Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Lebanon Waterpipe Dependence Scale in a Sample of Iranian Waterpipe Smokers.

BACKGROUND: Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) has recently increased in Iran. There is no valid instrument to measure the level of nicotine dependence among its consumers. This study was aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Lebanon Waterpipe Dependence Scale-11 (LWDS-11). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the year 2017 whereby 367 waterpipe smokers were recruited from Golestan Province of Iran. LWDS-11 scale is composed of 4 subscales: 1) nicotine dependence, 2) negative reinforcement, 3) psychological craving, and 4) positive reinforcement. The validity of the questionnaire was examined using construct validity. Reliability of this scale was examined using test-retest reliability and internal consistency. FINDINGS: The four-factor model for LWDS [comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.985, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.979, standardised root mean residual (SRMR) = 0.059, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.049 (0.031, 0.061)] demonstrated good fit to this data. Cronbach's α was 0.825 for total scale and it was 0.818, 0.746, 0.624, and 0.670 for each individual subscale. The test-retest reliability of the scale was 0.925. CONCLUSION: All goodness of fit indices (GFIs) represented a good fit of model. The LWDS-11 scale had an appropriate remarkable validity and reliability for waterpipe consumers to measure the level of nicotine dependence and it appeared to be likely useful for utilizing in the clinical and epidemiological studies.

Serum Lipids and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Iranian Population: Joint Modeling of Longitudinal and Survival Data in Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Lipid abnormalities are major risk factors of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD). As well as, lipid markers are time-dependent covariates that change with aging. Previous cohort studies have only investigated baseline measurements of lipid markers on CVD mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study sample consisted of 4,148 individuals aged over 40 years. Total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured in five phases. A joint model analysis was used to investigate the association between each longitudinal lipid markers and CVD mortality in men, women and pooled sample. All analysis was performed using the survival and joint modeling packages in R 3.3.3. RESULTS: Totally, 233 CVD deaths occurred during a median follow-up of 12.4 years. For men, CVD mortality increased by 28% (confidence interval [CI]: 14%,44%) for a 10% increased in TC. For women, CVD mortality increased by 43% (CI: 22%, 68%) and 21% (CI:7%, 37%) for 10 % increase in TC and LDL-C and decreased by 18% (CI:7%, 27%) for a 10% increase in HDL-C. CONCLUSION: Association of lipid markers with CVD mortality is different in men and women, such that high levels of TC and LDL-C and low levels of HDL-C are risk factors of CVD mortality in women, but only TC is a risk factor of CVD mortality in men.

Prevalence and socio-demographic factors associated with malaria infection among children under five years in Tanzania

Malaria is one among four main infectious diseases leading in death for the under-five children in Africa. This study aim to determine prevalence of malaria and social demographic factors related with children under-five in Tanzania. The study used cross section data extracted from Tanzania demographic health survey collected from 2015 to 2016. A sample of 9,322 under five children with malaria rapid diagnostic test results was obtained from 10,899 households. Complimentary log-log model was used to determine factors associated with malaria among children under five years. The study reveals that malaria prevalence increases with increase in age, varies with place and zone of residence, being highest to the rural areas compared to urban. Complementary log-log model estimates has also indicated that Western zone was having a highest mean occurrence of children with malaria compared to all other zones whereas Zanzibar (Adjusted Parameter estimates = -4.521, CI: -5.92,-3.13) was having a lowest mean occurrence compared to Western zone and all other zones. The risk of malaria among under-five children was positively related with family wealth index. The results show that malaria decreases with an increase in wealth. Other explanatory variables which include; child sex, mother's age, marital status and education level, as well as mosquito net ownership were not statistically significant associated with malaria at 5% level. Therefore children's age, place of residence, zone of residence and wealth index are significant predictors of malaria in Tanzania. Particular emphasis on education and interventions across the groups need to be prioritized for continued improvements in targeting high prevalent areas to reduce malaria risks, especially to the children under-five years

Socio-economic and spatial correlates of subclinical iodine deficiency among pregnant women age 15-49 years in Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Iodine deficiency is a widespread global health problem that affects about 2 billion people each year. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to iodine deficiency due to increased iodine requirement leading to death, miscarriage, and stillbirth. Iodine deficiency also has significant negative effects on newborns including impaired cognitive development, impaired learning capabilities, and stunting. This study looks at the association between subclinical iodine deficiency and demographic factors including age, wealth index, education, family size, geographical zone, number of children, fish consumption, pregnancy trimester and household salt in pregnant women aged 15-49 years in Tanzania. METHODS: The 2010 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) data was re analysed. Subclinical iodine deficiency is classified as a urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of <150 µg/L. RESULTS: Results showed that the prevalence of iodine deficiency (54%) was unacceptably high among pregnant women. The results of multiple logistic regression model found that number of children, wealth index, household salt, and geographical zone were significantly associated with iodine deficiency in these women. CONCLUSION: These results indicate a need to implement interventions to increase iodine intake that targets pregnant women with the specific demographic characteristics.

Disparities in Risk Factors Associated with Obesity between Zanzibar and Tanzania Mainland among Women of Reproductive Age Based on the 2010 TDHS.

The occurrence of overweight and obesity has serious health implications. The 2010 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey data set was reanalysed to compare the prevalences of overweight and obesity between Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar and to determine how demographic factors can predict overweight and obesity across the United Republic of Tanzania. About 7.92% of the Tanzanian women of reproductive age were obese, 15% were overweight, and 11.5% were underweight. Women from Mainland Tanzania (6.56%) were significantly less likely (AOR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.53-0.82) to be affected by obesity as compared to women from Zanzibar (12.19%). The common predictors of obesity in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar were wealth index, marital status, and age. Whereas the place of residence and education level emerged as predictors of obesity in the Mainland Tanzania alone, the number of meals per day did so in Zanzibar. Most importantly, Zanzibar had a greater prevalence of obesity compared to Mainland Tanzania.