Papers by gayan ariyadasa
Introduction: Internet addiction disorder is growing as a potentially problematic condition, espe... more Introduction: Internet addiction disorder is growing as a potentially problematic condition, especially among adolescents. Nonetheless, the condition is widespread and problematic, limited scientific evidence is available on the prevention, and efficacy of the treatment globally as well as locally. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the developed educational package for the prevention of Internet addiction disorder among 15-19-year-old adolescents in Colombo district. Methods: The study was a quasi-experimental study to determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention for the prevention of Internet addiction disorder. The educational package was developed on Social Cognitive Theory. The contents were designed following a literature review, expertise from a multidisciplinary panel, and using the preliminary results of the descriptive cross-sectional study. Adolescents from two educational zones in Colombo district were purposefully selected for the Intervention group (n=280) and control group (n=290). A self-administered questionnaire including a validated Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Sinhala version was used for the data collection. Following the implementation of the educational package, primary and secondary outcomes were compared between study groups by chisquare test and paired t-test using the SPSS-21 version. Results: Following the intervention, the proportion of adolescents with Internet addiction disorder in the intervention group was less in comparison with the control group and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 =9.026, df=1, p=0.003). There was a statistically significant difference between the mean differences of pretest and post-test IAT scores (t=-0.412, df=279, p=0.001) with the reduction of mean IAT scores among
BMC Women's Health, May 3, 2023
Introduction Studies across the world have shown that parent-adolescent SRH communication can pre... more Introduction Studies across the world have shown that parent-adolescent SRH communication can prevent unhealthy sexual and reproductive health (SRH) practices among adolescents and promote their sexual and reproductive health. Parents have the ability to provide individualized sex education to suit the needs of their children, their families, and societal values. The fact that children have more opportunities in the family, makes parent-based sexuality education of children a better approach to Sri Lankan context. Objective To explore mother's perceptions and concerns over sharing SRH information with their daughters among Sinhalese mothers of adolescent girls aged 14-19 years in Sri Lanka. Methodology Six Focus group discussions (FGD) were carried out among mothers of adolescent girls aged 14-19 years. Each focus group discussion included 10-12 participants who were recruited using the purposive sampling method. A focus group discussion guide developed after an extensive literature search and expert opinion was used to retrieve information from mothers. Data management and analysis mainly followed an inductive approach to thematic analysis principles. The findings were presented in narrative form using respondents' quotes in their own words and were developed into codes and themes. Results The mean age of the participants was 43.5 years while 62.4% (n = 40) were educated above the Ordinary level. Analysis of data identified eight main themes from the FGDs. Many mothers thought that sexual and reproductive information is important to adolescent girls. They tried to keep their girl adolescents informed about Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) issues. They preferred abstinence-only education over abstinence
Problematic Internet Use is growing as a potentially problematic condition parallel to existing b... more Problematic Internet Use is growing as a potentially problematic condition parallel to existing behavioral disorders, especially among adolescents. Nonetheless, the condition is widespread and problematic, limited scientific evidence is available on the prevalence, diagnosis, risk factors, prevention, and efficacy of the treatment globally as well as locally. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of Problematic Internet Use among 15-19-year-old adolescents in Colombo district. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) developed by Young (1998) was adapted, translated, and validated for this study. A schoolbased descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 1351 school-going adolescents by the multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. A self-administered questionnaire was used for the data collection and the data analysis was done using the SPSS-21 version. Initial bivariate analysis was followed up with Multivariate Logistic Regression analysis to determine the risk factors of Problematic Internet Use. The prevalence of Problematic Internet Use among adolescents was 17.2% (95% CI: 15.2-19.3). Male sex (AOR=2.27;95% CI:1.27-4.07), excessive use of social media (AOR=4.32; 95% CI:2.12-8.80), lack of engagement in outdoor sports(AOR=5.4; 95% CI:2.49-11.73), unemployed mother (AOR=2.06;95% CI:1.40-3.04), excessive engagement of internet gaming (AOR=1.94;95% CI:1.34-2.82), excessive internet usage time per day for nonacademic activities (AOR=2.59; 95%CI:1.71-3.91), higher duration of internet use in years (AOR=2.64;95% CI:1.80-3.85), and no excessive internet use by the parents (AOR=0.46; 95% CI:0.30-0.70) were the statistically significant risk factors. The prevalence of Problematic Internet Use among adolescents was within the range. The study findings will aid the policymakers and administrators in preventing, diagnosing, and managing Problematic Internet Use among this age group of adolescents.
Introduction Studies across the world have shown that parent-adolescent SRH communication can pre... more Introduction Studies across the world have shown that parent-adolescent SRH communication can prevent unhealthy SRH practices among adolescents and promote their sexual and reproductive health. Parents’ ability to provide individualized sexuality education to suit the needs of their children, their family, and societal values, and the fact that children have more opportunities in the family, makes parent-based sexuality education of children a better approach to Sri Lankan context. Objective To explore mother’s perceptions and concerns over sharing sexual and reproductive health information with their daughters among Sinhalese mothers of adolescent girls aged 14–19 years in Sri Lanka Methodology Six Focus group discussions were carried out among mothers of adolescent girls aged 14–19 years. Each focus group discussion included 10–12 participants. A Focus Group Discussion guide developed after an extensive literature search and expert opinion was used to retrieve information from mot...
American Journal of Innovation in Science and Engineering
Problematic Internet Use is growing as a potentially problematic condition parallel to existing b... more Problematic Internet Use is growing as a potentially problematic condition parallel to existing behavioral disorders, especially among adolescents. Nonetheless, the condition is widespread and problematic, limited scientific evidence is available on the prevalence, diagnosis, risk factors, prevention, and efficacy of the treatment globally as well as locally. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of Problematic Internet Use among 15-19-year-old adolescents in Colombo district. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) developed by Young (1998) was adapted, translated, and validated for this study. A school-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 1351 school-going adolescents by the multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. A self-administered questionnaire was used for the data collection and the data analysis was done using the SPSS-21 version. Initial bivariate analysis was followed up with Multivariate Logistic Regressio...
American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation
Higher quality of life among doctors has been identified as a key factor in increased productivit... more Higher quality of life among doctors has been identified as a key factor in increased productivity of health service delivery. This study was designed to determine the quality of life and its correlates among doctors in Uva province, Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires was carried out. The study sample of 403 doctors was selected following a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. Independent T-test and one-way ANOVA were used appropriately to determine the statistical significance. The mean total quality of life score of study participants was 65.1 (SD ±11.3) and all the domains had mean scores above 50. Age category (Less than 40 years) showed a negative association with Quality of Life revealing an adjusted OR of 0.7 (95% CI: 0.45-0.92) while doctors who are involved in private practice demonstrated an adjusted OR of 2.68 (95% CI: 1.34-4.33). Involved in regular physical exercise (adjusted OR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.10-2.31), Leve...
American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation
Over the years, the Internet and information technology have become a crucial part of the day-to-... more Over the years, the Internet and information technology have become a crucial part of the day-to-day activities of modern human lives. Meanwhile, there is a rising concern regarding those who are excessively using technology which can lead to Internet addiction. This may eventually result in marked distress and functional impairments of the general life of youth such as academic performance, social interaction, future occupational interest, and behavioral problems. Nonetheless, the condition is widespread and problematic, limited scientific evidence is available on the diagnosis of Internet Addiction Disorder globally as well as locally. The objective of this study was to adapt, translate and validate an instrument (Internet Addiction Test) to assess Internet addiction disorder to the Tamil Language among 15-19-year-old adolescents in Colombo district. Internet Addiction Test (IAT) developed by Young (1998) was adapted, translated, and validated into Tamil language resulting IAT-Tam...
Journal of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka
Highlights l Family Health Bureau spearheaded several initiatives for the prevention of COVID-19.... more Highlights l Family Health Bureau spearheaded several initiatives for the prevention of COVID-19. l Preparedness and response activities were carried out via advocacy, capacity building, strengthening supplies and communication from grass root level to the national level
Journal of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka
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Papers by gayan ariyadasa