Supporting Smokers in Difficult Settings: Suggestions for Better Education and Counseling in Cancer Centers in Jordan.

Continued smoking in cancer patients is commonly observed in Jordan. In a country that exhibits some of the highest smoking rates globally, enhancing patient education regarding the value of smoking cessation for cancer care is vital. The objectives of our study were to describe sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with continued smoking in Jordanian smokers after a cancer diagnosis; to identify reasons for smoking and knowledge regarding smoking's impact on care; to examine in a multivariable manner the factors associated with continued smoking, and to accordingly generate patient counseling recommendations.

Status and Trends of Physical Activity Surveillance, Policy, and Research in 164 Countries: Findings From the Global Observatory for Physical Activity-GoPA! 2015 and 2020 Surveys.

Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries.

Methods: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys.

Cessation experiences and quitting perspectives of Jordanian cancer patients who smoke.

Objectives: To describe quitting experiences of cancer patients in a Cancer Center in Jordan; to study patients' perceptions regarding the process of smoking cessation; and to provide insights about patients in this difficult setting in order to inform oncology practitioners with regards to how improve perceptions and skills related to quitting.

Methods: An Arabic cross-sectional questionnaire was developed to evaluate smoking and quitting behaviors in the context of cancer. The tool used as its framework the Theoretical Domains Framework to capture quitting perceptions of cancer patients who smoke, as well as social, environmental, and system-level factors that influence quitting.

Mitigating psychological distress in healthcare workers as COVID-19 waves ensue: a repeated cross-sectional study from Jordan.

Background: Jordan has experienced several COVID-19 waves in the past 2 years. Cross-sectional studies have been conducted to evaluate distress in healthcare practitioners (HCPs), but there is limited evidence with regards to the impact of continuing pandemic waves on levels of distress in HCPs. We previously studied psychological distress in HCPs during the start of the pandemic (period 1, when cases were infrequent and the country was in lockdown), and demonstrated that HCPs were experiencing considerable stress, despite the country reporting low caseloads at the time.

The inevitability of Covid-19 related distress among healthcare workers: Findings from a low caseload country under lockdown.

Objectives: To characterize psychological distress and factors associated with distress in healthcare practitioners working during a stringent lockdown in a country (Jordan) that had exhibited one of the lowest incidence rates of Covid-19 globally at the time of the survey.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey sent to healthcare practitioners working in various hospitals and community pharmacies. Demographic, professional and psychological characteristics (distress using Kessler-6 questionnaire, anxiety, depression, burnout, sleep issues, exhaustion) were measured as were sources of fear.

Reclaiming the value of pictorial health warning labels in Jordan.

Background: In Jordan, four non-graphic pictorial health warning labels (PHWLs) concerning a limited selection of tobacco-caused harms have been used since 2011; however, research suggests that they may be ineffective.

Objectives: To explore Jordanian smokers' reactions to novel PHWLs featuring various health themes and/or graphic and symbolic imagery and to discuss existing PHWLs in light of the novel PHWLs.

Methods: We conducted 14 focus groups (FGs) with smokers who assessed 12 novel PHWLs and commented on four existing PHWLs.

Coverage of tobacco control in Jordanian newspapers: implications for strengthening the role of news media.

News media play a critical role in tobacco control. To strengthen this role in Jordan, four newspapers were searched and 1 145 articles between 2011 and 2015 were coded for mention of MPOWER topics and for tone of coverage (neutral, pro-, or anti-tobacco control). Monthly counts, mention of tobacco control topics and the tones were examined.

The Jordanian primary healthcare practitioner in cancer control.

Unlabelled: Aim To measure the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of Jordanian primary healthcare practitioners (PHCPs) (physicians, nurses, midwives, and nurse aids) employed in Jordanian Ministry of Health (MoH) primary health clinics with respect to counseling on cancer (cancer screening, the signs and symptoms of cancer, and referral for specialized care).

Background: Integration of oncology services within primary care is a means of enhancing cancer early detection, and requires involvement of skilled. In the Middle East, little is known about PHCPs' potential to be providers of such services.

Public support for smoke-free policies in Jordan, a high tobacco burden country with weak implementation of policies: Status, opportunities, and challenges.

Several Eastern Mediterranean (EM) countries, including Jordan, suffer from high smoking prevalence but weak implementation of smoking bans (SB). Public support (PS) influences successful implementation of SB, but little is known about PS for SB in EM countries with weak SB implementation. We conducted a cross-sectional survey measuring knowledge and perceptions of a large purposive sample of the Jordanian public regarding tobacco harms and anti-tobacco laws.

Smoking Cessation Support Among Oncology Practitioners in a Regional Cancer Center in the Middle East-Improving a Critical Service for Cancer Care.

This study examined smoking cessation support (SCS) by oncologists in a Jordanian cancer center and found it to be deficient. Recommendations to improve SCS include improving patient-provider communication and building providers’ self-efficacy through continuing education.

Smoking cessation treatment and outcomes in medium to heavy cigarette smokers being treated for cancer in Jordan.

Background: Studies evaluating smoking cessation treatment outcomes in cancer patients are scarce, despite smoking cessation importance in cancer care. We sought to add to the literature by evaluating smoking cessation in a challenging group of cancer patients (medium-to-heavy smokers) visiting an out-patient smoking cessation clinic (SCC) in a cancer center in Amman, Jordan.

Materials And Methods: Patients smoking >9 cigarettes per day (CPD) and referred to the SCC between June 2009 and May 2012 were studied.

The acute effects of waterpipe smoking on lung function and exercise capacity in a pilot study of healthy participants.

Context: Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) has gained popularity, but its physiologic effects have not been extensively studied: rather, studies have focused on WTS's chronic effects or have evaluated limited respiratory/cardiac parameters.

Objective: We sought to characterize in a more detailed manner the acute effects of WTS on lung function and exercise capacity.

Method: We recruited 24 healthy WTS males.

Perceptions of young Jordanian adults to proposed anti-tobacco pictorial warning labels.

Background: In commitment to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), four new pictorial warnings are now being proposed for display on cigarette packages sold in Jordan. The aim of this study was to gauge the immediate perceptions of young Jordanian adults towards these new pictorials and compare these perceptions to those of the pictorial currently being used in the country.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a convenience sample of youth aged 17-26.

Piloting the development of a cost-effective evidence-informed clinical pathway: managing hypertension in Jordanian primary care.

Objectives: The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Jordan office of the Medicines Transparency Alliance embarked on a pilot project to design an evidence-based guideline for cost-effective pharmacological treatment of essential hypertension in Jordan. The project's objectives were to directly address a major health problem for Jordan by producing a guideline; and to delineate the strengths and weaknesses of Jordan's healthcare process to allow similar future efforts to be planned more efficiently.

Methods: The pilot spanned a period of approximately 8 months.

Racial/ethnic and age disparities in chemotherapy selection for colorectal cancer.

Objectives: To test the hypotheses that African American patients and older patients with stage IV colorectal cancer were less likely to receive newer chemotherapy agents.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort design.

Methods: Among 5068 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare patients diagnosed as having stage IV colorectal cancer between 2000 and 2002, a total of 2466 received chemotherapy and were included in the analysis.

Outcomes of irinotecan-based chemotherapy regimens in elderly Medicare patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: Several population-based studies have confirmed the benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin for treatment of colorectal cancer. Few population-based studies have evaluated other chemotherapies that are now available for colorectal cancer management.

Objective: This study primarily sought to evaluate the survival benefit of first-line irinotecan use in a group of Medicare patients with stage IV (metastatic) colorectal cancer.

Factors affecting pharmacists' pediatric asthma counseling.

Objective: To explore various factors that may influence community pharmacists' pediatric asthma counseling.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Maryland from September 2002 through March 2003.

Risk of discontinuation of atypical antipsychotic agents in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Objectives: To compare discontinuation rates of atypical antipsychotic agents in patients with schizophrenia.

Method: Adult Maryland Medicaid patients with schizophrenia were categorized based on initial atypical antipsychotic drug received: aripiprazole (n=446); olanzapine (n=1705); quetiapine (n=1467); risperidone (n=1580); and ziprasidone (n=700). Discontinuation was measured using refill patterns, allowing 14-day gaps between refill dates.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of linezolid compared with vancomycin for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Objective: This study compared the cost-effectiveness of linezolid and vancomycin in the treatment of patients with nosocomial pneumonia (NP) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Methods: A retrospective decision-analytic model was applied to pooled data from 2 prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind studies, and claims data from a large health plan (3.3 million members) located in the Mid-Atlantic region.