The determinants of sustained adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures among older Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Acknowledgments The authors thank the participants at the Economic Research Forum annual conference in March 2022 for comments. Funding: SA and HG received the ELRHA Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises award (Number 51538) for "Tracking adherence of older refugees to COVID-19 preventive measures in response to changing vulnerabilities: A multi-level, panel study to inform humanitarian response in Lebanon". This work was supported by ELRHA’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crisis (R2HC) Programme, which aims to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions in humanitarian crises. R2HC is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Wellcome, and the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The views expressed herein should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of the NRC or ELRHA. The funding agency was not involved in the data collection, analysis or interpretation. ELRHA: https://www.elrha.org/programme/research-for-health-in-humanitarian-crises/ The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Systematic review on the impacts of agricultural interventions on food security and nutrition in complex humanitarian emergency settings

Abstract Complex humanitarian emergencies are a main driver of food and nutritional insecurity. Agricultural interventions are key to improving nutrition and food security, and their positive impacts are well-documented in stable developing countries. However, it is unclear if their positive effects on food security hold in complex emergency settings, too. In this paper, we systematically review empirical articles that apply rigorous designs to assess the causal impacts of agricultural interventions on food security, nutrition, or health outcomes in complex humanitarian emergencies. We only find six articles matching these criteria, which have mixed results on dietary diversity and food security, and little evidence on child nutrition. Our review underscores the need for more rigorous research on the impacts of agricultural interventions in complex humanitarian emergency settings

The determinants of sustained adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures among older Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Introduction Lebanon has battled the COVID-19 pandemic in the midst of an economic crisis. The evolution of the pandemic and a fragile health system have meant that public health policy has had to rely heavily on non-pharmaceutical interventions for disease control. However, changes in disease dynamics, an unraveling economy, and pandemic fatigue have meant that disease control policies need to be updated. Methods Using recent and timely data on older (50 years and above) Syrian refugees in Lebanon, this paper uses multivariate linear probability models to explore the determinants of adherence to two non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 prevention measures (wearing a mask and avoiding social gatherings) among this high-risk subgroup in a vulnerable population. Among respondents who report adhering to these measures, the paper also investigates the determinants of sustained adherence over a period of 6 months. Results The findings suggest that no individual-level characteristics were robustly associated with mask wearing. For avoiding social gatherings, education was inversely associated with adherence to this preventive measure. Avoiding social gatherings was also significantly lower for residents of informal tented settlements (ITSs). Among initial adherents, and for both preventive practices, ITS dwellers were also significantly less likely to maintain adherence. Conclusion Identifying variables associated with adherence to non-pharmaceutical preventive practices, particularly for vulnerable groups, can help inform and refine interventions in the face of changing conditions. The material, physical, administrative and socio-economic constraints of life in an ITS suggest that avoiding social gatherings is hardly feasible. Yet despite the challenging conditions of ITSs, the indication to wear a mask is initially complied with, suggesting that tailoring policies to the limits and constrains of context can lead to successful outcomes even in very adverse settings

Predictors and barriers to vaccination among older Syrian refugees in Lebanon : a cross-sectional analysis of a multi-wave longitudinal study

Acknowledgments This work was supported by ELRHA's Research for Health in Humanitarian Crisis (R2HC) Programme, which aims to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions in humanitarian crises. R2HC is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Wellcome Trust, and the UK National Institute for Health Research. The views expressed herein should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of the Norwegian Refugee Council or ELRHA. We thank Noura Salibi and Maria El Haddad for their support and expertise throughout all aspects of the research study, including data monitoring, cleaning, and analysis. We also acknowledge BOT (Bridge. Outsource. Transform) for their assistance in collecting the data required for the success of this study and the study participants for their participation. Funding ELRHA's Research for Health in Humanitarian Crisis Programme.Peer reviewedPublisher PD