Effects of sociodemographic background on fertility motivation patterns in the Beni-Suef governorate, Upper Egypt.

Objectives: A comprehensive assessment of childbearing motivations in the governorate of Beni-Suef was conducted to better understand fertility patterns, and to develop appropriate familial policies and programs to reduce fertility rates and address the problem of overpopulation in Upper Egypt. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2019 to May 2021. A total of 1085 married women who attended any health care service in rural or urban primary health care facilities in the Beni-Suef governorate were included in the study. Results: The results revealed that 42.1% of participants had a positive desire for childbearing, and 45% of participants had a negative desire for childbearing; the rest of the participants (12.9%) had undecided motivations. The most prevalent positive motive for childbearing was a love of children (40.8%), whereas the most prevalent negative motive for childbearing was economic circumstances (44.7%). A statistically significant difference was observed in fertility motivations among the studied women, depending on age, education, husband's education, age at marriage, marriage duration, number of living siblings, monthly income, occupation, gravidity, parity, and chronic diseases (p = 0.001). Conclusion: A great need exists to involve young couples who have not yet attained their desired family size and who do not use family planning methods, in fertility regulation interventions.

Factors affecting prehospital time delay of the injured patients arriving at the Emergency Department of Beni-Suef University Hospital in Egypt: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the factors affecting the prehospital time delay of the injured patients arriving at the Emergency Department of Beni-Suef University Hospital in Upper Egypt. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the following data were retrieved from the hospital records of 632 injured patients between 1/1/2018 and 31/3/2018: age, sex, residence, means of transportation to the hospital, prehospital time delay, consciousness level on admission, source of injury, and type of worst injury. RESULTS: The prehospital time delay (>one hour) of the injured patients was positively associated with age >60 years and rural residence but inversely associated with consciousness level with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 5.14 (2.26-11.68), 3.49 (2.22-5.48), and 0.56 (0.32-0.96), respectively. CONCLUSION: The prehospital time delay of the injured patients arriving at the Emergency Department of Beni-Suef University Hospital in Egypt was associated with old age, rural residence, and consciousness level.

Psychological Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Public in Egypt.

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and inadequate sleeping among the public in Egypt during the novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. An online snowball sampling approach was used to collect data from netizens in four Egyptian governorates between 16 and 30 April 2020. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed to assess sociodemographic characteristics, sleeping hours per day, and psychological disturbances (depression, anxiety, and stress) of participants using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. Out of 1629 participants, 48.1% were aged ≤ 30 years, 42.4% were men, and 20.0% were working in the health sector. The participants reported a high prevalence of depression (67.1%: mild to moderate 44.6% and severe to very severe 22.5%), anxiety (53.5%: mild to moderate 30.6% and severe to very severe 22.9%), stress (48.8%: mild to moderate 33.8% and severe to very severe 15.0%), and inadequate sleeping (< 6 h/day) 23.1%. Female sex, working in sectors other than the health sector, watching/reading COVID-19 news ≥ 2 h/day, and lack of emotional support from family and society were associated with a high prevalence of severe to very severe depression, anxiety, and stress. In conclusion, the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on the public in Egypt were enormous, therefore, providing psychological support and counsel is warranted.

Age-related differences in driving behaviors among non-professional drivers in Egypt.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate whether young and old non-professional drivers in South Egypt have aberrant driving behaviors compared with their middle-aged counterparts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1764 non-professional drivers aged ≥ 19 years, residing in Beni-Suef in South Egypt, and having ≥ one year of driving experience were randomly selected. All drivers were asked to fill out a self-administered questionnaire, including personal information, driving habits, and the Arabic version of the Driver Behavior Questionnaire which evaluates driving violations, errors, and lapses. RESULTS: This study included 560 young drivers (19-25 years), 850 middle-aged drivers (26-59 years), and 354 old drivers (≥ 60 years). Compared with middle-aged drivers, young drivers reported more non-use of the seatbelt, eating while driving, and driving while feeling drowsy. Old drivers, in contrast, showed more careful driving behaviors including fewer violations, errors, and lapses and less likelihood of driving while feeling sleepy. CONCLUSION: This study supports the conception that young drivers pose less careful driving habits. Initiating educational programs targeting young drivers to improve their driving habits and create a traffic safety culture in Egypt is highly warranted.

Knowledge and attitude of Egyptian parents toward childhood mental disorders.

BACKGROUND: Parents' awareness of childhood mental disorders can help in early detection and management. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of parents about childhood mental disorders and their attitudes toward children with mental disorders. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Parents of children attending two public primary schools in Beni-Suef city in southern Egypt were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study during the first semester of the academic year 2017/2018. Knowledge and attitude of parents toward childhood mental disorders in addition to their socio-demographic characteristics were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 468 parents (41.5% fathers and 58.5% mothers) participated in this study. Only 21.6% of parents had optimal knowledge of risk factors, 33.3% of manifestations/screening, 58.8% of types and 47.6% of treatment, while 42.7% of parents held a positive attitude toward impressions, 43.4% toward social distance, 63.7% toward spiritual treatment, and 59.4% toward chemotherapy and psychotherapy of childhood mental disorders. The multivariable-adjusted regression analyses showed that optimal knowledge associated with urban residence [odds ratio (OR) 1.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-2.30)] and knowing someone with a mental disorder (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.08-2.41). The positive attitude was associated with urban residence (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.18-2.74) and higher education (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.32-3.48). Knowledge of parents correlated positively with their attitude toward childhood mental disorders (r = 0.258, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A significant portion of parents in southern Egypt have suboptimal knowledge of childhood mental disorders and hold a negative attitude toward children with mental disorders. Future studies should focus on the possibility of including parents in screening for childhood mental disorders.

Association between menstrual disorders and school absenteeism among schoolgirls in South Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Menstrual disorders are highly prevalent among girls and may interrupt school attendance. This study aimed to investigate the association between menstrual disorders and school absenteeism among schoolgirls in South Egypt. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A multi-stage random sampling method was adopted to select 930 schoolgirls. A self-administered questionnaire composed of 3 sections (socio-demographic characteristics, menstrual disorders, and school absenteeism) was used to assess the relationship between different menstrual disorders and school absenteeism during the previous 6 months. RESULTS: The mean age of the participating schoolgirls was 15.5 ± 0.8 years, age of menarche 13.2 ± 1.2 years, menstrual cycle duration 28.8 ± 7.3 days with average flow days 5 ± 1.3. During the previous 6 months, 43.9% of schoolgirls reported school absenteeism. Dysmenorrhea (89.1%) and premenstrual symptoms, especially abdominal spasm (62.2%), fatigue (32%), and headache (22.7%) were heavily reported during the same period. Menstrual flow >4 days [odds ratio (OR) 1.37, 1.04-1.80], premenstrual abdominal spasm (OR 1.60, 1.22-2.11), fatigue (OR 1.69, 1.27-2.24), breast tenderness (OR 1.67, 1.17-2.38), insomnia (OR 1.92, 1.31-2.80), abdominal bloating (OR 2.29, 1.34-3.91), dysmenorrhea (OR 4.44, 2.58-7.62), dysmenorrhea for more than 1 day (OR 1.38, 1.03-1.84), menstrual acne flare (OR 2.23, 1.68-2.97), dysuria (OR 1.96, 1.31-2.93), and facial hair (OR 2.59, 1.26-5.31) were significantly associated with school absenteeism. CONCLUSION: Premenstrual and menstrual disorders are associated with school absenteeism among schoolgirls in South Egypt. Future research should focus on the effect of school counseling on reducing the absenteeism rate attributed to menstrual disorders.