Prevalence of Elevated Blood Pressure and Association with Obesity in Egyptian School Adolescents

Aim. To investigate the relationship between high blood pressure (HBP) and obesity in Egyptian adolescents. Methods. A cross-sectional study of 1500 adolescents (11–19 years) in Alexandria, Egypt, was conducted. Resting BP was measured and measurements were categorized using the 2004 fourth report on blood pressure screening recommendations. Additional measures included height, weight, and waist and hip circumferences. Obesity was determined based on BMI, waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) indicators. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were used as measures of association between BP and obesity. Results. Prevalence rates of prehypertension and hypertension were 5.7% and 4.0%, respectively. Obesity was seen in 34.6%, 16.1%, 4.5%, and 16.7% according to BMI, WHR, WC, and WHtR, respectively. Adjusting for confounders, HBP was significantly associated with overall obesity based on BMI (OR = 2.18, 95%, CI = 1.38-3.44) and central obesity based on WC (OR = 3.14, 95%, CI = 1.67-5.94). Conclusion. Both overall obesity and central obesity were significant predictors of HBP in Egyptian adolescents

Effectiveness of different methods of health education: A comparative assessment in a scientific conference

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Every individual mode of health education has its own merits, drawbacks as well as their own sphere of effectiveness. A specific mode of communication is more useful in a specific setting on a specific group than others. To search for optimum mode of communication for a specific audience is a major area of research in health education. The issue of imparting health education to a gathering of educated people, representing different fields of knowledge has remained a relatively less lighted aspect of health education research. In this backdrop this study was initiated for making a comparative assessment of different methods of dissemination of health education among educated people. METHODS: A cross-sectional interviewer administered questionnaire survey was conducted involving 142 randomly selected subjects during the last session of a five-day conference having health as main theme when the opinion of the delegates regarding different communication methods was asked for. Collected data was analyzed not only to find out the optimum mode of education dissemination in such a setting but also to find the contribution of different factors in the preferences of the study subjects. RESULTS: The participants opted more (60%) for focused programs of smaller audience (sectional program). In both broad area (main program) and focused area programs (sectional), the participants preferred lectures (62% and 65.7% respectively). Specific topics were preferred both in lectures (67.6%) and symposia (57.7%). In the exhibition, exhibits seemed to be more attractive (62%) than the posters. Qualification has emerged to be a contributing factor in peoples' choice towards sectional programme and also in their affinity to symposia. Increased age was a significant contributor in participants' preference towards specific topics. Physical barriers of communication appeared to be a problem in the main program as well as in the exhibition. Lack of coherence among the speakers was reported (69%) to be a major reason for which symposia was not preferred. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that while planning for health education dissemination in an educated group a focused programme should be formulated in small groups preferably in the form of lectures on specific topics, more so while dealing with participants of higher age group having higher educational qualification

Untreated severe dental decay: a neglected determinant of low Body Mass Index in 12-year-old Filipino children

Contains fulltext : 98500.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Dental decay is the most common childhood disease worldwide and most of the decay remains untreated. In the Philippines caries levels are among the highest in the South East Asian region. Elementary school children suffer from high prevalence of stunting and underweight.The present study aimed to investigate the association between untreated dental decay and Body Mass Index (BMI) among 12-year-old Filipino children. METHODS: Data collection was part of the National Oral Health Survey, a representative cross-sectional study of 1951 11-13-year-old school children using a modified, stratified cluster sampling design based on population classifications of the Philippine National Statistics Office. Caries was scored according to WHO criteria (1997) and odontogenic infections using the PUFA index. Anthropometric measures were performed by trained nurses. Some socio-economic determinants were included as potential confounding factors. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of caries (DMFT + dmft > 0) was 82.3% (95%CI; 80.6%-84.0%). The overall prevalence of odontogenic infections due to caries (PUFA + pufa > 0) was 55.7% (95% CI; 53.5%-57.9%) The BMI of 27.1% (95%CI; 25.1%-29.1%) of children was below normal, 1% (95%CI; 0.5%-1.4%) had a BMI above normal. The regression coefficient between BMI and caries was highly significant (p 0) as compared to those without odontogenic infections had an increased risk of a below normal BMI (OR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.19-1.80). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first-ever representative survey showing a significant association between caries and BMI and particularly between odontogenic infections and below normal BMI. An expanded model of hypothesised associations is presented that includes progressed forms of dental decay as a significant, yet largely neglected determinant of poor child development

The Outcome of Sacrocolpopexy/Sacrohysteropexy for Patients with Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Predictors of Anatomical Failure

Jawaher A Alsahabi,1,2 Saeed Alsary,1,2 Mostafa A Abolfotouh2 1Department Urogynecology & Reconstructive Female Pelvic Surgery, King Abdul-Aziz Medical City, King Saud Ben Abdu Aziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, 22490, Saudi Arabia; 2King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Saud Ben Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, 11481, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Mostafa A Abolfotouh, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center/ King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh/Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, POB 22490, Riyadh, 11426, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected]: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a medical condition that profoundly impacts women’s quality of life. Unfortunately, the literature lacks long–term predictors and risk factors for its recurrence. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of Sacrocolpopexy/Sacrohysteropexy and to identify the predictors of recurrence in a Saudi setting.Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, all patients who underwent Sacrocolpopexy (n=144) and Sacrohysteropexy (n=56) between 2009– 2021 were followed up. Electronic medical records were examined to collect data on the following: Patient characteristics [age, parity, BMI, and past medical and surgical history], prolapse-related characteristics/symptoms, Surgery-related characteristics [type and approach of surgery, mesh type, and concomitant surgery], and Outcome characteristics. Postoperative anatomical success and failure rates were determined according to the Baden-Walker classification. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify the predictors of overall anatomical failure of Sacrocolpopexy. Significance was considered at p< 0.05.Results: Success rates of 96.8%, 99.4%, and 85.2% were detected in the anterior, apical, and posterior vaginal prolapse, respectively, with an overall success rate of 83.1%. The overall failure rate was 15.9%, with an incidence density of 5.98 per 100 women-years. The onset of failure in 27 failure cases ranged from 40 days to 11.5 years postoperative. After adjustment for the possible potential confounders, older age (OR=1.06, 95% CI:1.01‒1.13, p=0.03) and the presence of diabetes (OR=4.93, 95% CI:1.33‒18.33, p=0.02) were the only significant predictors of operation failure. As for complications, six cases (3.6%) required reoperation, two cases (1.2%) had a bowel obstruction two and seven years after surgery, and one patient (0.6%) had vaginal mesh exposure.Conclusion: The outcomes of Sacrocolpopexy/Sacrohysteropexy in our study are comparable to those in previous studies. Diabetes and elder age at the time of the surgery played a role in predicting recurrence. Sacrocolpopexy has a long–term profile of safety and efficacy. These findings could be key to stratifying surgical plans for pelvic organ prolapse cases.Keywords: pelvic organ prolapse, Sacrocolpopexy, Sacrohysteropexy, laparoscopy, mesh complications, prolapse recurrence, surgical failure, success rat