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PubMed2002

Iron deficiency anaemia among children and pregnant women in the Arab Gulf countries: the need for action.

Anaemia, especially iron deficiency anaemia, has been considered one of the main public health problems in the Arab Gulf countries. This paper explores the magnitude of the problem and factors that contribute to the high prevalence of anaemia in these countries. The prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia among preschool children ranged from 20% to 67%, while that among school children ranged from 12.6% to 50%. The percentage of pregnant women who suffered from this anaemia ranged from 22.7% to 54%. Infant feeding practices, food habits, parasitic infection, parity, early age at marriage, and geographical location are among the most important factors associated with iron deficiency anaemia in this region. Programmes to prevent and control this anaemia, are urgently needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Caesarean section rates in the Arab region: a cross-national study.

This study had a dual purpose of estimating population- and hospital-based caesarean section rates in 18 Arab countries and examining the association between these rates and important indicators of socioeconomic development. Data on caesarean section were based on the most recent population-based surveys undertaken in each country. Descriptive statistics and bivariate correlation coefficients were used for the analysis. Specifically, Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were used to analyze the associations between caesarean section rates and important population parameters. Results revealed that four Arab countries had population-based caesarean rates below 5%, while only three countries had rates above 15%. The remaining 11 countries had caesarean rates ranging between 5-15%. Higher hospital-based rates were reported for all countries. Differences in caesarean section rates between private and public hospitals were also noted. Highly significant associations were observed between population caesarean rates and female literacy, percentage urban, infant mortality rate, and the proportion of physicians per 100 000 people. The "caesarean section epidemic" observed in countries of Latin America is not yet evident in the 18 Arab countries examined. Rather, emphasis should be on improving access to appropriate obstetrical interventions in case of complications in a number of countries where rates were well below 5%.

Arab World↗
PubMed1987

[Immigration in the countries of the Gulf: some specific aspects].

"This essay analyses some aspects of the in-migration flows to the Gulf countries, coming from other Arab countries as well as developing nations. Since the 80's, the Gulf countries have endorsed a restrictive policy concerning manpower import, even though they still need foreign workers. The Gulf countries pursue this policy as they fear that the presence of millions of foreign labourers will create social tension. The situation of the foreign labour force is uncertain and is bound to the role of the middleman, the local kafil, and that of the recruiting agencies. Rotation of foreign workers is very high. It has reached the 10 million mark in ten years." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

Acculturation↗
PubMed2005

Influence of known psychosocial smoking risk factors on Egyptian adolescents' cigarette smoking behavior.

The morbidity and mortality associated with cigarette smoking is shifting from the developed world to developing countries, especially developing Arab countries. One such country is Egypt, which has the highest rate of tobacco consumption in the Arab world. To curb the rising smoking epidemic in Egypt, appropriate adolescent smoking prevention programs need to be developed. Most of the effective adolescent smoking prevention programs are based on the social influence approach, which targets the proximal psychosocial variables believed to promote adolescent smoking. However, most of our understanding of adolescents' psychosocial smoking risk factors is based mainly on Western studies. Whether these factors have the same influence on Egyptian adolescents' smoking behavior has not been investigated to date. An understanding of the psychosocial correlates of smoking behavior among Egyptian adolescents may help in designing the appropriate smoking prevention program aimed at this population. This study reports the results of a cross-sectional survey administered to a random sample of 1930 students in grades 7, 9 and 12 in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, in May 2003. Adolescent smoking behavior was positively associated with positive beliefs about smoking, sibling, parent and peer smoking, and social smoking norms, with sibling smoking and perceived adult smoking norms having a stronger influence on adolescents' smoking behavior than peer smoking and perceived peer smoking norms. Refusal self-efficacy was protective against smoking behavior, while knowledge of the short-term negative consequences of smoking was protective against susceptibility to future smoking among females only. The results suggest that adolescents from collective cultures, like Egypt, are more influenced by their family's smoking behavior and perceived adult smoking norms than their peers' smoking behavior and perceived peer smoking norms. Smoking prevention programs aimed at Egyptian adolescents should be accompanied by smoking cessation programs for the family and adult community members.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Urbanization and national development: the quest for appropriate human settlement policies in the Arab world.

"The subject matter of this paper is policy perspectives of human settlement of the Arab countries in the light of the rapid urbanization trends largely resulting from the economic growth of the last two decades or so.... Section A analyzes the human settlement structure of the Arab countries and the urbanization processes of the recent past, and Section B picks up the threads from various documents and field observation to see what certain countries have done to solve the emerging problems and what directions their policies might take in the future." The paper is based on aggregate national data for 20 countries and on case studies of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Sudan, and Tunisia.

Africa↗
PubMed2001

The Spectrum of beta-Thalassemia Mutations in the Arab Populations.

The Arab countries encompass a wide region stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean. The Arab population is quite heterogeneous and has experienced various invasions and migrations throughout history. beta-thalassemia is endemic in all countries of the Arab world. Our review of the molecular basis of beta-thalassemia in various Arab countries reveals the presence of 52 mutations, which are mostly of Mediterranean and Asian origin. The distribution of mutations reflects the geographical and historical backgrounds of each region. However, no specific mutation is confined to the Arabs, although some Arab countries do have unique mutations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Cross-national study of attitudes towards seeking professional help: Jordan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Arabs in Israel.

BACKGROUND: Help-seeking processes provide critical links between the onset of mental health problems and the provision of professional care. But little is known about these processes in the Arab world, and still less in transnational, comparative terms. This is the first study to compare help-seeking processes among Muslim Arab female students in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Israel. AIMS: The present study compares the attitudes of Arab Muslim female students from Israel, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) towards mental health treatment. METHOD: A convenience sample of 262 female Muslim-Arab undergraduate university students from Jordan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Arab students in Israel completed a modified Orientation for Seeking Professional Help (OSPH) Questionnaire. RESULTS: Data revealed that nationality was not statistically significant as a variable in a positive attitude towards seeking professional help; year of study, marital status and age were found to be significant predictors of a positive attitude towards seeking help. High proportions of respondents among the nationalities referred to God through prayer during times of psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: The discussion considers implications for professional service delivery and programme development. Future research could extrapolate findings to other Arab countries and to Arab peoples living in the non-Arab world.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1986

Population structure in the Arab world and its impact on integration and development trends.

The author examines three issues: "population structure in the Arab world; trends making for integration and unity among the Arab countries; and economic and social development trends." Data from the United Nations for 1985 and from recent censuses are used to discuss population size, growth, and spatial distribution; the labor force; age and sex distribution; and fertility, mortality, and natural increase. Figures are presented separately for 22 Arab countries. Attention is then given to the relationships between population structure and economic and social development and between development and Arab unity and integration.

Africa↗
PubMed2006

Distribution of hepatitis C virus genotypes in the Middle East.

It is well established that hepatitis C develops into cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) both of which are fatal diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that there are at least 21.3 million hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers in the Eastern Mediterranean countries, which is close to the number of carriers estimated in the Americas and Europe combined. With such a high disease burden of HCV infection in this part of the world, and in light of the new evidence that genotypes may influence the outcome of antiviral therapy, the focus of this review is on the epidemiology and distribution of HCV genotypes in the Eastern Mediterranean countries. Accumulated data show that there are two main patterns for the distribution of HCV genotypes in the Middle East: in the first pattern, genotype 4 is prevalent in most of the Arab countries, and in the second pattern, genotype 1a or 1b predominates in the non-Arab countries. Results from the limited number of clinical trials on the treatment of chronic HCV genotype 4 using peginterferon alfa-2b in combination with ribavirin are encouraging. However, efforts to develop more effective antiviral therapies and the establishment of an effective HCV vaccine remain the largest challenges for the near future.

Genotype↗
PubMed1997

Child survival in Beirut during wartime: time trends and socio-religious differentials.

BACKGROUND: Child mortality estimates in Beirut are presented for the late 1970s and the mid 1980s, and changes in socio-religious differentials of mortality across time are investigated. METHODS: Baseline information was obtained from maternity registries in Beirut in 1984 and 1991. Age of mother, number of children ever born and number of children alive, hospitalization class (1, 2 or 3 within each hospital, depending on the room rate, the services and the doctor's fees), and religion of newborn was recorded. Brass and Macrae's technique was used to convert the proportion dead among children ever born to mothers in age group 30-34 into 5q0 estimates for the reference periods 1978 (1984 data) and 1985 (1991 data). Using hospitalization class as a proxy for social class, religious differentials in child mortality were explored by logistic regression analysis within each period. RESULTS: Overall, 5q0 is estimated at 46 per 1000 in the late 1970s, and at 36 per 1000 in the mid 1980s. The religious differentials in 5q0 mortality estimates were quite large in the former period, with a risk for Muslims relative to Christians of 1.53, which declined to 1.35 in the latter period. The regression analysis of the proportion dead among children ever born; (1) confirmed the magnitude of the religious differentials in child mortality, and their reduction over time; (2) demonstrated the existence of an interaction between religion and social class, as the religious differentials in child mortality were found to be highly prevalent in the lower social classes, and almost insignificant in the middle and upper ones; (3) highlighted the decisive role of differential fertility in generating differential child mortality, with higher fertility and higher child mortality in Muslims, and with the disappearance of religious differentials in child mortality after adjustment for fertility. CONCLUSION: The findings confirm the hypothesis of a reduction over time of religious-based child mortality differences in the capital city of Lebanon, in agreement with the pattern found for religious-based fertility differences. Comparisons with other countries in the region indicate that the war in Lebanon has slowed down the decline in child mortality, causing the country to loose its priviledged position among Arab countries.

Child↗
PubMed2005

Mental health publications from the Arab world cited in PubMed, 1987-2002.

The study aimed to identify mental health publications in Arab countries cited in PubMed from 1987 to 2002 and to analyse the year of publication, journal and field of research, specifically for child and adolescent mental health studies. A PubMedsearch was performed for all mental health publications followed by an analysis of child and adolescent mental health citations. The total number of mental health research citations published in Arab countries over the last 15 years was 338, 1.2% of the total number of citations for biomedical research; 17% were on child and adolescent mental health. The most dynamic fields of mental health research are anxiety and mood disorders and substance abuse. Child psychiatry, especially attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and child autism, are not gaining much interest from Arab researchers.

Adolescent Psychiatry↗
PubMed1998

Incidence of hip fracture in Kuwait.

BACKGROUND: Hip fracture as a consequence of osteoporosis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among the elderly. Due to improving life expectancy, the number of elderly individuals is increasing more rapidly in the developing countries of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Incidence of hip fracture, which rises exponentially with age, varies substantially between countries and according to the age, sex, and ethnic distribution of the population. Highest rates are observed in Scandinavia and in whites in the US, intermediate in western Europe, and the lowest rates in Asia. Little is known about the epidemiology of hip fractures in the Middle Eastern populations. In particular, there are no published reports from any of the Arab countries. We have therefore estimated the incidence of hip fracture in Kuwait and compared it with other populations. METHODS: The study was conducted at a specialized orthopaedic hospital which provides services to residents in the three governorates--representing about 70% of the total population of Kuwait. All new hip fracture patients who were operated on or treated conservatively during the 4-year period (1992-1995) were included in the study. Hip fracture was defined as clinical and radiological evidence of fracture of the proximal femur. For comparison with other populations, age-specific incidence rates in females and males aged > or =50 years were standardized to the 1985 US population. RESULTS: A total of 513 cases of hip fracture (205 females, 308 males) were recorded during the study period: 293 (57.1%) cases occurred among Kuwaiti nationals and 220 (42.9%) among non-Kuwaitis (expatriates). Age-standardized rates (per 100,000) of hip fractures were, in Kuwaitis, 295 for females (95% CI: 238.8-350.8) and 200 for males (95% CI: 163.3-236.5)--much higher than those observed in other Asian countries such as Korea, Singapore, China, Malaysia, and Japan (41-202 for females, 49-100 for males). Rates in Kuwaiti females were similar to those observed in some of the European countries (Italy, UK, France) and in Asian females in the US. In contrast, rates in Kuwaiti males, which were relatively high, were almost equal to those observed in white males in the US. Rates of hip fracture in non-Kuwaitis (374 for females [95% CI: 247.6-500.8], 215 for males [95% CI: 126.5-302.9]), who predominantly (96%) originate from southeast Asian and Arab countries, were similar to those observed in Kuwaiti nationals. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of hip fracture in the Kuwaiti population is higher than that reported from other countries in Asia and is comparable to the incidence in some of the western European and North American populations.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

The frequency of 14 beta-thalassemia mutations in the Arab populations.

The beta-thalassemias are a heterogeneous group with respect to molecular pathogenesis, and different populations and ethnic groups differ with respect to the predominating mutations. This variable spectrum of beta-thalassemia mutations has resulted in extensive studies in each population and ethnic group to identify the major mutations. In this study we investigated the prevalence of 14 mutations in 253 beta-thalassemia patients drawn from eight Arab countries (i.e. Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia), living in Saudi Arabia and attending Ministry of Health hospitals. The mutations investigated included IVS-I-110 (G-->A), IVS-II-1 (G-->A), IVS-I-5 (G-->C), codon 39 (C-->T), IVS-I-1 (G-->A), frameshift at codons 8/9 (+G), frameshift at codons 41/42 (-TTCT), codon 15 (TGG-->TAG), IVS-I-6 (T-->C), frameshift at codon 16 (-C), IVS-II-745 (C-->G), codon 6(-A), IVS-I, 3' end (-25 bp), and Cap +1 (A-->C). The most frequently encountered mutations were IVS-I-110 and IVS-II-1 which were identified in the population of each Arab country. The IVS-I-1 and IVS-II-745 mutations were encountered in Jordanians, Egyptians, and Syrians. The IVS-I-5, codon 39, codon 6, IVS-I, 3' end (-25 bp), and Cap +1 mutations were encountered only in Saudis and not in other Arabs, except codon 39 which was present in the Syrians and Lebanese. Other mutations were generally rare and not specific to any Arab ethnic group. This paper presents preliminary data on the prevalence of 14 mutations in the Arab populations and shows wide variation in the molecular basis of beta-thalassemia in different Arab ethnic groups. Further detailed studies to identify the entire spectrum of beta-thalassemia mutations are stressed.

Arabs↗
PubMed2002

Impact of Nephrology publications from Saudi Arabia in the last decade.

OBJECTIVE: To study the present situation with regards to the research output in Nephrology from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in terms of numbers, type, institution and fields covered. METHODS: An extensive Medline search of Nephrologists working in KSA, as well research output from KSA was undertaken; in addition, all Nephrologists were contacted. All papers appearing in the Saudi Medical Journal, Annals of Saudi Medicine and The Saudi Journal for Kidney Diseases and Transplantation were screened for the years 1992-2001. RESULTS: An average of 45 papers per year appeared over the last 10 years with no major changes over the years. Half were in the indexed Journals. Whereas, 61% were original articles, the majority of the papers (78.2%) were retrospective in nature and 89.9% were clinical. The majority were concerned with transplantation (34.1%) and hemodialysis (24.4%). It is of interest to note that KSA leads other Arab countries in the number of publications in Nephrology and it has a highest total percentage of medical publications compared to other Arab, and Asian countries as well as the United Kingdom, Canada and United States of America. CONCLUSION: Although KSA is leading the Arab countries in renal research, much improvement is still required especially in basic research.

Bibliometrics↗
PubMed1977

Cancer in the Africans and Arabs of Zanzibar.

Among 392 cancers histologically diagnosed in Zanzibar during 1957-62 and 1964-67, a definite pattern seems to emerge. Skin and cervix cancers were the most common types in both Africans and Arabs. Skin cancer was predominantly of the squamous cell type. The Zanzibar Arabsthus appear to be protected against basal cell carcinoma which in the Arab desert community has been diagnosed with about the same frequency as squamous-cell carcinoma. In the same manner, the Zanzibar Arab immigrants seem to have a reduced risk for stomach and oesophageal cancers, which are common in other Arab countries. This is probably because Arabs in Zanzibar have adopted the dietary habits and other customs of the Zanzibar Africans in whom cancer of the alimentary tract seems to be uncommon. On the other hand, unlike Zanzibar Africans, the Arabs have an increased risk for Hodgkin's disease similar to that of the Middle East Arab population.

Africa, Eastern↗
PubMed2005

Correlates of age at menopause and osteoporosis in Saudi women.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the age of menopause among Saudi Arabian women and to predict the local trend in the prevalence of osteoporosis. MATERIAL & METHOD: All menopausal women who had bone mineral density studies at King Khaled University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between 1999 to 2003. Correspondence and logistic regression analysis were conducted to identify variables that were positively associated with age of menopause. RESULTS: 935 postmenopausal females were included. The mean age of menopause was 48.1 +/- 5.9 years. Early and late onset of menopause were associated with osteoporosis, while normal onset of menopause was associated with osteopenia or remained normal. There was no association between age of menopause and parity or body mass index. CONCLUSION: The age of menopause among Saudi women is lower than in Western countries but similar to other Arabic countries. In addition to cultural differences genetics play a role in determining the age of menopause and the development of osteoporosis.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed2005

Death obsession in Arabic and Western countries.

The current investigation compared a measure of death obsession among 1,853 volunteer undergraduates from four Arab countries (Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Syria) with 791 from three Western countries, i.e., Britain, Spain, and the USA. Comparable Arabic, Spanish, and English versions of the Death Obsession Scale were used. The mean scores on death obsession for the Arabic participants were higher than those of their Western counterparts for both men and women.

Adult↗