Browsing by Author "Perera, U."

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Knowledge and attitudes on contraceptives among undergraduates in the state universities of the Western Province.
(College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka., 2019) Perera, U.; Abeysena, C.
OBJECTIVE: To describe knowledge and attitudes on contraceptives among undergraduates in the state universities of the Western Province METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 1575 second and third year undergraduates using stratified cluster sampling of the selected universities. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was administered to assess knowledge and attitudes on contraceptives. Scores were given. Percentage of knowledge and attitude categories was calculated. The associations of knowledge and attitude categories with selected variables were assessed. RESULTS: Only 28.4% (n=447) had good knowledge on contraception while 27.3% (n=430) had satisfactory knowledge and 44.3% (n=698) had poor knowledge. Students who studied in Bio-Science streams showed higher percentage of (71%, n=176) good knowledge than the non-Bio-Science streams (20.2%, n=271) (P<0.001). Males (31.0%, n=200) reported more good knowledge than females (26.6%, n=246) (P<0.05). A majority (52.9%, n=833) of undergraduates had poor knowledge on condoms while 26.2% (n=412) had satisfactory knowledge and 21% (n=330) had good knowledge. Male (41.2%, n=266) had more good knowledge on condoms than females (6.9%,n=64) (P<0.001). Good knowledge on condoms was higher among those who have studied at non-mixed schools (28.3%, n=154) and who have studied in Bio-Science stream (29.0%,n=72). Around one third (30.5%, n=477) of undergraduates had desirable attitudes and 69.5% (n=1089) had undesirable attitudes on contraception. Males (37.3%, n=239) had more desirable attitudes than females (25.6%, n=236) (P<0.001). Undergraduates those who had studied in Bio-Science stream (38.2%, n=94, P=0.004) had more desirable attitudes than non-Bio-Science stream. A majority (61.2%, n=957) of respondents had undesirable and 38.8% (n=608) had desirable attitudes on male condoms. Males (58%, n=358) had more desirable attitudes than females (27.1%, n=250) (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Good knowledge and desirable attitudes on both contraceptives and condoms were less among undergraduates.
Knowledge and attitudes on unsafe abortions among the state university undergraduates in Western Province
(College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2018) Perera, U.; Abeysena, C.
ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To describe the knowledge and attitudes on unsafe abortions among undergraduates in the state universities of the Western Province. METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 1575 second and third year undergraduates using stratified cluster sampling of the selected universities. Pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was administered to assess socio-demographic factors, knowledge and attitudes on unsafe abortions. The responses to the knowledge and attitude questions were scored and graded. Percentage of knowledge categories and attitudes were calculated. The associations of knowledge categories with selected variables were assessed. RESULTS: A majority (53.3 %, n=839) of respondents had good knowledge on unsafe abortions while 30.5% (n=480) had satisfactory knowledge and minority (16.3%) had poor knowledge. Females (55%, n=509) had more good knowledge than males (51%, n=329, P>0.05). Those who studied in Bio-Science stream (70.2%, n=174, P<0.001) and who had their secondary education at mixed schools (54.4%, n=351, P>0.05) had more good knowledge than the others (P<0.001). The majority (68.5%, n=1074) agreed that the legal restrictions would drive people to unsafe abortions and making abortion services through the government health facilities could increase the inappropriate sexual behaviors (63.7%,n=998). Only a very few (7.1%, n=111) of undergraduates agreed that abortion was a convenient form of contraceptive and 47.7% (n=747) agreed to be restricted to save mother’s life. A majority (53.2%, n=833) agreed that it should be a right of a pregnant woman to decide whether she wants an abortion or not. CONCLUSION: A majority of undergraduates had good knowledge on unsafe abortions. Most of the undergraduates wanted not to fully liberalize abortion policies due to inappropriate usage and merely it is a right of a pregnant mother.
Pathological characteristics of lung tumors in Sri Lanka 2017-2021
(Blackwell Publishing, 2024) Mathangasinghe, Y.; Wijayawardhana, S.; Perera, U.; Punchihewa, R.; Pradeep, S.
The prevalence of lung cancer is steadily increasing globally, and it is projected to become the second most prevalent cancer in men by 2030. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, accounting for approximately 3.61% of total fatalities. Despite its significant impact, many Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, lack precise data on the epidemiological patterns of lung tumors. This study pioneers a comprehensive exploration in Sri Lanka, delving into the demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of lung cancer patients. The study included 733 consecutive patients with lung tumors from 2017 to 2021, with a median age of 59 years. The most common site of tumors was the right lower lobe and left upper lobes. Adenocarcinoma was the most prevalent histopathological type of primary malignant lung tumors, while colorectal adenocarcinomas were the most common cause of metastatic deposits in the lungs. The most common benign tumor was hamartoma. Significantly, our findings unveiled associations between patient demographics and tumor types, underscoring the importance of factoring in age and gender in diagnostic assessments. Notably, the absence of a dedicated lung cancer screening program in Sri Lanka underscores the critical reliance on clinical suspicion and accurate diagnostic methods.
Physical activity and sleep on the risk of overweight among Grade 5 students in Gampaha Medical Office of Health area, Sri Lanka
(College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2017) Perera, U.; Abeysena, C.
BACKGROUND: Overweight in childhood is an emerging health problem in developing countries. The increasing trend in overweight is associated with three important factors; dietary habits, physical activity and socio-economic changes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk factors for overweight among Grade 5 students in schools of Gampaha Medical Officer of Health area. METHODS: A case control study was carried out. Cases were defined as Grade 5 students who were overweight, which was identified based on the age and sex specific body mass index (BMI) centile charts recommended by the International Obesity Task Force. Controls were those who were not overweight selected from the same class of cases. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was administered to the parent or guardian of the children to assess the physical activities, dietary pattern and socio-demographic characteristics of children. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied. Risk factors for overweight were assessed using adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Less physical activity during free times at home (OR=1.86; 95% CI=1.01, 3.42), less physical activity during weekends (OR=2.06; 95% CI=1.18, 3.61), less overall physical activity (OR=1.77; 95% CI=1.08, 2.9) and sleeping more than 8 hours per day (OR=0.46; 95% CI=0.29, 0.74) showed statistically significant associations with overweight in bivariate analysis. Of them, after adjusting for confounders, engaging in less physical activities during the weekend was a risk factor (aOR=2.17; 95% CI=1.22, 3.86) for overweight. Sleeping more than 8 hours per day was a protective factor (aOR=0.46; 95% CI=0.29, 0.74) for overweight. Other characteristics of physical activities, socio-demographic factors, high-fibre diet and fatty food did not show any significant association with overweight. CONCLUSIONS: Less physical activity especially during weekends showed a two-fold risk for overweight while sleeping more than 8 hours per day showed a similar protective effect for overweight among Grade 5 school children.
Prevalence of overweight and obesity in grade five students in schools of Gampaha medical officer of health area
(College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2014) Perera, U.; Abeysena, C.
Introduction Overweight in childhood is an emerging health problem in developing countries. Objective To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among grade five school children in schools of Gampaha Medical Officer of Health(MOH) area. Methods A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out among the grade five students in government and private schools in Gampaha MOH area during September and October 2007. Nine schools from a total of 46 were selected applying multistage stratified cluster sampling method. Overweight and obesity were detected using age and sex specific body mass index cut-off points recommended by International Obesity Task Force. Results Among the 1110 children included in the study, the prevalence of overweight was 11.3 % (95%CI: 9.4-13.2). The prevalence of obesity was 2.2% (95% CI: 1.3-3.0). The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity were 13.4% and 13.6% for female and male respectively. Prevalence of overweight in private schools was higher than in government schools (p< 0.01). Conclusion Prevalence of overweight and obesity in grade five students in schools of Gampaha MOH area were 11.3 % and 2.2%. Prevalence was higher in private schools. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jccpsl.v19i2.7576
Risk of low birth weight on adulthood hypertension - evidence from a tertiary care hospital in a South Asian country, Sri Lanka: a retrospective cohort study
(BioMed Central, 2017) Ediriweera, D.S.; Dilina, N.; Perera, U.; Flores, F.; Samita, S.
BACKGROUND: Although low birth weight (LBW) is common in South Asian region there are not many studies being done to evaluate LBW and adulthood hypertension association in this region, including in Sri Lanka. Although this association has been studied in other regions, most studies have not evaluated this association in the presence of socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. This study was conducted to investigate whether low birth weight (LBW) is associated with adulthood hypertension after adjusting for other potential risk factors of hypertension. METHODS: Nearly 15,000 individuals born during 1950 to 1965 were selected and invitations were sent to their original addresses. Out of them 217 individuals responded and among them birth weight was recovered for 122 individuals. Separate linear logistic models were fitted to model high systolic blood pressure (SBP: systolic blood pressure > 140 mmHg), high diastolic blood pressure (DBP: diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg) and hypertension (either SBP > 140 mmHg or DBP > 90 mmHg). RESULTS: Separate linear logistic model fitting revealed LBW having a significant association with high SBP (OR = 2.89; 95% CI: 1.01 to 8.25; P = 0.04), and hypertension (OR = 3.15; 95% CI: 1.17 to 9.35; P = 0.03), but not with high DBP (OR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.22 to 2.16; P = 0.62), when effect of LBW was studied after adjusting for all other potential risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: LBW has a tendency to cause high adult blood pressure in South Asian region, and the findings are consistent with previous work on LBW and adulthood hypertension association in other regions of the world.
Solutions of Direct and Inverse Even-Order Sturm-Liouville Problems Using Magnus Expansion
(Mathematics, 2019) Perera, U.; Böckmann, C.
In this paper Lie group method in combination with Magnus expansion is utilized to develop a universal method applicable to solving a Sturm–Liouville problem (SLP) of any order with arbitrary boundary conditions. It is shown that the method has ability to solve direct regular (and some singular) SLPs of even orders (tested for up to eight), with a mix of (including non-separable and finite singular endpoints) boundary conditions, accurately and efficiently. The present technique is successfully applied to overcome the difficulties in finding suitable sets of eigenvalues so that the inverse SLP problem can be effectively solved. The inverse SLP algorithm proposed by Barcilon (1974) is utilized in combination with the Magnus method so that a direct SLP of any (even) order and an inverse SLP of order two can be solved effectively. View Full-Text
Solutions of Sturm-Liouville Problems
(Mathematics, 2020) Perera, U.; Böckmann, C.
This paper further improves the Lie group method with Magnus expansion proposed in a previous paper by the authors, to solve some types of direct singular Sturm–Liouville problems. Next, a concrete implementation to the inverse Sturm–Liouville problem algorithm proposed by Barcilon (1974) is provided. Furthermore, computational feasibility and applicability of this algorithm to solve inverse Sturm–Liouville problems of higher order (for n=2,4) are verified successfully. It is observed that the method is successful even in the presence of significant noise, provided that the assumptions of the algorithm are satisfied. In conclusion, this work provides a method that can be adapted successfully for solving a direct (regular/singular) or inverse Sturm–Liouville problem (SLP) of an arbitrary order with arbitrary boundary conditions.
Using red cell indices as a screening test for the detection of haemoglobin E trait in population screening for haemoglobin disorders
(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2005) Premawardhena, A.; Samarakoon, S.; Perera, U.; Samaranayake, R.; Arambepola, M.
INTRODUCTION: When screening populations for haemoglobin E trait, which is found in up to 5% in some regions in Sri Lanka, some believe that the full blood count with red cell indices, demonstrating hypochromasia and microcytosis (MCV<80fl and MCH< 27pg), is not sensitive enough, as up to 5% may be missed. If this is true, more complicated and expensive tests will be necessary to detect Hb E trait. There are no studies which have attempted to test the efficacy of red cell indices as a screening test for Hb E trait in Sri Lanka AIMS: To test the sensitivity of the full blood count with red cell indices as a screening test for the detection of haemoglobin E trait MATERIALS AND METHODS: Individuals diagnosed to have Hb E trait by the usage of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) - (Bio Rad) had their red cell indices measured using an automated cell counter (Coulter, Act Diff III) RESULTS: 47 Individuals with Hb E trait were identified using HPLC analysis. 28 were females (59%). The haemoglobin levels ranged from 10.5 to 15.4 g/dl. (Mean 12.6). There was only one individual with an MCV of 80, whilst the rest had values below that. MCV values ranged from 58-80fl. There were 3 individuals with an MCH over 27 (27.4, 28.8 and 27.4). The individual with an MCV of 80 had an MCH of 27.4. CONCLUSIONS: In this ongoing study we found that by using a cutoff point for MCV at 80ft up to 2% of individuals with Hb E trait will be missed. As the screening test needs to be more sensitive than this, we suggest that by using a slightly higher cutoff point for the MCV (eg. 81 fl) we would still be able to detect individuals with Hb E trait using red cell indices, thus minimizing cost.