Recommendations of the First Conference on Obesity and Physical Activity in the Arab countries. Held in Bahrain, 24-26 September, 2002.
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This article reviews the sexual and reproductive health situation of young people aged 10-24 in the Arab states and Iran, based on published and unpublished literature and interviews with 51 key informants working mostly in NGOs and international agencies in the region. There are few national government programmes addressing young people's sexual and reproductive health, with the exceptions of Tunisia and Iran, and a lack of population-based data to guide such programmes. Although the strong emphasis on the integrity and strength of the family unit has a protective effect, young people lack access to information. Education curricula that include these topics are rare and where they do exist, relevant sections are frequently skipped over by teachers, who are unprepared. Health service providers neither recognise the needs of this age group nor make young people welcome, particularly those who are unmarried. Increased education and employment mean the age at marriage is rising, but unprotected forms of marriage are also reported. Taboos surrounding discussion of sexuality remain a key constraint, and data on unwanted pregnancy and abortion, violence against women, and STIs/HIV/AIDS are limited. Building on NGO models and existing efforts, there is a need for the development of national programmes to support the well-being of young people in this region.
Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by larval Echinococcus granulosus is a zoonosis of major public health importance throughout the region comprising Arab North Africa and the Middle East. Prevalence rates are determined by epizootiological factors related to the size of stray dog population and its worm burden and to the infection rates in the intermediate host reservoir livestock population. Socio-economic development and socio-cultural practices are considered important determinants in the continued transmission of the disease. The reasons why CE remains a significant public health problem in the region are summarized.
The effects of six predictor variables, drivers' age, monthly income, years of education, sex, marital status, and nationality on perception of traffic signs were modeled through regression techniques. The populations sampled here were from Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman. A total of 28 posted regulatory and warning signs were investigated. A questionnaire especially prepared for this study was distributed to 9,000 drivers in the five states, out of which 4,774 responded (53%). The drivers were selected according to stratified choice-based random sampling technique. Two prediction models were developed for assessment of drivers' recognition of regulatory and warning signs.
Using data on 9762 women from the 1997 Yemen Demographic and Maternal and Child Health Survey, this paper examines the prevalence and socioeconomic correlates of consanguineous marriages in Yemen. The results indicate that 40% of marriages are consanguineous, over 85% of which are between first cousins. The prevalence of consanguineous marriages appears to have increased over time, particularly for the last marriage cohort. As for socioeconomic correlates, the study confirms the inverse association between consanguineous marriages and women's education and occupation, age at marriage and economic status. However, no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of consanguinity has been found by place of residence and geographical region. Somewhat unexpected results have been obtained by husband's background characteristics, with higher educated men and those working in the modern sector of the economy being more likely to be married to cousins.
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One of the main obstacles to tobacco control in the Middle East lies in the shortage of reliable, standardised data on the spread and patterns of tobacco use in society. In Syria, a project aiming at drawing an epidemiological map of the tobacco epidemic in this country was started 4 years ago. Overall, nine studies have resulted, with a total of 6780 participants. The crude prevalence of current smoking among adults in Syria, based on combined information from all studies, is 48% and 9% for males and females, respectively. The prevalence of current smoking among high school adolescents is 16% and 7% for boys and girls, respectively, and was strongly associated with parental and sibling smoking. High school students from families with parents and/or siblings who smoked were 4.4 times more likely to be current smokers than those from non-smoking families. The biggest influx of new smokers among males in Syria is occurring in the early twenties, but an earlier pattern can occur among youths with low academic performance or socioeconomic status. Smoking in women, evaluated by data from physicians, tends to start later than in men and continues to increase with age. Women's smoking in Syria is related to their level of social liberalisation. Data show that active smoking is associated with an increased risk of respiratory diseases among smokers, and that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is associated with an increased risk of respiratory symptoms in children. Knowledge about the harmful effects of smoking and the desire to quit are disproportionate to the rate of successful cessation. The evidence collected indicates possible avenues for tobacco control in Syria, including price increases, smoking cessation programmes, restriction of adolescents' access to cigarettes, and intensive prevention work among women.
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"This paper will discuss the factors which affect natural fertility in the Middle East and North Africa based on data collected recently in selected countries of the region. First, however, it will consider conceptual approaches to the study of the intermediate fertility variables and problems in applying the concept of natural fertility to contemporary populations."
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