The objective of this cross‐sectional study was to examine the prevalence and correlates of a positive screen for eating disorders (EDs) in a sample of Syrian refugees living in North Lebanon. The ...study was conducted on a convenience sample of 450 (84.67% women and 15.33% men) refugees, aged between 18 and 45 years. The prevalence of a positive screen for ED was 5.79%. Bivariate analyses revealed that female gender (p = 0.02), presence of medical conditions (p = 0.01), old occurrence of major stressful life event (p < 0.01), and positive primary care post‐traumatic stress disorder screen (p < 0.01) were associated with the positive sick, control, one stone, fat, food tool. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that subjects screened with post‐traumatic stress disorder had a three times higher risk of having a positive screen for ED (odds ratio = 3.2; 95% confidence interval 1.32, 7.78). Early detection of ED and related factors may help identify refugees who would benefit from interventions to improve mental health.
The misuse and abuse of antibiotics by human and in animal production are leading to serious threats to global health. This study aimed to assess the dietary exposure of Lebanese consumers to ...antibiotic residues from the consumption of meat and compare it to that from medication intake.
Beef samples (n=61) were collected and analyzed for penicillin residues using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and high-performance liquid chromatography. A cross-sectional study recruited 500 participants living in Mount Lebanon, using an interviewer-based questionnaire. The dietary exposure assessment was calculated following the tiered assessment approach.
The results showed that only 44% of the participants reported using antibiotic on doctor's prescription. Participants with good antibiotic knowledge (6-7/7) are significantly less likely to change antibiotic during treatment and would better use them as compared to those with lower knowledge (p=0.000). Those with lower education and monthly household income are more likely to improperly use antibiotics as compared to those with higher education and income. Penicillin -containing antibiotics were among the most used medications. On the other hand, the prevalence of penicillin residues in the meat samples was 21.3%, though none was above the maximum residue level. The dietary exposure to penicillin through meat consumption was equivalent to 88.3%, 31.9%, and 5.7% of the acceptable daily intake, using Tier 1, 2, and 3 approaches, respectively. Males, single, obese participants, and those with household income below 999,000 Lebanese pound were significantly more exposed to penicillin as compared to other participants due to their high meat consumption.
These findings will provide insight into designing future targeted awareness interventions and adapted policies as efforts toward improving rational use and intake of antibiotics for preventing the development of antibiotic resistance.
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment, have a higher risk to foodborne infections as compared to other populations. Oncology nurses, having a direct significant contact with these ...patients, could be the first information source concerning food safety and play a pivotal role in reducing these risks.
This study aims to assess the level of knowledge regarding food safety among oncology nurses, as well as their attitudes and practices in private hospitals in Lebanon.
A self-administered questionnaire was filled by Oncology nurses (n = 134) working in eighteen private hospitals in Lebanon located in Mount Lebanon (n = 11) and Beirut (n = 7).
Overall, oncology nurses scored 76%, 95%, 86.9% and 83.4% on the knowledge, attitude, and practices questions, and overall composite knowledge, attitude, practices (KAP) score, respectively. Knowledge scores were higher among nurses holding a graduate degree (mean = 85; p < 0.05), and those who attended a training course (mean = 79; p < 0.05). Attitude scores of nurses who read brochures were higher (p < 0.001). Attending conferences on food safety showed statistically significant effect on better practice scores (p < 0.001).
Accordingly, the findings highlight the need to develop standardized food safety curriculum and training necessary to allow oncology nurses to contribute to the education of cancer patients and decrease their risk of foodborne infection.
This study aims to assess the food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices among food handlers working in Lebanese hospitals and to explore the association between the obtained scores, handler ...socio-demographic and working characteristics.
An observational cross-sectional study was carried out, using a semi-administered, semi-structured questionnaire interviewing 254 food handlers working in 13 different hospitals located in Beirut (n = 7) and Mount Lebanon (n = 6).
The mean age of the 254 recruited food handlers was 37.6 ± 10.3 years, 63.8% were males, 60.1% had primary level education and the majority (90%) had previously received a course on food safety in hospitals. The most incorrect practice was thawing food at room temperature (72.8%). On average, food handlers scored 59.2%, 83.7% and 83.2% on the knowledge, attitudes and practices questions, respectively and 75.4% on the overall knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP) score. Knowledge scores were significantly higher among food handlers who attended a training course (60.8%, p = 0.001), working in government and hospitals not affiliated to university (71.3%, p = 0.013 and 60.5%, p = 0.013, respectively). Respondents who served for more than 21 years in university-affiliated hospitals were significantly (p < 0.001) more likely to have positive attitudes. The reported practices and overall KAP scores were significantly higher among those who had been working for more than 21 years, in government hospitals. Men scored better than women for practices scores (85.2%, 79.6%, p = 0.001).
Results strongly emphasize the need for continuous food safety interventions, training sessions and food hygiene regulations to enhance food handlers' knowledge and improve food safety in hospitals.
•254 food handlers from 13 hospitals located in Beirut and Mount Lebanon were recruited.•Food handlers showed very poor knowledge of food vehicles associated with foodborne diseases.•More than 21 years of service increases the awareness of the handlers.•Food safety training programs are needed for food handlers in hospitals.•There is an urgent need to enforce quality control measures in Lebanese hospitals.
Aims: The Syrian conflict has generated a large flow of refugees, more than one million of them located in Lebanon. Very few studies were conducted on mental health of Syrian refugees. The objective ...of this study was to examine post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and to determine the associated risk factors in a sample of Syrian refugees living in North Lebanon. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted, during February and March 2016, on a random sample of 450 (84.67% women and 15.33% men) Syrian refugees, aged between 14 and 45 years, living in North Lebanon. Each participant was interviewed individually using the Primary Care-PTSD (PC-PTSD) screening tool, translated into Arabic, with a back-translation to the original language to verify its accuracy. Reporting three or more PTSD symptoms was defined as a positive screen. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the prevalence of a positive PTSD screen and associations with socio- demographic and health-related characteristics. Results: The prevalence of positive PTSD screen in our sample of Syrian refugees was 47.3%. There were statistically significant associations between a positive PTSD screen and being a woman (P=0.011), married (P<0.001), older than 18 years (P=0.006), having chronic medical conditions (P<0.001) and reporting more than 2 stressful life events (P<0.001). Conclusion: The results of this survey are alarming, with high proportions of refugees at risk for PTSD. Early screening may help identify individuals who would benefit from interventions to improve mental health. Keywords: post-traumatic stress disorder, refugees, war, mental health, Middle-East, screening. Keywords: Post-traumatic stress disorder, refugees, war, mental health, Middle-East, screening Abbreviations: BMI--Body Mass Index; CS--Collective Shelters; DSM-4--Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Version 4; DSM-5--Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Version 5; IRB--Institutional Review Board; ITSs Individual Tented Settlements; kg--kilograms; m--meters; NDU--Notre Dame University; PC-PTSD--Primary Care Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; PHCs--Primary Health Care Centres; PTSD--Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; SLE--Stressful Life Events; SPSS Statistical Package for Social Science; UNHCR--United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
In 1996 we conducted a cross-sectional survey to study the epidemiology of smoking among Kuwaiti adults.
The 4000 participants were selected using a three-stage stratified cluster sampling design. ...Altogether 3859 participants (1798 males, 2061 females) returned a completed self-administered questionnaire.
The prevalence of smoking was 34.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 32.2-36.6) among men and 1.9% (95% CI = 1.3-2.5) among women. Among men, the highest prevalence (56.5%; 95% CI = 36.2-76.8) was observed in the youngest age group (< or = 20 years). Among women the highest prevalence was observed in one of the older age groups (46-50 years) (7.1%; 95% CI = 3.1-11.1). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the following factors were independently associated with smoking: lower levels of education (odds ratio (OR) 3.5; 95% CI = 1.5-8.4), lower employment grade (OR = 4.1; 2.5-6.7), and being a separated, divorced, or widowed woman (OR = 4.9; 95% CI = 2.0-11.8). The majority of smokers (68%) began smoking when younger than 20 years; significantly more men (70%) than women (33%) began smoking at these ages (P < 0.0001). On average, men began smoking at an earlier age (18 years vs 21 years; P < 0.001) and therefore had smoked for a longer period (15 years vs 12 years; P < 0.05); men also consumed a higher number of cigarettes each day (26 vs 17; P < 0.05). A large proportion of smokers were ignorant about the health consequences of passive smoking: about 77% of those with children reported that they smoked in the presence of their children. Almost half (47%) of all smokers stated that they wanted to stop smoking, and about 56% had attempted to quit. The biggest perceived barrier to quitting was uncertainty about "how to quit". A total of 338 respondents (8.8%; 95% CI = 5.8-11.9) were classified as former smokers. About half of the former smokers had quit between the ages of 20 and 29 years; the average age of quitting was 28 years. Former smokers were more likely to have smoked fewer cigarettes per day and to have smoked for significantly less time than current smokers.
Given the fact that free education is provided at all levels by the government, anti-tobacco education and awareness should be included as an integral part of the curriculum in schools and colleges.
A national cross-sectional survey was conducted to document the prevalence and determinants of violence against nurses in healthcare facilities in Kuwait. It involved all nurses employed in all types ...of health-related facilities and available in the country in May 1999. The questionnaire was completed by 5876 nurses (85% females, 88% non-Kuwaitis). Verbal violence had been experienced in the 6 previous months by 48% of the group, and physical violence by 7%. There was no physical harm reported in 63% of cases of physical violence. Physical abusers were mostly patients (51%). Compared to nurses who had never experienced physical violence, those who had experienced some were more likely to be male, non-Kuwaiti, to have had a shorter professional experience, and to be working in a hospital rather than in a primary healthcare center. The experience of nurses with violence is still relatively rare in Kuwait. Communication with patients and their entourage of family members and/or close friends is needed to clarify expectations and to avoid frustration and angry verbal outbursts.
Purpose: To estimate the age patterns in cumulative probability of smoking initiation among Kuwaiti adult males and to study the differentials in smoking initiation in relation to factors such as ...age-cohort, marital status, educational level, income, type of residence, and history of smoking among family members and friends. Methods: A stratified three stage cluster sampling design was implemented for the selection of the sample. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 1798 Kuwaiti adult males working in different ministries. Results and implications: Of the 1798 respondents, 34.4% were classified as current smokers, 17.7% as former smokers and 47.9% as non-smokers. The highest probability of smoking initiation (among current and former smokers) was found for the age group 15–20 years, where almost 29% of the respondents initiated smoking. In the univariate analysis, marital status, education, income, type of residence, and history of smoking among family members and friends showed significant variation in the age-patterns of initiation. In the Cox proportional hazard regression model, education, type of residence, and history of smoking among family members and friends were found to be independently associated with the risk of initiation. The highest risk of initiation (Relative Risk (RR)=1.85; 95% CI: 1.62–2.10) was found among those who had a history of smoking in family and friends. Individuals in the lowest education category (RR=1.64; 95% CI: 1.32–2.04) and those residing in apartments (RR=1.65; 95% CI: 1.43–1.92) were at a higher risk of initiation compared with those who had university education or those who resided in villas. The results of the study should prompt further efforts to develop tobacco control policies in Kuwait and the other Arabian Gulf countries to help establish norms for not initiating smoking through persistent messages to not start or to stop smoking. There is also a need to enhance awareness about the influence of smokers in family or friends on other people to initiate smoking.
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