Attitudes of Non-Asthmatic Children Towards Their Asthmatic Peers: Influence of interactions with asthmatic relatives and peers

Objectives: This study aimed to examine non-asthmatic children’s acceptance of and attitudes towards their asthmatic peers in Jordan. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2015 and January 2016 among 1,812 non-asthmatic children aged 9–13 years old at 10 schools in Zarqa, Jordan. Arabic versions of the Peers Attitude Towards Children with Asthma scale and the Asthma Knowledge Test for Children were used to assess attitudes towards children with asthma and asthma-related knowledge, respectively. Results: A total of 1,586 children participated in the study (response rate: 87.5%). Of these, 158 (10%) and 399 (25.2%) children reported a family history of asthma or knew at least one person with asthma, respectively. Although 50.3% stated that they would sit next to such children in the classroom, only 34.9% reported that they would be friends with an asthmatic child. However, 73.1% of the non-asthmatic children believed that asthmatic children were not pretending to be ill and 61.4% believed that such children were not ill due to their own carelessness. Female non-asthmatic children (P <0.001), those with a family history of asthma (P = 0.004) and those who knew other individuals with asthma (P <0.001) had significantly more positive attitudes towards and acceptance of their asthmatic peers. In addition, age was significantly related to attitude scores (P <0.001). However, there was no correlation between asthma-related knowledge and the children’s attitudes towards peers with asthma (P = 0.611). Conclusion: Previous interactions with asthmatic family members or peers were found to significantly influence non-asthmatic children’s attitudes towards their asthmatic peers. Keywords: Asthma; Children; Attitudes; Knowledge; Jordan

Perceived Patient Safety Culture among Healthcare Providers in Southern Jordanian Hospitals during COVID-19 Pandemic

Background:&nbsp;A good and continuous assessment of the safety culture in the area of providing services in the healthcare sector will provide an initial step towards providing safe conditions for patient care. Aims:&nbsp;This study aimed to evaluate the perception of patient safety culture among healthcare providers in southern Jordanian hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method:&nbsp;A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare providers (physicians, nurses, and their administrators). Between July and November 2021, data was gathered by an Arabic version of the Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture Questionnaire (HSPSC) from 531 healthcare providers using the convenience sample approach. In four southern Jordanian hospitals.&nbsp; Results:&nbsp;This study found that there were some areas of strength such as: organizational learning/continuous improvement, communication openness, communication about errors, supervisor, manager, or clinical support for patient safety, and hospital management support for patient safety. The reporting-related composites (response to error and reporting patient safety events), staffing, teamwork across hospital units, and information exchange were areas for improvement. Conclusion:&nbsp;There was a need for advancement in the practices of patient safety culture in southern Jordanian hospitals. Reporting-related composites, staffing, handoffs, and information exchange are areas of patient safety that need quick refinement

Individual-level determinants of waterpipe smoking demand in four Eastern-Mediterranean countries

© 2018 The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. The prevalence of waterpipe tobacco smoking in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is at alarmingly high levels, especially among young people. The objective of this research was to evaluate the preferences of young adult waterpipe smokers with respect to potential individual-level determinants of waterpipe smoking using discrete choice experiment methodology. Participants were young adult university students (18-29 years) who were ever waterpipe smokers, recruited from universities across four Eastern Mediterranean countries: Jordan, Oman, Palestine and the United Arab Emirates. The Internet-based discrete choice experiment, with 6 × 3 × 2 block design, evaluated preferences for choices of waterpipe smoking sessions, presented on hypothetical waterpipe café menus. Participants evaluated nine choice sets, each with five fruit-flavored options, a tobacco flavored option (non-flavored), and an opt-out option. Choices also varied based on nicotine content (0.0% vs. 0.05% vs. 0.5%) and price (low vs. high). Participants were randomized to receive menus with either a pictorial + text health-warning message or no message (between-subjects attribute). Multinomial logit regression models evaluated the influence of these attributes on waterpipe smoking choices. Across all four samples (n = 1859), participants preferred fruit-flavored varieties to tobacco flavor, lower nicotine content and lower prices. Exposure to the health warning did not significantly predict likelihood to opt-out. Flavor accounted for 81.4% of waterpipe smoking decisions. Limiting the use of fruit flavors in waterpipe tobacco, in addition to accurate nicotine content labeling and higher pricing may be effective at curbing the demand for waterpipe smoking among young adults

The Effect of COVID-19 on Tawjeihi Students’ Anxiety and Depression in Jordan: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: The practicing of online learning by Tawjihi students left many experiencing different levels of anxiety and depression. Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the level of anxiety and depression among the students who practiced online learning through COVID-19. Methodology: The study used convenience sampling method to collect data. The total number of sample reached 390 students. The students were selected from the University of Jordan and Applied Science University inside Amman. The other part of the sample was collected from the governmental and private schools in Amman governorate. The questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. Results: The results showed a wide variation of the conditions inside households that left deep impact on the students in Tawjihi. The previous conditions and the difficulties the families faced to save the internet with high criteria left high pressure on Tawjihi students. The results showed in the complete lockdown due to COVID-19 experienced different levels of depression and anxiety. The results showed that the students were depressed from online learning due to the difficulties they faced to reach the online sessions and the difficulty to manage the online platforms. Conclusions and recommendations: Online learning left different levels of depression and anxiety among the Tawjihi students as a result of the low experience in online. The study recommended the preparation of students and guide them on how to utilize online learning with the minimization of depression and anxiety through continuous training. &nbsp

Unhealthy eating habits among adolescent waterpipe smokers in Jordan: The Irbid-TRY study

Introduction The relationship between waterpipe smoking and eating habits among adolescents has not been investigated, thus the aim of the current study was to compare eating habits among adolescent cigarette-only, waterpipe-only, dual smokers versus non-smokers. We hypothesize that adolescent smokers practice unhealthy eating habits with worse habits among waterpipe smokers and dual smokers. Methods Using a descriptive, cross-sectional design, self-reporting patterns of waterpipe, cigarette smoking and eating habits were collected from a random representative sample of 1720 boys and girls in grades 7–10 in Northern Jordan. Results A total of 6.9%, 23.2% and 26.2% reported cigarette-only, waterpipe-only, and dual smoking, respectively. After controlling for gender, family income and education level of the mother and father, subsequent post hoc ANCOVA analyses revealed the following: mean (±SD) weekly breakfast consumption was greater in non-smokers (3.9±2.4) than waterpipe-only smokers (3.5±2.5, p=0.040) and dual smokers (3.2±2.5, p<0.000). Mean soda consumption frequency was lower in non-smokers (3.6±2.3) versus waterpipe-only (4.2±2.3, p=0.004) and dual smokers (2.7±2.2, p<0.000). Mean vegetable consumption was less in waterpipeonly (4.5±2.0, p=0.026) and dual smoking (4.4±2.0, p=0.013) smokers versus non-smokers (4.8±1.8). Mean consumption of energy drinks was the highest among dual smokers (1.2±1.9) versus non-smokers (0.5±1.4, p<0.000), cigaretteonly (0.6±1.4, p≤0.01), and waterpipe-only (0.6±1.4, p<0.000) smokers. Conclusions Overall, both waterpipe and dual smoking are associated with several unhealthy eating habits in adolescents. Given the growing epidemic of tobacco smoking in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, especially adolescent waterpipe smoking, and its association with unhealthy eating habits, public health actions and enforcing policies to decrease uptake of waterpipe smoking as well as improving food choices in schools among youth are urgently needed

Unintentional Injuries and Violence among Adults in Northern Jordan: A Hospital-Based Retrospective Study

Injuries (unintentional and intentional) are the main cause of death and disability worldwide, including Jordan. The main purpose of this hospital-based retrospective study was to identify characteristics, causes, and risk factors of unintentional injuries and violence among all adult patients who approached the Accidents and Emergency department because of injury in Northern Jordan. Data were collected retrospectively from four major hospitals from January 2008 to January 2013. A total of 2425 Jordanian individuals who accessed and were treated by the four hospitals were included in this study. The findings show that the majority of patients who approached the Accidents and Emergency departments in the four hospitals were males (n = 2044, 87.16%) versus females (n = 301, 12.8%). Violence was the most common reason of injury (70.66%), followed by road traffic crashes (23.21%). The most common anatomical locations of reported injuries were the head (38.74%), followed by abdomen/pelvis and lower back, among males and females (9.93%). Violence had a high significant effect on the site of injuries. Patients who had been injured to the head because of a stab wound or fighting were substantially over-involved in head injuries, with injury rates 3.88 and 7.51 times higher than those who had been injured to the head due to gunshot, respectively. Even patients who had been injured to the head because of assault show much higher involvement in injury risk than non-assault patients (Odds Ratio = 8.46). These findings highlight the need for a large national study to confirm the findings. It also draws attention to the importance of public awareness and to special injury prevention programs that not only focus on saving lives and lessening the number of injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, but also to limit the social and economic burden of injury among adults in Northern Jordan

Relationship between Peer Pressure and Risk of Eating Disorders among Adolescents in Jordan

Background. The prevalence of disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) have increased worldwide. It is estimated that about 31.6% of Jordanian adolescents developed DEB. Engaging in peer groups is a prominent event in which adolescents try to belong to peers as part of exploring their social identity. Purpose. To assess the relationship between risk of eating disorders and peer pressure among adolescents. Methods. A descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional design utilized multistage cluster sampling technique was used to recruit students from 8th to 10th grades from both sexes from schools in northern Jordan. Data were collected from a self-administered, online questionnaire which was given to 738 participants. Results. The difference in overall mean of the Inventory of Peer Influence on Eating Concerns (I-PIEC) between adolescents with disordered eating behaviors and normal eating behaviors states was statistically significant. Scores for interaction peer pressure means were statistically higher for girls than for boys; conversely, likeability mean scores were statistically higher for boys than girls. Conclusions. The current findings suggest that healthcare professionals are encouraged to conduct appropriate school-based primary prevention for disordered eating behaviors