activity and maintaining ideal body weight (64% vs. 33%; statistically significant at p < 0.05); limit intake of sweet, salty, and fatty food; and consuming high protein food, with the range between 20 to 35 percentage points. We concluded that teachers acquired knowledge on nutrition to some degree, but its application faced limitations during the pandemic. Dis semination of Balanced Nutrition should continue.

Abstract Introduction: Diabetic patients adhering to their treatment are less likely to face complication from their disease. For this reason, we studied the compliance of diabetics with their treatment. Materials and Method: This was a comprehensive cross-sectional study of adherence in diabetic patients. All patients meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. This study took place at a private pharmacy called “pharmacy Elhadj Seydou Nourou Tall” located in the city of Pikine during the period from April 1 to September 30, 2019. Results: In total, the study population was composed of 125 diabetics; frequency of 8.47%. The average age was 62.5 years and there were more women (58.4%). Of the patients, 87% had a low socioeconomic level and 72% a low educational level. Only 65.6% of the patients knew their diabetes type. Even though 97.6% of the patients were confident in the treatment but due to financial reasons 20.8% did not adhere to the prescribed treatment and 16.8% to their diets. Moreover, 15.2% of the patients had changed the dosage of the prescribed medication, 44.4% had forgotten to take their medication regularly. 78.4% of them thought they were taking too much medication. No factors were found to be statistically associated with poor adherence, but the proportion of poor adherence patients was higher in patients over 60 years of age, with low socio-economic status and low education. Conclusion: Low socio-economic status is the main barrier to good adherence. Recommendations have been formulated to improve this adherence.

Abstract Background: In primary care, social prescribing (SP) is where a patient is referred to a “link worker”, who considers their needs and then “prescribes” or connects them to appropriate community-based resources and services. Recent policy and guidance in the UK has significantly expanded the provision of SP to improve patient health and wellbeing. Methods: This study conducted a systematic review of evidence for SP effectiveness and to report needs addressed, interventions provided, and behaviour change techniques employed. Inclusion criterion was patient referral from primary care to a SP link worker. Online databases were searched for studies published from February 2016 to July 2021. Searches were restricted to English language only.Risk of bias assessment and a narrative analysis were undertaken. Results:Eight studies were included. All studies reported some positive outcomes. There were weaknesses and limitations in study design and in reporting of results: a lack of comparative controls, short duration and single point follow-up, a lack of standardised assessments, missing data, and a failure to consider potential confounding factors. All studies had features which indicated a high risk of bias. Conclusion: Evidence for the value and positive impact of SP is accumulating, but evaluation design remains relatively weak. There is a need to improve evaluation through robust methodological design and the adoption of universal outcome measures and valuation/analytical framework. SP should seek to assess patient wellbeing, self-management, and quality of lifeoutcomes systematically, and adopt behaviour change techniques to enable healthier lifestyles in the short and long term.

Abstract Objective: This study examined the perceptions and practices of medical personnel regarding the spirituality in the treatment management plan of their patients. Methods: A spirituality survey was administered to doctors and nurses, soliciting responses about their beliefs and willingness to include spirituality practices in treating patients within their facility. Respondents were asked to give their views on daily practices regarding the use of spirituality in patient care and patient response to treatment. Results: The doctors’ responses suggest that they believe that solutions to medical problems, patient recovery, and coping are related to mind and body stress issues that surgery and drugs may not necessarily cure. The emphasis on self-care for some of these medical problems can put the patient back in control and eliminate the use of excessive drugs in the treatment process. Chances for health and well being of patients are improved if good medical practices are combined with a strong mental and psychological disposition to provide a vital foundation for directly confronting diseases. Conclusion: Spiritual engagement helps to support a psychological outlook that is necessary for fighting diseases and coping adequately with life’s tragedies. This approach provides a well-balanced attack on disease and increases the patient’s chances of coping and surviving.