Browsing by Author "Herath, D."

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Prevalence of overweight and obesity among women in two medical officer of health areas in Kalutara district
(College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2023) Herath, D.; Kasturiratne, A.
INTRODUCTION: Overweight and obesity are rising burdens in the w orld. Gender disparities in its prevalence are more evident in developing countries compared to developed countries. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among 35-44-year-old women in Bandaragama and Horana Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas METHODS: This was a community-based descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 770 women aged 35-44 years residing in two MOH areas of Kalutara District for the l ast six months at the time of data collection. Overweight/obesity were assessed on the Asian cutoff values recommended by the WHO based on body mass index (BMI). The prevalence was estimated with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight in Bandaragama and Horana MOH areas was 41.35% (95% CI: 37.9, 44.81) and 39.7% (95% CI: 36.3, 43.2), respectively, while the correspondi ng prevalence of obesity was 36.1% (95% CI: 32.8, 39.6) and 26.6% (95% CI: 16.4, 39.1). CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS: The prevalence of overweight /obesity among women aged 35-44 years was relatively high. Barriers to a healthy lifestyle, women's role in the household and existing service gaps at primary healthcare level should be considered when preventive measures ar e introduced to reduce this burden.
Psychometric properties of the Sinhala version of the Bandura’s exercise selfefficacy scale in women
(College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2024) Herath, D.; Kasturiratne, A.
INTRODUCTION Engaging in regular exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle has shown an array of health benefits for many decades. Building confidence in maintaining an exercise routine is essential for success. To support individuals interested in exercise, the availability of appropriate measurement tools is vital. Bandura's Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESE) is an 18- item brief measure that assesses confidence in exercising regularly and is a valuable tool for measuring exercise beliefs. OBJECTIVES To translate and adapt the Banduras ESE scale into Sinhala language and examine its psychometric properties METHODS Data were collected from 225 women who were aged ≥18 years and had an interest in or a reason to watch their weight, in Panadura Medical Officer Health (MOH) Area, Sri Lanka. They were recruited using a purposive sampling method. Standard forward-backward translation was performed to translate the English version of ESE. The construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis. Reliability of the scale was determined by Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analysed using SPSS version 22.0. RESULTS Through exploratory factor analysis, 18-item ESE scale showed three factors with eigenvalues ranging from 1.392 to 9.409. The three-factor model explained 70.59% of total variance of the model. All the items in the scale were retained. The reliability of internal consistency, as assessed by Cronbach’s alpha, indicated interpersonal, competing and internal sub factors as 0.92, 0.91 and 0.89 respectively, which were above the threshold level of 0.7. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS The Sinhala translation of ESE is a reliable and valid scale to assess the level of selfefficacy for exercise among Sinhala-speaking adult women in Sri Lanka.
Some biological aspects and molecular variations in frigate tuna, Auxis thazard of the coastal waters around Sri Lanka
(Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, 2019) Herath, D.; Perera, H.; Hettiarachchi, G.
Auxis thazard (frigate tuna), is a commercially important fish species in Sri Lanka. Although Sri Lanka is fortunate to have a large resource of tuna, little information is available on the biology, genetics and stock structure of A. thazard. Hence, the present study was conducted to study the biology, genetics and stock structure of A. thazard in coastal waters around Sri Lanka. The fish samples were collected from October 2015 to September 2017 from day-boats operating in the Western, North Western, Eastern and Southern Provinces of Sri Lanka. For this period, the length-weight relationship and Fulton’s condition factor (K) calculated for A. thazard using standard length measured in centimetres and weight measured in grams were shown as W = 0.1091L 3.3385 and 1.93, respectively, indicating a relatively healthy growth pattern and a comparatively unpolluted habitat. Studies on the stomach contents revealed that A. thazard are non-selective carnivors, feeding on diverse animal prey items such as small fish species, shrimps and cephalopods available in the surrounding waters. The fecundity of female A. thazard was shown to be 48,056 to 267,000 eggs. The calculated GSI values showed that the peak spawning period for male A. thazard extends from May to August and for the females from May to July. The phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial D-loop region sequences of 75 selected samples representing all the geographical regions studied showed that the fish of different regions are clustering together. Hence, for fisheries management strategies, A. thazard found in the coastal waters of the Western, North Western, Eastern and Southern Provinces of Sri Lanka could be considered as a single stock.
A Study on the Orientation Program Conducted by the University Senior Students for the Freshers
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Herath, D.
There is a criticism in the university and society regarding the orientation program conducted by the senior students of the universities for the freshers. Some group of senior students and the Student’s Union activists try to carry out this "home grown" orientation program uninterruptedly. The university administration tries to control this orientation program in response to innumerable complaints made by the students subjected to this program. It has resulted in creating a conflict situation between the university administration and the student activists. The aim of this research is to find out the opinion of the university students towards the above mentioned orientation program. The students from the four Faculties of University of Kelaniya, i.e. Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities, Commerce and Management and Science of the University of Kelaniya were used as a research sample. Hundred students from each Faculty were selected according to the random sample method. Questionnaire, participatory observation, interview and case study methods were used to collect data. The orientation program conducted by the senior students has created controversy owing to misunderstanding between students and administration regarding surreptous political interferences in student affairs, unauthorised activities, and hidden agendas. This study recommended that it is necessary to organize useful and systematic program that are transparent, supportive, and helpful in getting to know each other and socialise within a framework of the university life.
Translation, adaptation and validation of the Sinhala Version of Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire Short Form (WEL-SF) for women
(College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2023) Herath, D.; Kasturiratne, A.
INTRODUCTION: The global obesity burden is rising alarmingly due to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours and environmental factors. To date, prevention and treatment efforts to combat obesity mainly focus on lifestyle modifications through diet and physical activity. Eating self-efficacy has been related to weight loss and is considered a significant predictor of weight loss in an individual. The Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire Short Form (WEL-SF) is an American instrument used for research and clinical purposes to measure self-efficacy for controlling eating in specific situations. OBJECTIVES: Translation, cultural adaptation and validation of the WEL-SF. METHODS: A sample of 100 women aged ≥ 18 years who were attempting to reduce their weight through self-monitored non-therapeutic diet control in Panadura Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Area, Sri Lanka was recruited using a purposive sampling method. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire with socio-demographic information and Sinhala version of the WEL-SF. The construct validity was evaluated by Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), while the reliability of the scale was determined by Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The eight-item WEL-SF showed a one-factor solution by EFA. All the items on the scale were retained. The model explained a total variance of 59.35%. The internal consistency of WEL-SF was 0.905 using Cronbach’s alpha. The test-retest reliability of the instrument had a high Spearman's correlation of more than 0.7. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS: The Sinhala version of WEL-SF for women to assess self-efficacy levels in overeating appears to be psychometrically valid with high reliability. This instrument can be recommended as a screening tool to assess self-efficacy levels in women striving for a healthy weight.