Expectations and Aspirations of Kuwaiti Fathers and Mothers Towards Transition Outcomes of Their Child with a Disability in Kuwait

There are many challenges that face individuals with disabilities and their families during the transition period from childhood to adulthood. As young adolescents exit high school many of their future transition options are influenced by their family context, especially the child's parents. This study investigates parents' expectations and aspirations for their children with disabilities in terms of transition outcomes in order to understand the needs of those parents in preparing their children as they exit school, and transition to adulthood in Kuwait, a country that has yet to address transition in its laws and policies on disabilities. The proposed study investigated parental expectations and aspirations in their child's preparation for transition. It also examined the role of some demographic variables found to be important in past research, such as parent's gender, age, education level, monthly income, child's gender, child's age, and degree of child's disability. These variables were examined in relation to Kuwaiti fathers' and mothers' transition expectations and aspirations in the following areas: future orientation, community resources, financial independence, employment, postsecondary education, residential and daily living, and social relationships. An overall finding of this study is that parents, who are younger in age, have lower income and education levels, and have a younger child with a less severe disability tended to have higher expectations and aspirations for their children with disabilities. Despite the older age of the fathers and their higher education and income levels compared to the mothers, both fathers and mothers had generally similar expectations and aspirations towards transition outcomes for their children with disabilities. However, mothers had higher aspirations for their child's social relationships than did the fathers, especially for their daughters. The best predictors for fathers' and mothers' expectations and aspirations for their children's transition outcomes included, fathers' education level, mothers' education level, mothers' income, child's age, and degree of child's disability. Parents' high expectations and aspirations for employment, postsecondary education, and social relationships were a promising theme as their children transitioned to adulthood. The results of this study have provided a framework for further research in the area of transition in Kuwait. Although transition is a vital area and concept that should influence national laws and policies, it still remains relatively new to Kuwait. This research study will potentially lead to an increased understanding of parents' needs for support services to guide them and their children to a smoother transition to adulthood

Epidemiology of smoking among Kuwaiti adults: prevalence, characteristics, and attitudes.

INTRODUCTION: In 1996 we conducted a cross-sectional survey to study the epidemiology of smoking among Kuwaiti adults. METHODS: The 4000 participants were selected using a three-stage stratified cluster sampling design. Altogether 3859 participants (1798 males, 2061 females) returned a completed self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking was 34.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 32.2-36.6) among men and 1.9% (95% CI = 1.3-2.5) among women. Among men, the highest prevalence (56.5%; 95% CI = 36.2-76.8) was observed in the youngest age group (< or = 20 years). Among women the highest prevalence was observed in one of the older age groups (46-50 years) (7.1%; 95% CI = 3.1-11.1). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the following factors were independently associated with smoking: lower levels of education (odds ratio (OR) 3.5; 95% CI = 1.5-8.4), lower employment grade (OR = 4.1; 2.5-6.7), and being a separated, divorced, or widowed woman (OR = 4.9; 95% CI = 2.0-11.8). The majority of smokers (68%) began smoking when younger than 20 years; significantly more men (70%) than women (33%) began smoking at these ages (P < 0.0001). On average, men began smoking at an earlier age (18 years vs 21 years; P < 0.001) and therefore had smoked for a longer period (15 years vs 12 years; P < 0.05); men also consumed a higher number of cigarettes each day (26 vs 17; P < 0.05). A large proportion of smokers were ignorant about the health consequences of passive smoking: about 77% of those with children reported that they smoked in the presence of their children. Almost half (47%) of all smokers stated that they wanted to stop smoking, and about 56% had attempted to quit. The biggest perceived barrier to quitting was uncertainty about "how to quit". A total of 338 respondents (8.8%; 95% CI = 5.8-11.9) were classified as former smokers. About half of the former smokers had quit between the ages of 20 and 29 years; the average age of quitting was 28 years. Former smokers were more likely to have smoked fewer cigarettes per day and to have smoked for significantly less time than current smokers. DISCUSSION: Given the fact that free education is provided at all levels by the government, anti-tobacco education and awareness should be included as an integral part of the curriculum in schools and colleges

Comparison of postoperative intraocular pressure in patients with Densiron-68 vs conventional silicone oil: a case-control study

A solution of perfluorohexyloctane and silicone oil with a specific gravity of 1.06 g/cm(3) (Densiron-68) has similar properties as conventional silicone oil ( SO) in terms of the shape of the bubble and its ability to act as an internal tamponade agent. We conducted a case-control study to compare the postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients treated with Densiron-68 with those treated with SO. Methods Seventy-one eyes of 71 patients and 57 eyes of 57 patients who had received Densiron-68 and SO, respectively, were included in our study. Both groups were found to have matched for their preoperative comorbidities ( diabetes, glaucoma, phakic status, and refractive errors). IOP at first day, between seventh and fourteenth day, and at 4 week postoperatively was recorded. Results The mean IOP was higher in patients treated with Densiron-68 at day 1 and between seventh and fourteenth day postoperatively (P = 0.05 and 0.01, respectively). By the 4th week, the IOP difference between the two groups was insignificant (P = 0.17). The difference in the two groups could still be clinically significant and the raised IOP in Densiron-68 group was more difficult to treat in some cases. On day 1, nine eyes (12.7%) in the Densiron-68 group and two eyes (3.5%) in the SO group had IOP greater than 30 mmHg. At 4 weeks, IOP of more than 30 mmHg was seen in nine eyes ( 12.7%) in the Densiron-68-treated group and in one eye (1.8%) in the SO group. Conclusion The use of Densiron-68 was associated with a higher IOP in the early postoperative period when compared with SO