Overview of knowledge, attitudes and barriers associated with HPV vaccination in Beirut, Lebanon.

BACKGROUND: Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a prevalent sexually transmitted infection carrying significant risks ranging from benign lesions to various types of malignancies, represents a matter of great public health concern. Notably, most Arab countries lack public awareness campaigns or national immunization programs. This study aims at assessing the overall knowledge on HPV and HPV vaccination among the Lebanese population, exploring the prevalent attitude on the matter, and identifying barriers and misconceptions that prevent individuals from receiving the HPV vaccine. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Beirut, on 201 participants aged between 18 and 36 years old. We performed ordinal analysis to assess the trend between Knowledge levels, attitude levels and hesitancy Levels. RESULTS: Majority of participants (77%) demonstrated a low level of knowledge on HPV vaccination, 50% held a positive attitude, with only 18.4% being already vaccinated. Negative trend was identified between levels of knowledge, attitude and hesitancy (gamma = -0.7415, p-value < 0.01; gamma= -0.58, p-value < 0.01 respectively). Unavailability or limited access to the vaccine, and misconceptions about HPV immunization were shown to be impeding vaccination. CONCLUSION: Analysis of our results strongly suggests that improving knowledge and attitudes is likely to foster trust and reduce hesitancy, thereby promoting higher vaccine uptake.

PREVALENCE OF DIABETES MELLITUS AMONG PATIENTS WITH ESSENTIAL ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among patients with arterial hypertension, and indirectly, the crucial impact of adopting screening for diabetes as a standard procedure for all patients diagnosed with arterial hypertension. MATERIALS & METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of hypertensive patients recruited from three different university hospitals in Lebanon. Blood pressure and glycemic blood measurements were determined in all subjects. In addition, a complete clinical history and physical exam were performed. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS 19.0. Frequencies for the different variables were calculated, and the chi-square and independent sample t-tests were conducted. RESULTS: This study included 294 patients. Prevalence of diabetes was 27%, and 23% of diabetic patients were newly diagnosed. More than half of the subjects suffering from DM had uncontrolled blood pressure, contrasted with only one third of the non-diabetic subjects with uncontrolled hypertension. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of DM in patients with essential hypertension was more than double that of the general population. Therefore, major recommendations would be to adopt strictly the diabetes screening requirements and aggressive management among hypertensive patients to minimize both the health and cost burdens associated with undetected DM.