Health warning labelling practices on narghile (shisha, hookah) waterpipe tobacco products and related accessories.

Background: Waterpipe tobacco smoking prevalence is increasing around the globe despite current evidence that smoke emissions are toxic and contain carcinogenic compounds.

Objective: To evaluate current health warning labelling practices on waterpipe tobacco products and related accessories.

Methods: All waterpipe tobacco products, as well as waterpipe accessories, were purchased from Lebanon and a convenience sample was obtained from Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Bahrain, Canada, Germany and South Africa.

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.

The tobacco industry's thwarting of marketing restrictions and health warnings in Lebanon.

Aims: This article outlines how the tobacco industry has undermined tobacco control efforts in Lebanon since the early 1970s.

Methods: An analysis of online and on-site tobacco industry documents, reviews of newspapers, policy and other documents, and interviews with key policy makers were conducted.

Results: Findings reveal how the weakness of tobacco control legislation in Lebanon has been the product of an effective tobacco industry strategy to weaken the content and scope of regulation, and delay adoption and implementation.

Hospital-based caesarean section in the Arab region: an overview.

This article provides an overview of hospital-based rates of caesarean delivery in 18 Arab countries and the association between these rates and selected demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Data on caesarean section were based on 2 of the most recent national hospital-based surveys in each country and on published studies based on hospital samples. High levels of caesarean delivery were found in Egypt (26% in 2003), followed by Sudan (20% in 1993).

Rethinking gender-based violence during war: is violence against civilian men a problem worth addressing?

Gender-based violence during conflict and post-conflict situations has received increased attention in research and in the work of development agencies. Viewed primarily as a form of violence against women, this commentary questions whether male civilians have also been victims of gender-based violence during conflict, invisible due to stereotypes surrounding masculinity and a culturally permissive approach towards violence perpetrated against men, especially at times of war. The experience of civilian males of violence, including sexual violence, during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other contemporary wars, suggests that the discourse on gender-based violence and public health research should begin exploring the specific needs of men.

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.

Smuggling as the "key to a combined market": British American Tobacco in Lebanon.

Objectives: To understand the strategy of British American Tobacco (BAT) and other transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) to gain access to the Lebanese market, which has remained relatively closed under monopoly ownership and political instability.

Methods: Analysis of internal industry documents, local language secondary sources and industry publications.

Results: TTCs have relied on legal and illegal channels to supply the Lebanese market since at least the 1970s.

Trends in the prevalence and determinants of caesarean section delivery in Jordan: evidence from three demographic and health surveys, 1990--2002.

This paper explores recent levels and trends in the prevalence of Caesarean section (C-section) delivery in Jordan during the period 1990--2002 and examines the impact of socio-demographic, healthcare and spatial characteristics on C-sections there. The study used three national data sets from the Jordan Demographic and Health Survey (JDHS) program conducted in 1990, 1997 and 2002. The JDHS surveys were based on large, nationally representative samples of 16,296, 7335 and 7825 households.

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.

Khat (Catha edulis) chewing during pregnancy in Yemen: findings from a national population survey.

Aims: This study examines the prevalence of khat chewing among women during pregnancy and some of the risk factors for this habit in Yemen.

Methods: Survey data on 7,343 ever-married women from the Yemen Demographic and Maternal and Health Survey (YDMHS), conducted in 1997 are used. Women who had a live birth during the 5 years preceding the survey were asked if they chewed khat during each of their pregnancies (=1) or not (=0).

Husbands' involvement in housework and women's psychosocial health: findings from a population-based study in Lebanon.

Objectives: We examined the association between husbands' involvement in housework and the psychosocial health of their wives using data on married couples living in poor neighborhoods in Beirut, Lebanon.

Methods: Data were derived from a cross-sectional survey of 2797 households; 1652 married couples and their families were included in the analysis. An index of husbands' relative involvement in housework was constructed from 25 items focusing on division of housework activities.

Maternal cultural participation and child health status in a Middle Eastern context: evidence from an urban health study.

Background: The negative effect of poverty on child health has been well established. However, rapid urbanization in developing countries prompts new research questions relating to socio-cultural practices and other related variables in these settings.

Objective: To examine the association between maternal cultural participation and child health status in impoverished neighbourhoods of Beirut, Lebanon.

Cultural capital and self-rated health in low income women: evidence from the Urban Health Study, Beirut, Lebanon.

This paper examines the association between cultural capital and self-rated psychosocial health among poor, ever-married Lebanese women living in an urban context. Both self-rated general and mental health status were assessed using data from a cross-sectional survey of 1,869 women conducted in 2003. Associations between self-rated general and mental health status and cultural capital were obtained using chi (2) tests and odds ratios from binary logistic regression models.

Distrust, social fragmentation and adolescents' health in the outer city: Beirut and beyond.

This study examined the association between place and components of social capital among adolescents living in three impoverished communities outside of Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. We utilized a unique data set that includes a wide range of social capital items to assess the association between place, social capital and self rated health. The analyses were based on data collected by trained interviewers during the Spring of 2003 from a stratified random sample of 1294 adolescents aged 13-19 years, drawn from a sampling frame constructed from area maps and detailed household listing of the target population.

Poverty.

This glossary addresses the complex nature of poverty and raises some conceptual and measurement issues related to poverty in the public health literature, with a focus on poor countries.

Agreement between husband and wife reports of domestic violence: evidence from poor refugee communities in Lebanon.

Background: This paper compares husband and wife reports of wife beating using household survey data collected from poor Palestinian refugee communities in Lebanon.

Methods: The analyses are based on a matched data file of 417 currently married couples, drawn from a unique multi-purpose living conditions sample survey of about 3600 Palestinian refugee households interviewed in the spring and summer of 1999. Four outcomes (ever beaten, last year beating, beating during pregnancy, and injuries caused by beating) were analysed using Kappa statistics and per cent agreement.

Rising trends in cesarean section rates in Egypt.

Background: Cesarean section rates have been increasing worldwide, but little research exists on trends of cesarean section delivery for any country in the Arab world. The purpose of this study was to document recent levels and trends of cesarean section rates in Egypt, and to estimate trends in cesarean section by type of hospital from three population-based national surveys.

Methods: This descriptive study used merged data files from three nationally representative samples of ever-married women aged 15 to 49 years.

The extraordinary decline of infant and childhood mortality among Palestinian refugees.

This article documents the levels and patterns of infant and child mortality among Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian areas based on comparable data from household sample surveys conducted since 1995. The findings show that Palestinian refugees have clear advantage in mortality levels as compared to their non-refugee counterparts in every setting, and refugees living in the camps have similar or lower levels of mortality than their non-camp counterparts, other things being equal. The recent decline of infant and child mortality among this vulnerable segment of the Palestinian population demonstrates the importance of political will in halting the truncation of infant lives.