Health and ecological sustainability in the Arab world: a matter of survival.

Discussions leading to the Rio+20 UN conference have emphasised the importance of sustainable development and the protection of the environment for future generations. The Arab world faces large-scale threats to its sustainable development and, most of all, to the viability and existence of the ecological systems for its human settlements. The dynamics of population change, ecological degradation, and resource scarcity, and development policies and practices, all occurring in complex and highly unstable geopolitical and economic environments, are fostering the poor prospects.

The Relaxation Exercise and Social Support Trial (RESST): a community-based randomized controlled trial to alleviate medically unexplained vaginal discharge symptoms.

Background: Symptoms such as medically unexplained vaginal discharge (MUVD) are common and bothersome, leading to potentially unnecessary use of resources.

Methods: A community-based individually randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a relatively simple, culturally appropriate multi-component intervention on reducing reported MUVD, among women suffering from low-moderate levels of common mental distress. The setting was a socio-economically deprived, informal settlement in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.

Health-related quality of life of Gaza Palestinians in the aftermath of the winter 2008-09 Israeli attack on the Strip.

Background: We document the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people living in the Gaza Strip 6 months after 27 December 2008 to 18 January 2009, Israeli attack.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey 6 months after the Israeli attack. Households were selected by cluster sampling in two stages: a random sample of enumeration areas (EAs) and a random sample of households within each chosen EA.

Involving the health care system in domestic violence: what women want.

PURPOSE Domestic violence is prevalent among women using primary health care services in Lebanon and has a negative effect on their health, yet physicians are not inquiring about it. In this study, we explored the attitudes of these women regarding involving the health care system in domestic violence management. METHODS We undertook a qualitative focus group study.

Husband's control and sexual coercion within marriage: findings from a population-based survey in Egypt.

This article examined sexual coercion within marriage in Egypt. Using cross-sectional survey data from a representative sample of married Egyptian women (N = 5,240), associations between forced intercourse and husband's control, as well as other relevant sociodemographic factors, were assessed through binary logistic regression models. The lifetime prevalence of forced intercourse was 6.

HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and its association with socioeconomic status among women: results of Lebanese Survey for Family Health (PAPFAM) 2004.

This article assesses the association of women's HIV/AIDS knowledge of transmission and prevention with socioeconomic status (SES). Data from the 2004 Lebanese PAPFAM (Pan-Arab Project for Family Health) survey were used. The survey was based on a representative household sample (n = 5532 households; n = 3315 women) of ever-married women aged 15 to 55 years.

The relaxation exercise and social support trial-resst: study protocol for a randomized community based trial.

Background: Studies suggests a possible link between vaginal discharge and common mental distress, as well as highlight the implications of the subjective burden of disease and its link with mental health.

Methods/design: This is a community-based intervention trial that aims to evaluate the impact of a psycho-social intervention on medically unexplained vaginal discharge (MUVD) in a group of married, low-income Lebanese women, aged 18-49, and suffering from low to moderate levels of anxiety and/or depression. The intervention consisted of 12 sessions of structured social support, problem solving techniques, group discussions and trainer-supervised relaxation exercises (twice per week over six weeks).

Violence and social capital among young men in Beirut.

Background: Research on the links between violence and social capital has produced mixed results and is mainly limited to Western countries.

Aims: To assess the relationship of social capital to physical fights among unmarried boys aged 13-19 years living in three disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the outskirts of Beirut, controlling for variables associated with youth violence. Lebanon has a history of civil and cross-border war, which may influence the production of violence at the individual level.

Predictors of displacement behaviour during the 2006 Lebanon war.

The July 2006 war in Lebanon was one of the country's shortest wars. Yet perhaps it was also the worst interstate war in the history of Lebanon. Over the course of 33 days, the war resulted in over 1000 deaths, thousands of injuries, large-scale destruction of infrastructure and properties, as well as massive population displacements.

Women's autonomy and support for wife beating: findings from a population-based survey in Jordan.

The aim of this study is to examine attitudes among married women toward wife beating and to investigate the hypothesis that female individual empowerment is associated with such attitudes within a broader context of societal patriarchy in Jordan. The study uses data from a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of married women (n = 5,390) conducted in 2002. Associations between acceptance of wife beating and several women's empowerment variables, including decision-making power, as well as other risk factors were assessed, using odds ratios from binary logistic regression models.

Social capital, women's autonomy and smoking among married women in low-income urban neighborhoods of Beirut, Lebanon.

Purpose: We sought to examine the associations between social capital, women's empowerment, and smoking behavior among married women in three low-income neighborhoods in Beirut, Lebanon.

Methods: Data from currently married women aged 15 to 59 years in the 2003 Urban Health Study were used. The dependent variable was cigarette smoking.

Socio-economic disparities in heart disease in the Republic of Lebanon: findings from a population-based study.

Background: Socio-economic inequalities in the incidence of heart disease exist in developed countries. No data are available on the relation between heart disease and socio-economic status in Arab countries. This study examined the relation between heart disease and socio-economic status (income and education) among adults in Lebanon.

Symptoms of reproductive tract infections and mental distress among women in low-income urban neighborhoods of Beirut, Lebanon.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between symptoms of reproductive tract infections (RTIs) and mental distress among women residing in three low-income urban neighborhoods in Greater Beirut.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of currently married women aged 15-49 years (n = 1506) from the 2003 Urban Health Study was undertaken. The dependent variables were complaining of vaginal discharge, pelvic pain, and pain during intercourse.

Maternal and child health in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The Countdown to 2015 intervention coverage indicators in the occupied Palestinian territory are similar to those of other Arab countries, although there are gaps in continuity and quality of services across the continuum of the perinatal period. Since the mid 1990s, however, access to maternity facilities has become increasingly unpredictable. Mortality rates for infants (age View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Consanguinity and reproductive wastage in the Palestinian Territories.

Many studies have found that consanguinity poses a threat to child mortality and health and can also pose a threat to offspring survival before birth. However, there are conflicting findings with some studies having found no increased risk on offspring survival associated with consanguinity. Data from a population-based survey conducted in 2004 in the Palestinian Territories was used to assess the risk of consanguinity on offspring survival.

Disparities in child health in the Arab region during the 1990s.

Background: While Arab countries showed an impressive decline in child mortality rates during the past few decades, gaps in mortality by gender and socioeconomic status persisted. However, large socioeconomic disparities in child health were evident in almost every country in the region.

Methods: Using available tabulations and reliable micro data from national household surveys, data for 18 Arab countries were available for analysis.

Care-seeking behavior of women with reproductive health problems from low-income areas of Beirut.

Objective: To examine the patterns of care-seeking behavior and provider choice of women with self-reported reproductive health problems from 3 urban communities in Beirut.

Methods: The study was based on a sample of 1869 completed questionnaires from 2051 eligible women (married or had been married, and between 15 and 59 years) obtained during the Urban Health Survey. Associations between community of residence, other background characteristics, and two outcome measures (health care usage and choice of provider) were assessed using logistic regression.

Predictors of breast-feeding in a developing country: results of a prospective cohort study.

Objective: Data on the prevalence and predictors of breast-feeding remain scarce in Lebanon. Moreover, no study has previously addressed the effect of the paediatrician's sex on breast-feeding. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of breast-feeding at 1 and 4 months of infant age while exploring the potential role of the sex of the paediatrician.

Consanguinity trends and correlates in the Palestinian Territories.

Secondary analysis of the trends and correlates of consanguinity in the Palestinian Territories was conducted using data from two separate surveys in 1995 and 2004. The analysis was conducted on ever-married women aged 15-54 who were asked about their relation to their husband in both surveys. A total of 16,197 women in 1995 and 4971 women in 2004 were successfully interviewed.

Coerced sexual intercourse within marriage: a clinic-based study of pregnant Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

This study examines the correlates of forced sexual intercourse among pregnant refugee women attending an antenatal clinic in Sidon, Lebanon. A total of 349 pregnant women were interviewed during a clinic visit for a prenatal check-up during the months of June and July 2005. The Abuse Assessment Screen was used to identify cases of abuse.

DISPLACEMENT AND HEALTH STATUS IN LOW INCOME WOMEN: FINDINGS FROM A POPULATION-BASED STUDY IN GREATER BEIRUT.

In this paper we examined the relationship between internal displacement, social support and self reported health status of ever married women in three disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods in Lebanon. METHODS: This study was based on data from a cross sectional survey conducted in 2003 on 1869 ever married women residing in three urban disadvantaged communities in the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon. The outcome variable was Self rated Health (good/bad) as assessed by the women.

Types of cultural capital and self-rated health among disadvantaged women in outer Beirut, Lebanon.

Aims: This study extends research on the social determinants of health by exploring the association between a new, potentially very significant dimension, cultural capital by type, and self-rated health among low-income women living in outer Beirut, Lebanon.

Methods: Self-rated general health was assessed using household data from a cross-sectional survey of 1869 women, conducted in 2003. Three types of cultural capital were included: watching cultural TV programs, producing art (e.