Relationship between religiosity, religious coping and socio-demographic variables among out-patients with depression or diabetes mellitus in Enugu, Nigeria.

Background: Religion is a powerful coping strategy. Diabetes and depression are common conditions in our environment that induce psychological distress, thus requiring coping for better outcome. Studies indicate that increased religiosity is associated with better outcome in clinical and general populations. Therefore, studies of the distribution of religiosity and religious coping among these populations are essential to improve outcome. Objectives: To assess the association between religiosity, religious coping in depression and diabetes mellitus, and selected sociodemographic variables (age, gender and occupational status). Methods:Using simple random sampling we recruited 112 participants with diabetes and an equal number with depression consecutively, matching for gender. Religiosity was determined using religious orientation scale (revised), religious coping with brief religious coping scale and socio-demographic variables with a socio-demographic questionnaire. Results: Intrinsic religiosity was greater among older people with depression than among older people with diabetes(t=5.02,p<0.001); no significant difference among young people with depression and diabetes(t=1.47,p=0.15).Positive religious coping was greater among older people with depression than among older people with diabetes(t=2.31,p=0.02); no difference among young people with depression and diabetes(t=0.80,p=0.43). Females with depression had higher intrinsic religiosity scores than males with depression(t=3.85,p<0.001); no difference in intrinsic religiosity between females and males with diabetes(t=0.99,p=0.32).Positive religious coping was greater among participants with diabetes in the low occupational status(t=2.96,p<0.001) than those in the high occupational status. Conclusion: Religion is indeed a reliable coping method, most commonly used by the elderly and females with depression. Positive religious coping is more common among diabetic patients who are in the low occupational status.

A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF ANIMAL HANDLING AND CULTURAL SLAUGHTER PRACTICES AMONG KENYAN COMMUNITIES: POTENTIAL INFLUENCE ON MEAT QUALITY

Kenya is composed of over 40 ethnic communities who practice varied methods of animal handling and slaughter. Socio-cultural and religious traditions have the potential to influence animal handling and slaughter practices. These influences have, however, not been documented in the literature as far as the author is aware. Also, the literature has documented the connection between the manner of animal treatment and meat quality, but this is rarely discussed in the literature in Kenya; this connection is important as it informs modern meat trade practices by Kenyans as they trade in the global arena. This survey aimed to mainly establish and document the animal slaughter practices among Kenyan communities, and, to also highlight any current provisions related to meeting modern animal welfare requirements, animal handling procedures in the meat trade and discuss their potential influence on meat quality available in commerce in Kenya. This preliminary study surveyed the slaughter practices among 10 different Kenyan communities through a semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussions and individual interviews. The survey demonstrated that different Kenyan communities practice varied methods of animal slaughter depending on whether the animal being slaughtered is for public feasting, domestic consumption or commercial merchandizing. The Kenyan communities surveyed in this study depend mainly on males to slaughter livestock for females preparing it for domestic use using a number of instruments and methods. For small stock for domestic consumption, females may slaughter the animal except for Muslims whose males have to slaughter the animal with a special knife (a Khalef) according to Muslim rites to render it Halal. Large stock is invariably slaughtered by males irrespective of the community, and the manner of use of the carcass. Gender, age, religion, community and the size of the animal were the major determinants of the method of animal slaughter. The animal welfare issues highlighted in the survey and related to the handling and slaughter of livestock have important implications for meat quality during commercial merchandizing. There is an apparent need to provide education to herders, livestock handlers, employees and management in the livestock industry in Kenya on the relationship between animal welfare requirements, animal handling procedures and meat quality. Such awareness can potentially improve the quality and economic value of the meat available in commerce.

THE ASSOCIATION OF DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AND DIETARY HABITS ON BODY MASS INDEX OF FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION IN SOUTH KOREA

The Republic of Korea (Korea) has been composed of a single ethnic group and, until very recently, has had little or no experience with large-volume of immigrants. The country, once known for its large-scale emigration, has emerged as a popular destination. As the foreign-born populations continue to grow, they experience dietary pattern changes. Dietary changes of immigrants are often associated with weight increase and consequently the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. This study examined the association of demographic variables and dietary habits on Body Mass Index (BMI) of foreign nationals living in Korea, based on a cross-sectional sample of 193 foreign-born men (120) and women (73). A web-based survey program, Zoho survey, was used to capture self-reported region of origin, socio-demographic variables, weight, height, frequency of physical activity, and food frequencies. For the entire sample (n=193), the World Health Organization (WHO) classification and the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity cut-off points of BMI were used. The average BMI was 24.6 (SD=3.6) kg/m2. Significant associations were observed between BMI and age (χ² (8, N=193) =26.22, p<.01), gender (χ² (2, N=193) =11.45, p<.01), and religious affiliation (χ² (4, N=191) =9.53, p<.05). On average, participants had meat and carbonated drinks 2.2 times a week; high calorie foods 1.5 times a week; and, dairy products 2.4 times a week. A significant correlation (r=.14, p<.05) between BMI and eating meat was also observed. This study showed that the BMI varied with age, gender and religion. Frequent consumption of meat was associated with a significant increase in BMI. This increase in BMI could be associated with the dietary changes experienced by the newcomers or absence of more familiar products. Consequently, as the volume of immigrants continues to increase in Korea, it is imperative to consider designing and implementing public health policies specifically in relation to a healthy diet that can impact the prevalence of preventable chronic diseases. Thus, health education among foreign-born population in Korea should focus on reducing the intake of meat and high energy foods.