Faculty of Allied Health Sciences

Attitudes of nurses toward the care of older adults and associated socio - demographic factors: a descriptive cross-sectional study at Teaching Hospital, Jaffna

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Attitudes of nurses toward the care of older adults and associated socio - demographic factors: a descriptive cross-sectional study at Teaching Hospital, Jaffna Hazeem, A.M.; Mathusnka, M.K.I.; Kamalarupan, L.; Thanujanan, K. Background It is important to give more emphasis to elderly care as the population is aging. Nurses play a vital role in caring for older adults. This study aimed to assess the attitude of nurses toward caring for older adults at Teaching Hospital Jaffna; to examine nurses’ attitudes while caring for adults, maintaining patient rights, and communicating with older adults; and to determine the association between socio-demographic factors (age, gender, ethnicity, religion, work unit, work experience, and educational qualification). Methods A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses at Teaching Hospital Jaffna, with data collection carried out from July to August 2024, following ethical approval on 27 June 2024. A total of 232 nurses were selected, of whom 216 participated and completed the questionnaire. A pre-designed and validated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. SPSS 25 software was used for data analysis. Descriptive analysis was used to assess nurses’ attitudes, and the Chi-squared test was used to identify associations between socio-demographic factors and the attitudes. Results Out of the 232 nurses who were selected for the study, 216 participated and completed the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 93.1%; the analysis was conducted using the data obtained from these 216 participants. Participants’ ages ranged from 25 to 57 years old. The majority were female (70.4%). Nearly half identified as Sri Lankan Tamil (52.8%) and Hindu (47.7%). Over half (63.9%) had fewer than five years of experience. More than three - quarters were diploma holders (78.2%). A total of 90.3% (95% CI: 85.6%–93.6%) of nurses demonstrated a positive attitude, while 9.7% (95% CI: 6.4%–14.4%) showed a negative attitude, based on a 50% cut-off value. The mean attitude score was 29.46 out of a maximum of 35, corresponding to 84.2%. A statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05) was found between attitude and current ward/unit and higher education qualifications. Conclusions Although a high proportion of nurses were classified as having a positive attitude (90.3%) toward care of older adults, this finding should be interpreted with caution due to the use of a 50% cutoff and potential response bias. The results indicate generally favorable attitudes; however, variation in specific aspects of care suggest the need for continuous training and professional development in geriatric nursing.

Level of Knowledge and Factors Affecting Postpartum Family Planning Use in Mothers in Nallur MOH

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Level of Knowledge and Factors Affecting Postpartum Family Planning Use in Mothers in Nallur MOH Arthika, S.; Newra, N.; Kamalarupan, L.; Nivetha, P. Introduction & Objectives: Postpartum family planning is needed for at least one year after childbirth to prevent unintended pregnancy. This study was aimed to assess the knowledge and associated factors on postpartum family planning utilization among mothers under twelve months of post-delivery who are attending polyclinics in the Nallur MOH area. Materials & Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among postpartum mothers under one year of post-delivery from January 2025 to July 2026 in the Nallur MOH area. There were 410 mothers recruited as study participants in the Nallur MOH area via a stratified proportionate sampling technique. Data was collected by using a self-administered questionnaire and statistical software SPSS 27 was used to analyze the data. Totally there were 31 points for knowledge questions. Data was presented in frequencies, percentages and Chi-square test was used to find the association. Ethical approval was obtained from ERC, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna. Results: Response rate is 100%. The mean age was 29.63 years. Most of them were Sri Lankan Tamils (96.3%). More than half of mothers (53.2%) had inadequate knowledge of postpartum family planning, even though 99.5% had received antenatal education and 97.8% had received postnatal education. Most of them (95.9%) knew the correct definition of the postpartum family planning and 79% of mothers knew the recommended two-year birth spacing interval. Race, education, occupation and family monthly income were shown the statistical significance with the level of knowledge. Conclusions: Knowledge of postpartum family planning remains inadequate among a substantial proportion of mothers even though antenatal and postnatal education is provided adequately, which indicates a gap in education quality rather than access

Level of knowledge of Complementary Feeding and Its Associated Factors among Mothers of Children Aged 6–24 Months

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Level of knowledge of Complementary Feeding and Its Associated Factors among Mothers of Children Aged 6–24 Months Keerthana, S.; Nilakshan, K.; Thabotharan, D.; Kamalarupan, L. Introduction & Objectives: Complementary feeding is the introduction of solid, semi-solid, and soft foods to infants at six months of age while continuing breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond. This study was aimed to assess the level of knowledge of complementary feeding and its association with selected socio-demographic factors among mothers of children aged 6–24 months in the Nallur Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area. Materials & Methods: A community-based descriptive cross- sectional study was conducted among 252 mothers of children aged 6-24 months in the Nallur MOH area using simple random sampling. Data were collected using a pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire comprising socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge-related questions on complementary feeding. The knowledge assessment covered the timing of initiation, risks of early and late introduction, introduction of salt and sugar, introduction of family diet, feeding style, meal and snack frequency, feeding environment and position, feeding during illness, and food consistency. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test in IBM SPSS statistics version 26. Results: The mean age of mothers was 31 years, with 41.3% having completed GCE Advanced Level education and 61.1% being housewives. Regarding knowledge, 55.2% had an average level, 36.1% poor and 8.7% good. Knowledge level was significantly associated with maternal education (p < 0.001), paternal education (p < 0.001), maternal occupation (p < 0.001), paternal occupation (p = 0.018), and family income (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Mothers had average level of knowledge of complementary feeding, influenced by parental education, occupation, and family income, highlighting the need for nutrition education.

Assessment of handgrip strength and influencing factors among older adults in Kaithady Elders’ Home

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Assessment of handgrip strength and influencing factors among older adults in Kaithady Elders’ Home Sajeewani, J.; Dulakshi, N.H.L.K.; Kamalarupan, L.; Sasrubi, S. Introduction & Objectives: Handgrip strength is a simple, low-cost indicator of overall muscle strength and functional health. Institutionalized older adults are at higher risk of muscle strength decline due to limited physical activity and comorbidities. This study assessed handgrip strength and its associated socio-demographic factors among older adults at the State Home for Elders, Kaithady, Jaffna District. Materials & Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 110 older adults aged 60 years and above residing at the State Home for Elders, Kaithady, Jaffna. Data were collected using a validated interviewer-administered questionnaire to identify the socio demographic factors. Handgrip Strength was measured in the dominant hand using a Smedley digital hand dynamometer. SPSS version 27 was used to analyze the data. Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna. Results: A total of 110 older adults aged 60 years and above participated in the study. Of the participants, 54.5% were males and 45.5% were females. The overall mean Handgrip Strength was 11.16 kg (SD = 6.01). Based on an age- and sex-specific reference chart, 86.7% of males and 84.0% of females had weak Handgrip Strength. Among the socio-demographic factors, only gender (p = 0.005) and previous occupation (p = 0.003) were significantly associated with Handgrip Strength. Conclusions: A high prevalence of weak Handgrip Strength was observed among institutionalized older adults at the State Home for Elders, Kaithady in Jaffna exceeding levels reported in community-dwelling older adults in Sri Lanka. Gender and previous occupation were significantly associated.