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PUBLISHED WORK
My Written Works
Throughout my time as a professional Family Medicine Physician, I’ve been able to research and study an array of health care topics. More recently, I’ve had the opportunity to publish some of my work in various medical journals and news sources. My publications are very helpful to fellow doctors as well as medical students who are interested in my specialties and life as a practicing Family Medicine Physician. Please feel free to read some of my publications below.
THE ROLE OF HEALTH BELIEF MODEL IN HIV SCREENING DECISION AMONG INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES: A PILOT STUDY
March 12, 2020
Objectives:Â We sought to determine how the Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs relate to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) screening decisions among international students and which of the HBM constructs was most relevant in those screening decisions.
Methods:Â We conducted a cross-sectional pilot study using an online survey of international students at Western Illinois University in the United States. Participants signed electronic informed consent. The online survey comprised of questions that assessed their sociodemographic characteristics, acceptance of HIV screening, and perceived knowledge of HIV. The survey also determined the role of perceived benefits, perceived threat, and cues to action in making HIV screening decisions among the study population.
Results:Â Four hundred and ninety students were invited to participate in the survey out of which 185 responses were obtained. In all, 107(57.8%) were males, and 78(42.8%) were females. Most of the respondents were from Asia (64.9%) and Africa (24.9%). The prevalence of acceptance of HIV screening among international students was found to be 73.5%. About 90% of the participants perceived HIV screening to be beneficial to their health, and 76% of them would accept the screening because they were offered. The majority (83%) of participants who said that they would not accept HIV screening, were also not sexually active, and they did not think they could be susceptible to HIV.
Conclusion and Implications for Translation:Â Perceived benefits and cues to action were found to be the significant factors that informed the decision of people who accepted to be screened for HIV. Perceived susceptibility informed the decision of those that rejected the screening. Caution is warranted in generalizing the findings from this study because of the limited sample size; however, we are confident that our findings are reproducible in a larger population context.
ACCEPTABILITY OF HIV SCREENING IN A SAMPLE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES
December 7, 2020
Background and Objectives: HIV transmission from persons unaware of their HIV status occurs more commonly than those who are aware of their status. Knowledge of one’s HIV status may encourage preventive behaviours. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many international students may be willing to accept HIV screening, but empirical evidence to support this claim is lacking. We sought to determine the willingness of international students in the United States (US) to accept HIV screening if offered.
Methods:Â We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online survey of international students at Western Illinois University, USA. The independent variable was the sociodemographic data of our participants; the dependent variable was the acceptance of HIV screening. The covariates were knowledge about HIV and the factors associated with the acceptance of the screening. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis were conducted.
Results:Â A total of 185 respondents out of 491 students participated in the online survey. Of these, 107 (57.8%) were males, and 78 (42.8%) were females. Most of the respondents were from Asian countries (64.9%) and African countries (24.9%). The prevalence of acceptance of HIV screening was 74%. Among participants willing to accept screening, if offered, 90% perceived screening would be beneficial to their health. Meanwhile, 83% of those who would refuse the screening were not sexually active.
Conclusion and Global Health Implications:Â Many international students may be interested in getting HIV screening if offered. Awareness of the benefits of HIV screening may influence the decision to screen. Findings may inform further studies that will lead to policy formulations for the health of international students in the US.
Feel free to get in touch with me if you’d like to discuss any of my published works.