Bilesha Perera
Biographic Data
| ID | 5874899 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bilesha Perera |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bilesha |
| FAMILY NAME | Perera |
| SIGNATURE | PERERA B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ruhuna |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5398-710X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Academic global health collaboration: The Ruhuna-Duke partnership
The role of institutional partnerships is increasingly recognized as a means of advancing our collective efficacy in improving public health. Shared challenges related to infectious and chronic diseases, as well as social determinants of health including environmental stressors, have led to a growth in academic global health collaborations. Triggered by the 2004 tsunami, the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, and Duke University, USA, established a…
Hypertension diagnosis, awareness, treatment, and control in Sri Lankan adults: A nationally representative cross-sectional study
Only one in five Sri Lankans with hypertension achieve BP control, with the biggest cascade losses occurring at diagnosis and control after treatment. Our findings point to a substantial influence of providers. Efforts to improve hypertension control in Sri Lanka should focus on increasing detection through opportunistic screening and improving interventions to improve physician control of BP. These findings provide actionable insights for furthe…
Validation of the Sinhalese Version of Brief Cope Scale for patients with cancer in Sri Lanka
The Sinhalese version of the Brief COPE is found to be a valid and a reliable measure to assess coping strategies used by patients with cancer in Sri Lanka
Psychological experiences of healthcare professionals in Sri Lanka during Covid-19
Fear of being infected and distress caused by fear of spreading it among family members, stigmatization, poor self-confidence, poor occupational safety and heavy workload are vital risk factors that need to be considered in future psychological support services designed for the healthcare professionals in unprecedented outbreaks like COVID-19
Depressive Symptomatology and Practice of Safety Measures among Undergraduate Students during Covid-19: Impact of Gender
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the personal and academic lives of undergraduates in Saudi Arabia. Although studies have suggested that COVID-19 increased the prevalence of psychological health problems among undergraduates, the associations between the risk of depression and safety practices and the influence of gender on these associations have not been studied in detail. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among preparator…
A Novel Adaptation of the Home Inventory for Elders: The Importance of the Home Environment Across the Life Course
The context in which dependents, regardless of age, receive care affects their health. This study adapted the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory, originally designed for child development research, to assess the quality of stimulation and support available to elders in their habitual households in Sri Lanka. Whether the adapted domains correlated with indicators of health and well-being in ways consistent with th…
Care-giving expectations and challenges among elders and their adult children in Southern Sri Lanka
The elderly population in Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. Elders are traditionally cared for in the homes of their adult children, but the shifting socio-economic environment in Sri Lanka challenges this arrangement. This paper describes the dynamics of elder–care-giver relationships in Southern Sri Lanka. Data included four focus group discussions and five in-depth interviews with elderly, and ten in-depth interviews with adult children of the eld…
Relations Between Substance Use and Personal Dispositions Towards Out-of-Control Sexual Behaviors Among Young Adults
This paper examines the extent of associations between the two personal dispositions “sexual sensation seeking” and “sexual compulsivity,” and use of alcohol and stimulants in a sample of 539 young adults. Men scored higher on measures of sexual compulsivity and sexual sensation seeking than women. Stimulant drug use was associated with a high level of sexually compulsive behaviors. Strong positive associations were also found between sexual sens…
Neighborhood Environment and Self-Rated Health among Adults in Southern Sri Lanka
The prevalence of different neighborhood environmental stressors and associations between the stressors and self-rated health are described in a representative sample of 2,077 individuals, aged 18-85 years, in southern Sri Lanka. Mosquito menace (69.4%), stray dog problems (26.8%), nuisance from neighbors (20.3%), and nuisance from drug users (18.7%) were found to be the most prevalent environmental stressors. None of the stressors investigated w…
Motivations for Alcohol Use among Men Aged 16-30 Years in Sri Lanka
Psychometric properties of a new scale that measures motivations towards alcohol use were examined using a sample of 412 male alcohol users in Sri Lanka aged 16-30 years. In addition, associations between drinking motives and drinking frequency were explored. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a 3-factor model consisting of the factors personal enjoyment, tension reduction, and social pressure fit the data well. Overall, tension-reduction m…
Inhalant Use Among Indiana School Children, 1991-2004
Sexual behavior of young adults in Sri Lanka: Implications for HIV prevention
While many Asian countries have been challenged by an increasingly high incidence of HIV infection, Sri Lanka has not been among those most impacted to date. However, little is known about sexual behaviors in this country, particularly those of young adults and, as the population of youth grows and becomes more sexually active, there could be implications for the incidence of HIV in this country. Using a two-staged clustered sampling method to ac…
A theory‐based approach to understanding sexual behavior at Mardi Gras
Using the Triandis Model of Interpersonal Behavior (TIB), we considered the unique context of Mardi Gras, the annual festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, and how it might influence sexual behavior. This study utilized a two-stage, qualitative and quantitative methodological framework. Focus groups of past Mardi Gras participants were held to gather data to inform the development of the study instruments, and data were subsequently collected from 3…
Preliminary Study of Smoking and Alcohol Use among Students in Southern Sri Lanka
455 students, ages 15-19 years and living in a southern district of Sri Lanka, were self-administered a questionnaire to identify the prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use and to assess student attitudes toward the alcohol and tobacco industries. The current prevalence of smoking was 10.6% among men and 0.0% among women. The current prevalence of alcohol use was 21.2% among men and 3.3% among women. A significantly higher proportion of men than w…
A theory‐based approach to understanding sexual behavior at Mardi Gras
Using the Triandis Model of Interpersonal Behavior (TIB), we considered the unique context of Mardi Gras, the annual festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, and how it might influence sexual behavior. This study utilized a two-stage, qualitative and quantitative methodological framework. Focus groups of past Mardi Gras participants were held to gather data to inform the development of the study instruments, and data were subsequently collected from 3…
Care-giving expectations and challenges among elders and their adult children in Southern Sri Lanka
The elderly population in Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. Elders are traditionally cared for in the homes of their adult children, but the shifting socio-economic environment in Sri Lanka challenges this arrangement. This paper describes the dynamics of elder–care-giver relationships in Southern Sri Lanka. Data included four focus group discussions and five in-depth interviews with elderly, and ten in-depth interviews with adult children of the eld…
Preliminary Study of Smoking and Alcohol Use among Students in Southern Sri Lanka
455 students, ages 15-19 years and living in a southern district of Sri Lanka, were self-administered a questionnaire to identify the prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use and to assess student attitudes toward the alcohol and tobacco industries. The current prevalence of smoking was 10.6% among men and 0.0% among women. The current prevalence of alcohol use was 21.2% among men and 3.3% among women. A significantly higher proportion of men than w…
Sexual behavior of young adults in Sri Lanka: Implications for HIV prevention
While many Asian countries have been challenged by an increasingly high incidence of HIV infection, Sri Lanka has not been among those most impacted to date. However, little is known about sexual behaviors in this country, particularly those of young adults and, as the population of youth grows and becomes more sexually active, there could be implications for the incidence of HIV in this country. Using a two-staged clustered sampling method to ac…
A theory‐based approach to understanding sexual behavior at Mardi Gras
Using the Triandis Model of Interpersonal Behavior (TIB), we considered the unique context of Mardi Gras, the annual festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, and how it might influence sexual behavior. This study utilized a two-stage, qualitative and quantitative methodological framework. Focus groups of past Mardi Gras participants were held to gather data to inform the development of the study instruments, and data were subsequently collected from 3…
Inhalant Use Among Indiana School Children, 1991-2004
Relations Between Substance Use and Personal Dispositions Towards Out-of-Control Sexual Behaviors Among Young Adults
This paper examines the extent of associations between the two personal dispositions “sexual sensation seeking” and “sexual compulsivity,” and use of alcohol and stimulants in a sample of 539 young adults. Men scored higher on measures of sexual compulsivity and sexual sensation seeking than women. Stimulant drug use was associated with a high level of sexually compulsive behaviors. Strong positive associations were also found between sexual sens…
Neighborhood Environment and Self-Rated Health among Adults in Southern Sri Lanka
The prevalence of different neighborhood environmental stressors and associations between the stressors and self-rated health are described in a representative sample of 2,077 individuals, aged 18-85 years, in southern Sri Lanka. Mosquito menace (69.4%), stray dog problems (26.8%), nuisance from neighbors (20.3%), and nuisance from drug users (18.7%) were found to be the most prevalent environmental stressors. None of the stressors investigated w…
Motivations for Alcohol Use among Men Aged 16-30 Years in Sri Lanka
Psychometric properties of a new scale that measures motivations towards alcohol use were examined using a sample of 412 male alcohol users in Sri Lanka aged 16-30 years. In addition, associations between drinking motives and drinking frequency were explored. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a 3-factor model consisting of the factors personal enjoyment, tension reduction, and social pressure fit the data well. Overall, tension-reduction m…
Care-giving expectations and challenges among elders and their adult children in Southern Sri Lanka
The elderly population in Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. Elders are traditionally cared for in the homes of their adult children, but the shifting socio-economic environment in Sri Lanka challenges this arrangement. This paper describes the dynamics of elder–care-giver relationships in Southern Sri Lanka. Data included four focus group discussions and five in-depth interviews with elderly, and ten in-depth interviews with adult children of the eld…
A Novel Adaptation of the Home Inventory for Elders: The Importance of the Home Environment Across the Life Course
The context in which dependents, regardless of age, receive care affects their health. This study adapted the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory, originally designed for child development research, to assess the quality of stimulation and support available to elders in their habitual households in Sri Lanka. Whether the adapted domains correlated with indicators of health and well-being in ways consistent with th…
Psychological experiences of healthcare professionals in Sri Lanka during Covid-19
Fear of being infected and distress caused by fear of spreading it among family members, stigmatization, poor self-confidence, poor occupational safety and heavy workload are vital risk factors that need to be considered in future psychological support services designed for the healthcare professionals in unprecedented outbreaks like COVID-19
Depressive Symptomatology and Practice of Safety Measures among Undergraduate Students during Covid-19: Impact of Gender
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the personal and academic lives of undergraduates in Saudi Arabia. Although studies have suggested that COVID-19 increased the prevalence of psychological health problems among undergraduates, the associations between the risk of depression and safety practices and the influence of gender on these associations have not been studied in detail. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among preparator…
Validation of the Sinhalese Version of Brief Cope Scale for patients with cancer in Sri Lanka
The Sinhalese version of the Brief COPE is found to be a valid and a reliable measure to assess coping strategies used by patients with cancer in Sri Lanka
Academic global health collaboration: The Ruhuna-Duke partnership
The role of institutional partnerships is increasingly recognized as a means of advancing our collective efficacy in improving public health. Shared challenges related to infectious and chronic diseases, as well as social determinants of health including environmental stressors, have led to a growth in academic global health collaborations. Triggered by the 2004 tsunami, the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, and Duke University, USA, established a…
Hypertension diagnosis, awareness, treatment, and control in Sri Lankan adults: A nationally representative cross-sectional study
Only one in five Sri Lankans with hypertension achieve BP control, with the biggest cascade losses occurring at diagnosis and control after treatment. Our findings point to a substantial influence of providers. Efforts to improve hypertension control in Sri Lanka should focus on increasing detection through opportunistic screening and improving interventions to improve physician control of BP. These findings provide actionable insights for furthe…
Medicine (12 works) · Psychology (10 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Environmental health (6 works) · Clinical Psychology (5 works) · Sri lanka (5 works) · Demography (4 works) · Geography (4 works) · Gerontology (4 works) · Population (4 works)