Screening and health education practices related to cardiovascular risk factors among adults: results of a households survey in Sousse, Tunisia.

In Tunisia, despite the implementation of national strategies to prevent some of cardiovascular risk factors, these diseases still represent the leading cause of death. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and assess the screening and health education practices related to these factors among the adults of Sousse (Tunisia). A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1000 households in Sousse, Tunisia. To collect data, a team of trained medical doctors administered by interview a pre-tested questionnaire and performed blood pressure and anthropometric measures at the participants' homes. In total, 1977 adults participated in the study. Their mean age was 39.8 (± 13.8) years. The Females/Males sex ratio was 1.5. Weight excess and lack of physical activity were found in 65.4% and 60.7% of participants. Screening for obesity and android obesity were reported by 36.6% and 5.7% of health services users. Advices from a healthcare professional to practice the recommended physical activity and eat healthily were reported by less than a third of these latter. Screening and health education practices related to cardiovascular risk factors should be reinforced in the Tunisian healthcare facilities. The implementation of multisectoral actions is necessary at the national level in order to obtain an environment that promotes a healthy lifestyle.

Surveillance of tobacco use among young adolescents: trends and predictors across three years in Sousse, Tunisia.

BACKGROUND: In developed countries, there was an overall decrease in tobacco use over the last decades. In Tunisia, a national strategy to reduce tobacco use was set up since 2008. However, this strategy was rarely evaluated. The objective of the current study was to examine the trends in tobacco use among the middle schoolchildren of the governorate of Sousse (Tunisia) between 2014 and 2016 and to determine predictors of its experimentation. METHODS: Three cross-sectional studies were conducted in 2014, 2015 and 2016 school years among middle schoolchildren randomly selected from the governorate of Sousse-Tunisia. The required sample size for each study was 760 participants. Each year, the same procedure was used to recruit pupils from the same middle schools. The same pre-established and pre-tested questionnaire was self-administered anonymously to participants in their classrooms. RESULTS: Lifetime tobacco use rose from 11% in 2014 to 17.3% in 2016 (p = 0.001). Across the 3 years of survey, predictors of lifetime tobacco use were: The male sex (OR, 95% CI: 4.4 [3.2-6.1]), age above 13 (OR, 95% CI: 2.3 [1.7-3.1]), lifetime illicit substances use (OR, 95% CI: 3.9 [1.1- 13.8), lifetime inhalant products use (OR, 95% CI: 2.2 [1.2-4.3]), tobacco use among the father (OR, 95% CI: 2.2 [1.2-4.3]), tobacco use among siblings (OR, 95% CI: 1.7 [1.2-2.4]) and current anxiety symptoms (OR, 95% CI: 1.8 [1.4-2.4]). CONCLUSION: Lifetime tobacco use is in expansion among the young adolescents of Sousse. The current national tobacco prevention program should be strengthened and expanded to cover other substances use issues with emphasis on secondhand smoking and mental health problems.