Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19 prevention in Yemen: a community-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Pandemics, especially in fragile war-torn countries like Yemen, challenge their already strained health systems. Community adherence to pandemic prevention measures is necessary to curb the severity and spread of emerging pandemics - which is influenced by factors, such as people's knowledge and attitudes toward the pandemic. No studies in Aden have been published on the communities' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward COVID-19 prevention to date. To understand adherence to pandemic prevention measures in contexts with fragile health systems, this study investigated KAP of Yemeni participants toward the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted face-to-face semi-structured questionnaires among 400 eligible participants whom were identified for participation in this study through systematic household sampling from eight districts in Aden, Yemen. Eligible participants were Yemeni community members who were ≥ 18 years, living for more than 10 years in Yemen, and were willing to voluntarily participate in the study. The questionnaire included questions surrounding the participants' COVID-19 knowledge (e.g., awareness of spread and prevention), attitudes (e.g., willingness to accept the vaccine or other prevention measures), and prevention practices during the pandemic (e.g., mask wearing, social distancing, vaccine uptake). Total KAP scores were calculated. Univariate and bivariate statistical analyses were conducted using STATA 13 software. Results: From January to May 2021 we conducted 400 questionnaires with Yemeni community members. The average age was 41.5 ± 14.5 years (range 18-86 years). The results demonstrated that the participants in this study had an intermediate knowledge (53%) and fair attitude (58%) scores. However, participants reported very poor COVID-19 prevention practices- with only 11% demonstrating these practices. Only 25% (100/400) practiced social distancing, 25% (98/400) wore a mask, and only 6% (27/400) of participants accepted (at least one dose of) the COVID-19 vaccine. Factors associated with increased knowledge were being male, married, and surprisingly those having a primary and middle school education levels (p < 0.05). Also participants who were diagnosed with COVID-19 or had a family member diagnosed with COVID-19 (vs. those not diagnosed OR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.07-3.78, p < 0.05) were more likely to know that the vaccine protects against severe COVID-19 infection and were more likely to apply good practices such as accepting the vaccine (OR = 2.65, 95% CI 1.17-6.00, p < 0.05) compared to those who were not. Conclusion: These findings raise awareness for the need of community-oriented education programs for COVID-19 which considers associated factors to improve the level of public knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Breast Cancer Knowledge, Perception and Breast Self- Examination Practices among Yemeni Women: an Application of the Health Belief Model.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of breast cancer is rapidly increasing in Yemen with recent indications of constituting one-third of female cancers. The main problem in Yemen remains very late presentation of breast cancer, most of which should have been easily recognisable. Since stage of disease at diagnosis is the most important prognostic variable, early diagnosis is an important option to be considered for control of breast cancer in low resourced settings like Yemen. In the present study, we aimed at describing breast cancer knowledge, perceptions and breast self-examination (BSE) practices among a sample of Yemeni women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study covered 400 women attending four reproductive health centres in Aden, Yemen through face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire during April - July 2014. We collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge about breast cancer, and screening practices as well as respondents' perceptions based on the five sub scales of the Health Belief Model (HBM): perceived susceptibility; perceived severity; perceived barriers; perceived benefits; and self-efficacy. The response format was a fivepoint Likert scale. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 20) was used for statistical analysis. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Logistic regression analysis was conducted with BSE as a dependent variable. RESULTS: The mean age of women was 26.5 (S.D=5.6) years. The majority (89.0%) had never ever performed any screening. Two-thirds of respondents had poor knowledge. Perceived BSE benefits and self-efficacy and lower BSE barriers perception were significant independent predictors of BSE practice. CONCLUSIONS: Poor knowledge and inadequate BSE practices are prevailing in Yemen. The need for implementing culturally sensitive targeted education measures is mandatory in the effort to improve early detection and reduce the burden of breast cancer.

Daytime urinary incontinence among kindergarten children in Aden Governorate, 2003.

Daytime urinary incontinence is an involuntary or intentional voiding of urine in an awake child who is old enough to have developed control, and has a variable prevalence throughout the world. In Yemen, data regarding this problem are almost absent. In this study from the capital city of Aden, we aimed to: (1) determine the prevalence of daytime incontinence in kindergarten children aged 4-6 years, (2) identify the relation between daytime enuresis with personal and family characteristics of the children studied, and (3) describe the severity and characteristics of daytime enuresis in the studied children. A cross-sectional comparative study was undertaken in all kindergarten children aged 4-6 years in Aden Governorate and 1061 responded. Data were obtained by using a precoded self-administered questionnaire completed by the parents. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: personal and family characteristics of the studied children and the presence of daytime incontinence. The second part was responded if there was history of daytime incontinence, and contained information on the severity and possible associated factors. Daytime incontinence was encountered in 34 cases (3.2%); 18 were females. Significant differences between cases and incontinence-free children were encountered in birth order and type of kindergarten (P < 0.05). Majority (85.3%) had severe form of daytime incontinence. Bed wetting and combined day and night wetting were more frequent among males, whereas urinary symptoms (urgency, squatting, dysuria, dribbling) were more frequent among females. Working mother and frightening and emotionally stressful events in the 6 months preceding the study were significantly associated with daytime incontinence, while parents' education, punishment for daytime incontinence, and the presence of family history of incontinence were insignificant. In conclusion, this is the first study from Yemen reporting the prevalence of enuresis, similar to previous reports. Further studies are needed to explore this problem in our region to end the misery of the child and the family.

Five years cancer incidence in Aden Cancer Registry, Yemen (2002-2006).

The population-based Aden Cancer Registry (ACR) started its activities in 1997. The objective of the registry is to establish a reliable magnitude of cancer in the area covered and the first report was published in 2003. The present article describes data from the second report of cancer incidence over a five year period (2002-2006). Internationally accepted standardized cancer registration methodologies described by IACR and IARC were used. CanReg-4 using ICDO-3 and ICD-10 were applied in the data processing and analysis. Results showed no difference in the overall incidence between the males and females (ratio was 0.83:1) and age standardized rate s(ASR) per 100,000 inhabitants were 30.2 and 31.1. The five most common cancers were breast cancer, leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NH lymphoma), brain cancer and Hodgkin's disease (16.6%, 12.6%, 7.8%, 5.2% and 4.4%, respectively). Among males, leukemia was the first followed by NH lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, brain and liver. In females, breast was the first, then leukemia, NH lymphoma, thyroid and brain cancer. The highest ASR for males (145 per 100,00 inhabitants) was observed at age 70-74 years whereas for females, two peaks (each 105 per 100,000 inhabitants) were equally noticed at age 60-64 and 70-74 years. Generally, females showed equal or higher incidence compared to males until age 55-59 where males reported higher incidence. The overall pattern of cancer incidence in this report is not much different from that in the previous report. Furthermore, the report generally indicates that the pattern of the most common registered cancer bears some similarities with the adjacent Gulf Cooperation Council States with which we share many characteristics, despite differences that warrant further investigation.