Dietary practices of adult Egyptians before and during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe dietary practices of adult Egyptians, estimate changes in their body mass index (BMI), and identify possible determinants of such changes before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Subject and methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted during the nationwide COVID-19 partial lockdown. Data were obtained from 430 Egyptian adults regarding their personal and socio-demographic characteristics, routine daily physical activities, dietary patterns, practices related to food purchase and food handling, and weight and BMI before and during the lockdown using an online web-based questionnaire. Results: The number of daily meals and daily snacks significantly increased during the lockdown. Moreover, the consumption of all types of snacks increased, except for chocolate and sweets, whose consumption decreased. Eating of fast food decreased, whereas the number of individuals practicing indoor physical activities increased during the lockdown. During the lockdown, no significant changes in the mean BMI were observed. The mean weekly consumption of starch, meat, milk, fat, and free foods decreased, whereas the mean weekly consumption of fruits and vegetables increased. Food handling practices improved during the lockdown. Based on the results of the linear regression analysis, age, the number of daily meals, practicing of physical activities during lockdown, and mean weekly consumption of meat were the independent predictors of BMI during the lockdown. Conclusion: During the lockdown, no significant changes in the BMI of adult Egyptians were observed, whereas dietary practices and food handling practices changed.

Violence against Women in a Slum Area in Helwan, Cairo, Egypt: A Community Based Survey.

BACKGROUND: Violence against women (VAW) is a major global public health problem with serious consequences. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of VAW aged 18-45 yr in a slum area in Helwan, Cairo, to assess their knowledge and perspective regarding VAW, and to assess their help-seeking practice in response to violence. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional design. METHODS: This community based survey was carried out among 657 women in a slum area in Helwan, Cairo, Egypt in 2018. Data about the women's knowledge about VAW, exposure to different forms of violence and their frequency, women's perspective towards violence, and their healthcare-seeking behavior on exposure to violence were collected using an interviewing questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of exposure to at least one type of intimate partner violence (IPV) was 59.1% with psychological violence ranking 1st followed by physical violence. Most women exposed to IPV reported that they have never asked for healthcare upon exposure to violence. One third had good knowledge. Most had favorable perspective against VAW. CONCLUSION: Most women suffered some kind of violence. They, however, did not seek help most of the time.

Depression among medical students in Alexandria, Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a common illness worldwide with high rate among medical students. The objectives were to estimate the prevalence of depression among medical students in Alexandria, and identify its correlates. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used. The study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University. Using a systematic random sampling technique, 390 students attending 4th, 5th, and 6th academic years were included. Data was collected using the Arabic version of the BDI-II and a predesigned structured self-administered questionnaire, including questions about the students' personal and social characteristics and academic environment. RESULTS: Moderate and severe depression accounted for 27.9% and 17.2%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis results showed that the independent predictors for moderate and severe depression were female gender, the presence of mental illness, not having someone to talk to when under stress, experiencing stressful life event(s) during the previous 6 months, not being satisfied with the socioeconomic level, reporting that the surrounding environment is not suitable for studying, not specifying a grade to achieve, and extreme dissatisfaction with the student's result. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of moderate and severe depression was high among medical students, calling for actions to help those students and to prevent new cases.

Infection control in child daycare centers: logistics, knowledge, and practices of caregivers.

BACKGROUND: Children attending daycare centers (DCCs) are at high risk of contracting infectious diseases due to several factors including lack of knowledge among the caregivers about infection prevention and control practices. The objectives were to describe the DCC features, infrastructure, and infection control logistics, to assess knowledge of DCC caregivers regarding infectious diseases, and to assess their infection control practices. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, 402 caregivers working in 59 DCCs in three districts in Alexandria, Egypt were included. Data were collected using a data collection sheet about the DCC features, a structured interviewing questionnaire to collect data on caregivers' personal characteristics, knowledge about infectious diseases, and the best infection control practices and an observational infection control practices checklist. Multiple analysis of variance was used to test the difference in two or more vectors of means (mean knowledge scores about infectious diseases and about infection control). Post hoc test using Tukey Honest Significant Difference was used to determine which groups in the sample differ. Regression analysis models were used to identify factors affecting knowledge score of caregivers, and to estimate the magnitude of the association between different variables and the level of practice of caregivers (poor/fair and good). RESULTS: Satisfactory features of the DCCs included the aeration, level of cleanliness, and availability of hand washing facilities, while the availability of gloves and aprons, alcohol-based products, and medical examination rooms were not satisfactory. Only 2.5% of caregivers had a good level of knowledge. Level of education was the only factor statistically associated with the level of knowledge. About 31% and 17% had poor and good practice score percent, respectively. District and daily working hours were the only variables statistically associated with the level of practice. CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge and practice of caregivers was below optimum.

The Prevalence and Predictors of Iron Deficiency Anemia among Rural Infants in Nablus Governorate.

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in infants and young children remains a significant public health problem in most developing countries. IDA had short and long-term adverse impacts on infants' health and development. We aimed to assess the frequency of IDA and associated risk factors among infants aged between 9-12 months in rural areas of Nablus Governorate. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: The study was conducted between Jan and Mar 2015. A random sample of 654 infants aged 9-12 months were selected from thirty villages in Nablus Governorate, Central Highlands of the West Bank, north of Jerusalem. Data were collected using pre-designed structured interviewing questionnaire, complete blood count analysis and anthropometric measurements were done. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia and IDA among infants was 34.6%, and 32.6%, respectively. Predictors of IDA were increased in infants' age OR=1.19 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.40), maternal anemia during the third trimester OR=2.39 (95% CI: 1.55, 3.71), birth spacing less than three years OR=2.86 (95%CI: 1.58, 5.18), exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months OR=2.40 (95% CI: 1.46, 3.95), early OR=1.64 (95%CI: 1.03, 2.613) and late introduction of complementary feeding OR=2.26 (95% CI: 1.27, 4.05), and non-compliance to iron supplement in the correct frequency and duration during pregnancy OR=1.81 (95% CI: 1.19, 2.75). CONCLUSIONS: Different dietary and non-dietary risk factors for IDA should be considered for any intervention aimed to reduce the prevalence of IDA among infants.