Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal最新文献

Background: HIV, tuberculosis and malaria (HTM) services receive financial support from the Global Fund and need to plan for sustainability and transition from external funding.

Aim: To recommend actions for addressing key sustainability and transition issues in 15 countries receiving Global Fund grants in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean (EMR) Region.

Methods: We reviewed documents, interviewed key informants, and conducted case studies in Sudan and Tunisia to highlight key considerations for sustainability and transition from Global Fund that is tailored to the EMR and the health system building blocks. Sustainability considerations should align with the health system building blocks, including governance, financing, service delivery, workforce and health product management, with the addition of considerations for key and vulnerable populations because of their particular importance for HIV and tuberculosis services.

Conclusion: While hoping for economic growth and reduction of the burden of HTM, EMR countries need to prepare for transition from Global Fund support. Proactive steps that are tailored to the health system building blocks and address the needs of key and vulnerable populations should progressively increase national capabilities as well as resources dedicated to HTM.

Background: Headache is the most common disorder of the central nervous system, and one of the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases.

Aims: We aimed to determine factors associated with chronic headache among adults in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that recruited 10 063 participants from the baseline data of the Ravansar noncommunicable disease cohort study in western Islamic Republic of Iran in 2021. Participants who had headaches for ≥ 15 days per month for ≥ 3 months were considered as having chronic headache. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations.

Results: The prevalence of chronic headache was 10.49% (n = 1054), and was significantly higher among females (14.55%, n = 769) than males (5.98%, n = 285) (P < 0.001). The risk of chronic headache among married females was 73% higher than among single females. Among male smokers, the risk of chronic headache was 1.47 times higher than among non-smokers [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05, 2.06]. The risk of chronic headache among depressed males was 2.59 times higher than among non-depressed males (95% CI: 1.28, 5.22); and among depressed females the risk was 2.38 times higher than among non-depressed females (95% CI: 1.76, 3.23). Among males who lived in rural areas, the risk of chronic headache was 84% lower than among those who lived in urban areas; and among females who lived in rural areas it was 81% lower than those who lived in urban areas. Being menopausal and having normal sleep were significantly associated with lower risk, while comorbidity was associated with higher risk, of developing chronic headache.

Conclusions: Depression, urban residence, smoking, comorbidity, and being married were associated with an increase in the risk of developing chronic headache, while higher education level, menopause and normal sleep were associated with a decrease in the risk of developing chronic headache.

Background: Burns is one of the most important causes of death, and the best way to reduce mortality due to burns is prevention.

Aims: To investigate the factors responsible for mortality due to burns in south-western Islamic Republic of Iran.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 400 burns patients admitted to different wards of Ayatollah Taleghani Trauma and Burns Hospital, Ahvaz, Islamic Republic of Iran, from October 2020 to September 2021. Logistic regression was used to determine the factors responsible for mortality.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 28.47 (19.09) years, and 252 (63.0%) patients were male. There were 257 survivors and 143 deaths (35.75% mortality rate). The multiple logistic regression model showed that age, sex, percentage of total body surface area, burn depth, length of hospital stay, and length of intensive care unit stay were significantly associated with deaths due to burns.

Conclusion: The mortality rate due to burns was high at the Ayatollah Taleghani Trauma and Burns Hospital, Islamic Republic of Iran. Improving the quality of care provided to burns patients at health facilities can help reduce the current high mortality rate.

We cannot prevent cancer, detect it early, diagnose, treat, and palliate it without reliable data. Continuous, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of cancer-related data are essential to effectively plan, implement and evaluate cancer control activities and policies. Enhancing routine health information systems to ensure that cancer-related data are well captured is essential, just as fostering functioning cancer surveillance systems, particularly population-based cancer registries (1,2). Population-based cancer registries play a critical role in the planning of national cancer control and prevention strategies, monitoring and evaluation of cancer care services, as well as cancer epidemiological and clinical research (1).

Background: Lifestyle changes in Saudi Arabia have affected the dietary intake of adolescents, who now consume more unhealthy foods.

Aims: We assessed the dietary intake of female Saudi Arabian adolescents living in Arar.

Method: In this randomised cluster study, female students were selected randomly from assigned schools to form the intervention (n = 68) and control (n = 70) groups. Initially, a 60-minute seminar was held for mothers of students in the intervention group. Subsequently, 6 90-minute sessions were held over 3 months for the intervention group on topics such as food groups, healthy and unhealthy eating, body image and physical activity. The data were analysed using generalized estimating equations.

Results: The interaction effect (group by time) between the groups revealed statistically significant differences for dairy products (P < 0.001), sweetened beverages (P < 0.001), sweetened baked goods (P = 0.022) and fruits and vegetables (P < 0.003). The intervention significantly increased the intake of dairy products (P < 0.001) and fruits and vegetables (P = 0.003). It reduced the intake of sweetened beverages (P < 0.001) and sweetened baked goods (P = 0.010) in the intervention group.

Conclusion: This intervention showed a grater positive effect on the intervention than the control group; it increased dietary intake of dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and reduced intake of sweetened beverages and sweetened baked goods among the intervention group participants. We recommend similar nutrition interventions among other young Saudi Arabian population groups to prevent obesity and other diseases.

Background: A 1985 law in the Islamic Republic of Iran integrated all health-related educational institutions into the Ministry of Health and established the Ministry of Health and Medical Education to set policies.

Aims: We aimed to classify the value concept of the policies that prioritized and to develop a conceptual value-based framework, for the Islamic Republic of Iran's healthcare and medical education systems.

Methods: We conducted this qualitative study using a critical, thematic content analysis of value-based statements and policy documents on health and the development of medical education published from 2009 to 2019 in the Islamic Republic of Iran. A total of 210 documents were reviewed and 7 were critically analysed. Value concepts were identified and coded.

Results: A total of 69 value concepts were classified into 28 subthemes and 5 main themes: mission values, principal values, procedural values, implementation values, and outcome values. We identified the pattern of the fundamental values to present our conceptual framework.

Conclusion: This comprehensive value-based framework can help establish a supportive value-based culture among policymakers, identify under- and over-emphasized issues, and enhance the incorporation of fundamental values across the health and medical education system.