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Validation of the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI/MPI) in a sample of Sinhala speaking population in Sri Lanka
(Sri Lanka College of Psychiatrists, 2025-07) Herath, T. A.; Wijesinghe, C .; Liyanage, N.; Wijesinghe, N.; Rodrigo, A.
OBJECTIVES: Pain is an unpleasant physical and emotional sensation due to actual or potential tissue damage. Acute pain is a symptom of an underlying disease. However, when it becomes chronic and persists for more than three months, it becomes a disease by itself. The purpose of this study is to validate the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory among the Sinhalese speaking population in Sri Lanka. METHODOLOGY: 150 adult patients were recruited from the pain clinic at CNTH as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Each patient has undergone a medical examination by a pain medicine specialist, as well as a psychiatric/psychological evaluation by a psychiatrist. Patients who have given written consent were asked to fill out the questionnaires with the assistance of a researcher. RESULTS: Of the 150 patients studied, 86 were female and the average age was 56. 49 years. Cronbach’s alpha equal to 0.745 suggested that WHYMPI – S has overall acceptable reliability. CONCLUSION: WHYMPI – S has acceptable reliability and validity as a self-reported measure for the evaluation of handicap induced by chronic pain.
Promoting sustainability in E-waste management: a comparison of household practices and awareness between STEM and non-STEM university students in Sri Lanka
(Springer Nature Link, 2025-07) Wickramasingha, B.; Nazeer, F.; Nandasena, T.; Nasara, F.; Nayanananda, U.; Nuwantha, S.; Nisansala, L.; Subasinghe, W.
The growing use of electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) has led to a global surge in electronic waste (E-waste), posing serious environmental and health risks, especially in developing countries like Sri Lanka. This study assessed household E-waste management awareness, attitudes, and practices among 396 undergraduate students at the University of Kelaniya, selected through stratified random sampling across six faculties. A structured, validated questionnaire was used to collect data, which were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-sample t-tests, and logistic regression. Findings indicated high ownership of electronic devices, with 100% of students using mobile phones and 89% using personal computers. While 97% recognized these items as E-waste, improper disposal practices persisted: 21% stored old devices at home, and 12% discarded them with regular garbage. Awareness of health impacts (e.g., cancer, reproductive issues) and environmental consequences (e.g., toxic gas release) was moderate, with STEM students showing significantly higher knowledge than non-STEM peers (p < 0.05). Logistic regression revealed that students with greater awareness (OR = 0.43), environmental concern (OR = 0.33), and health concern (OR = 0.48) were significantly less likely to engage in improper disposal (p < 0.001). In contrast, higher electronic usage was associated with a greater likelihood of unsafe disposal (OR = 2.18, p < 0.005). These findings highlight the need for integrated E-waste management policies, combining public education with improved disposal infrastructure. By addressing behavioral factors contributing to improper disposal, policymakers can develop effective intervention strategies to promote sustainable E-waste management practices.
Local strategy for pancreaticoduodenectomy in a Sri Lanka’s evolving healthcare system: twelve‐year trends, outcomes, and insights
(New York, Springer International, 2025-07) Thilakarathne, S. B.; Premaratne, B.; Raayiz, R. M.; Gunathilake, M. B.; Ranaweera, S. P. A. L.; Siriwardana, R. C.
Developing tertiary care services necessitate targeted training toward super specialization, where surgeons must straddle the roles of generalists and super specialists. Hence, in a developing socioeconomic system, such as in Sri Lanka the best strategy may be to focus on training. Further, such a trained surgeon who has developed a special interest and training has the ability to cover the general services required as well as the specialist services.
Polygenic prediction of body mass index and obesity through the life course and across ancestries
(New York, NY : Nature Pub. Co., 2025-07) Kasturiratne, A.; Wickremasinghe, A. R.; De Silva, H. J.
Polygenic scores (PGSs) for body mass index (BMI) may guide early prevention and targeted treatment of obesity. Using genetic data from up to 5.1 million people (4.6% African ancestry, 14.4% American ancestry, 8.4% East Asian ancestry, 71.1% European ancestry and 1.5% South Asian ancestry) from the GIANT consortium and 23andMe, Inc., we developed ancestry-specific and multi-ancestry PGSs. The multi-ancestry score explained 17.6% of BMI variation among UK Biobank participants of European ancestry. For other populations, this ranged from 16% in East Asian-Americans to 2.2% in rural Ugandans. In the ALSPAC study, children with higher PGSs showed accelerated BMI gain from age 2.5 years to adolescence, with earlier adiposity rebound. Adding the PGS to predictors available at birth nearly doubled explained variance for BMI from age 5 onward (for example, from 11% to 21% at age 8). Up to age 5, adding the PGS to early-life BMI improved prediction of BMI at age 18 (for example, from 22% to 35% at age 5). Higher PGSs were associated with greater adult weight gain. In intensive lifestyle intervention trials, individuals with higher PGSs lost modestly more weight in the first year (0.55 kg per s.d.) but were more likely to regain it. Overall, these data show that PGSs have the potential to improve obesity prediction, particularly when implemented early in life.
Psychometric properties of the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale: a systematic review
(London : BioMed Central, 2025-07) Perera, B. P. R.; Wickremasinghe, A. R.; De Za, T. A. P.
BACKGROUND: Patient reported outcomes are increasingly being assessed in many studies due to the demand for reliable and valid measures that enable assessment of such outcomes and comparison of scores between different populations. The Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) and its shorter version (SWEMWBS) are widely used questionnaires that assess subjective mental well-being at the population level. The scales have been translated into many languages and are being used in a variety of settings to assess well-being. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the available versions of the scale. METHODS: The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO registration number CRD42020149849) reports the psychometric properties reported by validation studies published until 31 December 2023. A search for 'WEMWBS' and/or 'Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale', used in combination with 'validation', was used to search PubMed, Semantic Scholar, OpenGrey, and the first 10 pages of Google Scholar. One author screened all titles after duplicates and unrelated items were removed. The abstracts of the remaining studies (n = 142) were screened and suitable articles were selected for data extraction. Methodological quality was independently assessed by two investigators against the CONSensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) risk of bias assessment checklist. The articles were evaluated and compared based on the reported translation process, internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability, construct validity, responsiveness to change, and discriminatory power. RESULTS: Fifty-six full-text articles were included in the study and were assessed for adherence to the accepted translation protocol and reporting of reliability and validity criteria. Many studies that have translated the instrument have focused on forward and backward translation without paying much attention to the appraisal of the translation. Most reports of internal consistency were within acceptable limits. However, test-retest reliability was not often assessed. The instrument has been administered online and in person. The instrument was well received by many populations; the instrument was able to capture changes in well-being scores between subgroups and post intervention. CONCLUSION: The WEMWBS can be used to assess mental well-being in populations; it provides reliable assessments and is responsive to change. Cognitive assessments and pretesting of the scale prior to data collection are strongly advised.