Health professionals' perceptions about physical activity promotion in diabetes care within primary health care settings in Oman.

Background: As part of formative work to inform an interventional design to increase physical activity (PA) in patients with type 2 diabetes in Oman, this qualitative study aimed to determine health professionals' perception of barriers and opportunities, personnel responsibilities and plausible PA promotional approaches.

Methods: Four focus group discussions were carried out with groups of health care professionals (family physicians, dieticians and health educators, managers and general practitioners). All discussions were audio recorded and transcribed.

Tobacco Control in Oman: It's Time to Get Serious!

Tobacco use is the world's leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality. Although Oman remains a country with the lowest tobacco use in the Arab Gulf States, the prevalence of tobacco use is projected to increase to 33.3% by 2025.

Addressing physical inactivity in Omani adults: perceptions of public health managers.

Objective: To explore barriers and solutions to addressing physical inactivity and prolonged sitting in the adult population of Oman.

Design: Qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews that took place from October 2011 to January 2012. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling.

Prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in primary care settings in Al seeb wilayat, oman.

Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension (HTN) among Omani hypertensive patients, on treatment and under primary health care (PHC) follow-up in Al Seeb Wilayat, Oman. Socio-demographic and clinical factors were explored for possible influence on blood pressure (BP) control.

Methods: Based on an assumption of 50% prevalence of uncontrolled HTN, a retrospective data collection was conducted on the last three follow-up visits of 411 randomly selected Omani adults (≥18 years) from 3,459 hypertensive patients.

Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms among University Students in Oman.

Objectives: To study the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its association with gender, academic year, and college among university students in Oman.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Omani students attending the students' clinic of the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). A systematic sampling of students, males and females, from different colleges, who visited the clinic during the study period, was carried out.

Menopausal symptoms among healthy, middle-aged Omani women as assessed with the Menopause Rating Scale.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence and severity of climacteric symptoms and associated risk factors among a cohort of healthy, middle-aged Omani women.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 472 healthy Omani women between 40 and 60 years old from the representative regions of Omani society were surveyed using the Menopause Rating Scale. The scores obtained were plotted against their demographic data and menopausal stage.

The Concept of Somatisation: A Cross-cultural perspective.

Somatisation is generally defined as the tendency to experience psychological distress in the form of somatic symptoms and to seek medical help for these symptoms, which may be initiated and/or perpetuated by emotional responses such as anxiety and depression. Somatisation has been recognised as a commonly encountered problem, especially in primary health care, contributing to frequent use of medical services and to frustration in both the patient and the doctor. In recent years, there has been a great deal of dissatisfaction with the terminology and classification of somatisation, and the way this definition is applied to non-Western cultures.

A Qualitative Study on the Attitudes and Beliefs towards Help Seeking for Emotional Distress in Omani Women and Omani General Practitioners: Implications for Post-Graduate Training.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the attitudes and beliefs of Omani women attending primary health care and Omani general practitioners regarding help seeking behaviour for emotional distress. The study also intends to clarify the understanding of help seeking from both lay and professional perspectives in the context of Omani culture exploring factors related to doctors' training and health care services.

Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study using semi-structured interviews was conducted at the Family Medicine Health Care Centre at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital.

Qualitative research and its uses in health care.

Although relatively uncommon in health care research, qualitative research is now receiving recognition and is increasingly used in health care research with social and cultural dimensions. Unlike quantitative research, which is deductive and tends to analyze phenomena in terms of trends and frequencies, qualitative research seeks to determine the meaning of a phenomenon through description. It aims to develop concepts that aid in the understanding of natural phenomena with emphasis on the meaning, experiences and views of the participants.