Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a Qigong program on older adults in the Thai community suffering from mild to moderate depression.Design/methodology/approach: A randomized controlled trial study was conducted in a public health service (PHS) center setting. Sixty-six older adults aged 60–90 years with mild to moderate depressive symptoms measured by the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale (TGDS: scores 13–24) were recruited and randomly allocated into two groups. The subjective sleep quality was assessed using the Thai version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (TPSQI). The Qigong program group was given 12 weeks of Qigong training including three sessions per week, while the control group followed normal PHS activities (singing and praying). The outcome measure was the change in the TGDS from baseline to 12 weeks.Findings: Participants in the Qigong program group had a significantly improved TPSQI global score (p < 0.001), subjective sleep quality (p < 0.001), and sleep latency (p < 0.05) after 12 weeks of intervention, while those in the control group showed no significant difference in sleep quality. Compared with the control group, the Qigong program group reported significantly better sleep quality throughout the 12-week period. The prevalence of poor sleep quality in this population was 82 percent.Originality/value: This study confirmed that the Qigong program could improve sleep quality in older adults with mild to moderate depressive symptoms as the Qigong program conferred more significant improvements than the usual program.

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to investigate the relationship between symptoms related to air pollution, mask-wearing, mask choices and related factors.Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study among outpatient department (OPD) pollution clinic patients at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital (PCNRH) during 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.Findings: The most common symptom after exposure to air pollution that affects treatment in the OPD is respiratory symptoms. A total of 45.7% (107/234) of the population wears a mask, 55.1% (59/107) of the population that wears a mask wears a surgical mask, and only 10.3% (11/107) of them wear an N95 mask. Mask-wearing and air quality index (AQI) onset were associated with the respiratory symptoms group, whereas wearing an N95 mask or surgical mask was found to be a protective factor for the occurrence of respiratory symptoms (adjusted OR = 0.065, 95% CI: 0.014–0.306, p = 0.001 and adjusted OR = 0.154, 95% CI: 0.058–0.404, p < 0.001, respectively). Therefore, the best practice in the face of air pollution, while the resolution needs a long period, is to wear a mask. In this study, the results showed that the best type of mask to prevent respiratory symptoms from air pollution is the N95, followed by the surgical mask; cloth masks are not recommended to use to protect against respiratory symptoms from air pollution.Research limitations/implications: Wearing an N95 and a surgical mask can help reduce respiratory symptoms. Hence, in addition to establishing hospital measures, cooperation from local and government agencies is necessary to effectively and jointly build a national health public policy framework.Originality/value: 1. This study provides evidence of a correlation between symptoms associated with air pollution and related factors, in-hospital visits in Bangkok, Thailand. 2. In this study, wearing an N95 mask and a surgical mask were found to be a protective factor for the occurrence of respiratory symptoms.

University students’ lifestyles and dietary habits have been considerably impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and its related policies and restrictions. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to May 2020 to compare lifestyles, food consumption frequencies, and eating behaviors among three main disciplines of undergraduate students during the early COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand. The study involved 584 participants from Mahidol University, with 45.2% from Health Sciences (HS), 29.1% from Sciences and Technologies (ST), and 25.7% from Social Sciences and Humanities (SH). The results showed that ST students had the highest proportion of overweight and obese (33.5%) individuals, followed by HS (23.9%) and SH (19.3%) students. ST students skipped breakfast the most (34.7%), followed by SH (34%) and HS (30%) students. Furthermore, 60% of SH students spent 7 h or more daily on social media, and they had the least exercise and the highest frequency of ordering home-delivery food. SH students (43.3%) reported a higher likelihood of making unhealthier food choices and consuming fast food, processed meat, bubble tea, boxed fruit and vegetable juice, and crunchy snacks more frequently than students from other disciplines. The findings show that undergraduate students had poor eating behaviors and lifestyles during the early COVID-19 outbreak, highlighting the urgent need to promote food and nutrition security among students during and after the pandemic.

There was found HIV infection have a higher rate of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) than the general population, even a slight deficiency, can increase the risk of osteoporosis in adults. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of VDD in HIV-infected adults receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a tropical area. A cross-sectional study of an HIV-clinical population-based cohort was conducted at Police General Hospital (PGH), from 1^st August 2020 to 31^st July 2021, in Bangkok, Thailand. Serum 25(OH)D level was measured using ECLIA. All other laboratory investigations were conducted at the PGH's central lab center. The descriptive analysis utilized frequency (percentages) and mean (SD) as appropriate variable types. Chi-square tests (χ2) and independent samples t-tests were used to differentiate between VDD and non-VDD groups. To determine the association between VDD and non-VDD, gender, age (years), BMI discrepancy, ART regimens, ART-duration (years), HIV viral load, and CD4 count (cells/mm³). Univariate and multivariable logistics regression was conducted, respectively. Of 602 patients, 66.4% were females with mean age of 45.22 ± 10.23 years. The average serum 25(OH)D level was 18.69 ± 7.23 ng/ml. The prevalence of VDD (<20 ng/ml) and insufficiency (VDI) (20–29.9 ng/ml) was 58.5% and 35.2%, respectively. Risk factors associated with vitamin D inadequacy were increasing age (AOR = 1.05, 95%CI = 1.03–1.07, P < .001), efavirenz (EFV-based) use (AOR = 6.07, 95%CI = 3.57–10.31, P < .001), while male (AOR = 0.44, 95%CI = 0.29–0.66, P < .001), body mass index (BMI) lower than 18.5 (AOR = 0.26; 95% CI, 0.11–0.62, P = .002), protease Inhibitors (PIs-based) use (AOR = 0.18, 95%CI = 0.11–0.30, P < .001),and CD4 count <200 cells/mm³ (AOR = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.20–0.85, P = .017) were associated with less VDD. The implementation of focused strategies for vitamin D supplementation, specifically targeting older patients and patients undergoing EFV-based ART regimen, can serve as a valuable addition to comprehensive HIV management. By optimizing vitamin D levels, there is a potential to improve health outcomes and enhance overall well-being for individuals living with HIV.

Background: Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is a major antiretroviral therapy for Thai human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected adults. TDF is associated with a decrease in renal function. There is limited data about the use of TDF with the incidence and time to renal impairment and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Thai HIV-infected adults. Objectives: To study the association of TDF with the incidence rate and duration of renal impairment and CKD in Thai patients. Methods: A retrospective cohort study in Thai naïve HIV-infected adults was conducted to compare the incidence rate and time to renal impairment and CKD in TDF and non-TDF groups. The incidence rate was analyzed by person-time. Time to renal impairment and CKD were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. Results: A total of 1,400 patients were enrolled. The incidence rates of renal impairment in TDF and non-TDF groups were 27.66/1,000 and 5.54/1,000 person-years. The rate ratio was 4.99 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.66–9.35). The incidence rates of CKD in both groups were not significantly different. Themean difference of eGFR between the TDF and non-TDF groups was 1.92 ml/min/1.73 m² (p = 0.022). Time to onset of renal impairment between the TDF and non-TDF groups was found to differ by approximately 20 months. Conclusion: The incidence rate of renal impairment was about five times higher in the TDF group. A rapid decline of eGFR occurred in the first 2–3 years of treatment. Therefore, the renal function of HIV-infected patients should be monitored so that the severity of renal impairment could be evaluated and CKD could be prevented.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Qigong programme on depression of older adults with mild-moderate depression. The experimental study was conducted at the Public Health Service Centre (PHS) in two randomised districts of Bangkok, Thailand from October to December 2017. This parallel, randomised controlled trial compared the Qigong programme with the usual singing and praying activities among older adults at mild-to-moderate risk of depression. The Qigong programme was based on mind-body exercises incorporate mindful breathing. The intervention group underwent a 3 sessions/week 12-week course of Qigong exercises while the control group participated in singing and praying with the same duration and frequency. The outcome measure was the change in the TGDS from baseline to 12 weeks. Data analysis was conducted using STATA. The outcome data are available for all randomized subjects, all analyses were conducted as intention-to-treat. The Qigong programme was highly significant (−9.88 score points; 95% CI −11.62 to −8.13; p < 0.001) than the control group in reducing depression scores at 12 weeks. Depression score decreased (10.39 score points; 95% CI −11.77 to −9.02; p < 0.001) only in the Qigong group. These findings support the Qigong programme was effective in reducing depression score both in mild and moderate depression community-dwelling older adults. The Qigong programme appears to confer greater improvements than the usual program.