Randah Helal - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Randah Helal
Background: Plasmid mediated quinolone resistant determinants (PMQRs) are found to be of clinical... more Background: Plasmid mediated quinolone resistant determinants (PMQRs) are found to be of clinical relevance because it causes decreased susceptibility to quinolones which are valuable antibiotics against intrinsically resistant Serratia marcescens. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of PMQR determinants (qnr, aac(6′)-Ibcr and qep) and their relation with extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and / or Amp C-producing S. marcescens. Material and Method: One hundred and eleven S. marcescens were tested for resistance to five quinolones by disc diffusion method. Testing for qnr, aac(6′)-Ib-cr and qep was carried out by multiplex PCR, while ESBL and Amp C production were evaluated by double disc synergy test and cefoxitin Hodge test, respectively. Results: A total of 51/111 (45.9%) S. marcescens were resistant to one or more of the tested quinolones. Among S. marcescens isolates, 13 (11.7%) were ESBL producers and 5 (4.5%) were Amp C producers. Multiplex PCR confirmed the presence of PMQR determinant in 14 (12.6%) of S. marcescens isolates and these were positive for qnrA and qnr B in 3 and 10 of the isolates, respectively, whereas one isolate co-harbored aac(6')-Ib-cr and qnrA. Among 13 ESBL producers, 3 and 5 isolates were positive for qnrA and qnr B, respectively (8/13; 61.5%),whereas one isolate which has co-expressed aac(6')-Ib-cr and qnrA was associated with Amp C production (1/5;20%).
International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health, 2014
Aim: to assess pregnant women perception of ANC (antenatal care) and their satisfaction with diff... more Aim: to assess pregnant women perception of ANC (antenatal care) and their satisfaction with different aspects of care. Study Design: A Cross sectional study was conducted on 600 pregnant females. Place and Duration of Study: Shawa family medicine center in Shawa village in Mansoura, Dakahlia governorate from March 2010 to September 2010. Methodology: Our target group completed the questionnaire including sociodemographic data, duration of pregnancy and number of their antenatal visit, questions to assess; satisfaction about different aspects of quality of the care, to assess women perception for ANC components. Results: High satisfaction (>90%) was reported for waiting time for laboratory results, answering inquiries and help by staff, trust the doctor followed by cleanness of the center, privacy, most of accessibility items, most of physician performance items. Satisfaction ( 75%) received proper nutritional care and fetal examination, performed ultrasound examination and only 65% actually received tetanus toxoid. <40% reported home visits, familial participation in care, had blood and stool analysis. Pregnant females were satisfied with most of the health education messages. Information about teeth care, breast care and clothing achieved lowest satisfaction (<20%). Conclusions: The majority of the females was satisfied by the quality of care and reported the perception of ANC components however; low satisfaction with health education components indicates a need for strategies to improve this important aspect of care.
Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology, 2013
Purpose: To determine the discriminating ability of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness me... more Purpose: To determine the discriminating ability of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in different stages of glaucoma. Patients and methods: Thirty normal, 150 glaucomatous eyes were included. Glaucomatous eyes were graded into early, moderate and severe stages according to one of the global indices called visual field index (VFI). Complete ophthalmic examination, white on white perimetry and SD-OCT were done for all patients. RNFL thickness of quadrants and average thickness were recorded. Area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were used to assess the performance of OCT parameters. Results: Average, inferior and superior RNFL thickness were the best parameters to discriminate normal from early glaucoma (AUC: 0.91-86), early from moderate (AUC: 0.77-0.70) and moderate from severe (AUC: 0.85-83). Average RNFL loss was 18% in early glaucoma, 28% in moderate glaucoma and 41% in severe glaucoma. Early damage tends to be focal and in the lower quadrant. A significant correlation was detected between mean VFI and mean RNFL loss. Glaucoma was restaged according to average RNFL loss into early: P97.5 l, moderate: <97.5-72.5 l and severe: <72.5 l. Conclusion: RNFL thickness measured with SD-OCT could discriminate the three stages of glaucoma. RNFL loss can be correlated to visual field loss. Future OCT-based staging of glaucoma, adjunctive to perimetry is possible.
The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine, 2020
Background: Utilization of prenatal health services is associated with improved pregnancy outcome... more Background: Utilization of prenatal health services is associated with improved pregnancy outcomes, including reduced maternal and perinatal mortality. Objective: to assess antenatal care (ANC) utilization and to investigate its relation to spouse involvement and women empowerment. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 500 females attending an immunization clinic for the purpose of immunizing their babies who were delivered within the previous six months in 4 urban and rural primary care centers in Mansoura district from September 2017 to January 2018. Results: The mean age of the studied group was 27.5± 9.8. Most of the mothers were highly educated, not working, with enough to just enough income, unaccompanied with their husbands who had a positive attitude towards ANC. Approximately 68.6% of the mothers had ≥4 ANC visits. Better ANC utilization (≥4 visits) was significantly associated with living in urban areas, higher education, working status, enough income, an accompanying spouse, and a positive attitude of the spouse. Mothers had moderate empowerment (5.6±2.3 out of 9). Total empowerment score was significantly higher among mothers who had ≥4 compared with <4 ANC visits (5.9±2.1 versus 4.8±2.5). Conclusion: Spouse involvement and women empowerment have a positive impact on antenatal care utilization.
Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 2013
Background: Transition from pre-clinical to clinical training has been identified as a crucial st... more Background: Transition from pre-clinical to clinical training has been identified as a crucial stage of medical education regarding student stress. When entering the clinical environs, students may become more prone to burnout. Aims: This study aimed to determine the prevalence, sources and predictors of high stress levels and burnout among medical students at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, during the clinical phase of medical education. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional survey of medical students in years four through six at Al-Ahsa Medical College during the academic year 2011-12 was performed. All 324 regular course attendants were invited to participate in the study and 233 participated (response rate of 71.9%). A self-reported questionnaire was used which covered three categories, including 18 sources of stress. Short Perceived Stress Scale and Emotional Exhaustion Subscale of Maslach Burnout Inventory were used to measure stress and burnout. Result: Sixth year stu...
Osong public health and research perspectives, 2018
To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to determine the... more To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to determine their driving behavior and its relation to different related factors. This cross-sectional study involved 480 medical students at Mansoura University, Egypt. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect student personal data, knowledge about road safety, attitude towards road safety, and driving practices. More than 40% of students experienced an injury in the previous year, mainly as a pedestrian (56%), and 15.2% practiced driving, although only 9.6% had a driving licence. Most of the students had correct road safety knowledge except for awareness that the safe time to read maps is when your vehicle is parked (44%), one should drive in the left lane (29.6%), and one should overtake from the right-hand lane only (25.8%). The majority of the students reported that road traffic injuries can be prevented (89.2%). The mean score of the driving practices of the students ranged from 0.66...
Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic. Its prevalence is increasing in developing countries. Th... more Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic. Its prevalence is increasing in developing countries. This study aims to estimate the prevalence, and associated risk factors of obesity and overweight among preschool children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mansoura district. The researcher took the anthropometric measurements of preschool children. A questionnaire included questions related to socioeconomic characteristics and maternal feeding behavior toward preschool children was used. 52% of studied children were males, mostly from urban areas. Overweight and obesity were significantly higher among females, children of highly educated mothers, children of over birth weight, among breast fed for at least 3, children consuming > two sugary juice bottles / day.
The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine
Objectives: To assess the diabetic patient condition using different diabetic scales and its rela... more Objectives: To assess the diabetic patient condition using different diabetic scales and its relation to the blood glucose level and to assess the impact of health education message on their knowledge and to evaluate the possibility to create computational models for assessing diabetic patient condition automatically. Method: An interventional study was carried out on diabetic patients attending the diabetic clinic of Mansoura General Hospital, during the period of May to September 2015. Results: Random blood sugar showed significant positive correlation with Diabetes duration, BMI, depression and significant negative correlation with self-efficacy, empowerment, and social support, stage of change for diet and stage of change for exercise. However, diabetes activity showed significant positive correlation with different scales (Diabetes duration, BMI, social support, self-efficacy, empowerment, stage of change for diet and stage of change for exercise) except with random blood glucose and depression which showed significant negative correlation. Linear regression analysis showed that stage of change for exercise, social support, empowerment and BMI are common predictors for both random blood glucose and diabetes activity. Based on this study, two computational models could be concluded for predicting diabetes activity and random glucose level from different diabetes scales using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Improvement in the knowledge was observed after the health education setting as detected by the increase in the mean knowledge score. Conclusion: Computational models for diabetes condition assessment could be concluded where different variables under study were found related to the outcome of diabetes either management adherence or blood glucose level.
The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine
Background: Hypertension (HTN) is an important health problem with great complications that can b... more Background: Hypertension (HTN) is an important health problem with great complications that can be prevented through proper management which depends mainly on patient compliance. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on attendants of the outpatient's clinic of Mansoura International Hospital (MIH) for HTN management during the period from January 2014 to June 2015. Results: The study included 350 patients; 170 (48.6%) of them were compliant with the medication regimen and 141 (59.7%) compliant to lifestyle modification. Compliance to medication regimen was mainly affected by gender, residence, work status and educational level, internal factors (personal factors), health care provider and cues to action. While gender, the perception of a barrier to compliance and internal factors (personal factors) were the predictors' for compliance to lifestyle modification. A proved relationship between compliance with medical regimen and lowering blood pressure level of the participants and also their BMI was detected. Conclusion: as compliance with medical regimen affect managing hypertension; so measures to increase patient's awareness about nature of HTN and its complication providing them with clear and direct messages. Continuous follow-up for the non-compliant patients to improve their behavior, involve them in the drug choice or decisions about treatment strategies. Incorporate family members to ensure medication compliance.
Chinese medical journal, Jan 5, 2018
Eating disorders (EDs) are serious illnesses associated with medical complications and have been ... more Eating disorders (EDs) are serious illnesses associated with medical complications and have been increased, especially among societies with an excessive concern about weight, shape, or appearance. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of EDs among the individuals attending weight management centers and its associated factors. A cross-sectional study was carried out among individuals attending four weight management centers in Tanta, Gharbia Governorate, Egypt during the period from July to December 2016. Precoded interview questionnaires were used to identify the following data: sociodemographic characteristics and medical history of depression or psychological disorders and the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-40) was used to assess the attitudes, behavior, and traits associated with the EDs. A total of 400 participants (112 males and 288 females) were included in the study. According to EAT-40 questionnaires, the prevalence of positive and negative EDs was 65.0% (n = 260) and 35...
Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to d... more Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to determine their driving behavior and its relation to different related factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 480 medical students at Mansoura University, Egypt. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect student personal data, knowledge about road safety, attitude towards road safety, and driving practices. Results: More than 40% of students experienced an injury in the previous year, mainly as a pedestrian (56%), and 15.2% practiced driving, although only 9.6% had a driving licence. Most of the students had correct road safety knowledge except for awareness that the safe time to read maps is when your vehicle is parked (44%), one should drive in the left lane (29.6%), and one should overtake from the right-hand lane only (25.8%). The majority of the students reported that road traffic injuries can be prevented (89.2%). The mean score of the driving practices of...
British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, 2014
Aim: To determine the knowledge, attitude and beliefs of children below 2 years' caregivers t... more Aim: To determine the knowledge, attitude and beliefs of children below 2 years' caregivers towards immunization in an Egyptian community, to detect of the underlying causes of vaccination delay, and to determine their satisfaction regarding aspects of care. Methodology: This cross sectional study was carried out on caregivers attending immunization setting in 5 urban and rural health facilities in Mansoura district, Egypt. They fill the questionnaire that asks about, Socio-demographic characteristics and different factors related to their attitude towards immunization. Results: The study included 1000 caregiver in the study. We found that no caregiver refused to immunize his children and 10% only delayed their immunization which was mainly due to deficient information about the importance of vaccination. Caregivers who delayed vaccines compared with caregivers who regularly vaccinated their children were Original Research Article British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 4(14): 2757-2767, 2014 2758 less likely to believe that vaccines are necessary to protect the health of children (91% vs. 99.3%, p<0.001), that their child might get a disease if they aren’t vaccinated(72% vs.83.3%, p<0.001), to read and watch stories about health (93% vs.100%, p<0.001), to agree with the statement, “vaccines are safe” (85% vs. 100%, p<0.001), to believe that they had a good relationship with their child’s health-care provider, (85% vs. 100%, p<0.001). At the same time, they reported lower satisfaction regarding different aspects of care except for insurances of proper vaccine administration. Conclusion: Vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions. Uptake of vaccination services is dependent not only on the quality of these services but also on other factors including knowledge and attitude of the parents. In this study we found that no one refused to immunize his children and the frequency of delayed vaccination was 10%. This delay was mainly due to insufficient information about the importance of vaccination, child illness, negative knowledge about the vaccines and vaccine deficiency. Health education programs is needed to explain different vaccines related worry together with improving different aspects of care that enhances caregivers satisfaction.
BMC Public Health, 2012
Background Self-medication is the use of medication without prescription, orientation, or supervi... more Background Self-medication is the use of medication without prescription, orientation, or supervision of a physician or dentist. Self-medication might become a serious health problem. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication among first and last-year students enrolled in healthcare and non-healthcare programs. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Of 830 students in the sample, 95% answered the questionnaire – 789 students enrolled in 10 undergraduate programs. Mean age was 22 ± 6.17 years. The students answered a questionnaire covering socio-economic and demographic variables, use of medication, and medication knowledge. Information was collected on the conditions treated with medication, the medications used, and attitude towards self-medication. Results Of 789 students, 86.4% self-medicated (88.5% of 446 healthcare students). There ...
British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, 2012
Aim: To study the problem of ARI (Acute respiratory tract infection) according to IMCI (integrate... more Aim: To study the problem of ARI (Acute respiratory tract infection) according to IMCI (integrated management of childhood illness) guidelines and find its relation with different related factors. Study Design: Cross sectional study followed by comparative study to the different classifications of ARI. Place and Duration of Study: Met-Mazah Integrated Hospital in Met-Mazah village, Dakahlia governorate, Egypt. The study carried out on one hundred children below 5 years selected by systematic sampling through a period of 6 months. Methodology: A questionnaire was used to assess different factors such as sociodemographic factors, feeding habits and immunization history then detailed general and pulmonary examination of patients was done. Results: The majority of ARIs cases were below two years. Severe pneumonia or very severe disease was slightly higher among male children and those had birth order 6 and more with no significant difference. More than half (60%) of those with family size ≥ 6 had severe pneumonia or very severe disease with significant statistical difference (p=0.005). About half of the children with very low social score were classified as pneumonia (46%) with no significant statistical difference. Total cases of ARIs and those classified as severe pneumonia or very severe disease were higher among those
South African Journal of Sports Medicine, Dec 14, 2011
Irwin, 7 in his systematic review on participation in physical activity amongst university studen... more Irwin, 7 in his systematic review on participation in physical activity amongst university students (19 studies from 27 countries, not including Egypt) concluded that less than one-half of university students in USA and Canada were sufficiently active to gain a health benefit. Also Musharrafieh et al. 8 found that 26.4% of university students in Lebanon engaged in regular physical exercise. Conversely, Abdullah et al. 9 found that two-thirds of Chinese university students were physically active. In 2011, the American College Health Association 10 reported that college students as a population are physically inactive, with only 20% reporting participation in moderate physical activity and 30% in vigorous physical activity on a regular basis from 2008 to 2010 with slight variation over years. In Egypt, the only available study of physical activity among university students was done by Abolfotouh et al. 11 This study was conducted among 600 students attending Alexandria University hostels and reported that 33.8% of the studied sample were physically inactive. Barriers to physical activity have been examined across a variety of populations. Although findings revealed that as barriers increased, physical activity decreased in youth and adult populations, the findings have been inconsistent in adolescent populations. 12 Body consciousness has been shown to be a barrier for female adolescents in the general population. 13 Lack of time has been the greatest obstacle to physical activity in adolescent students. 14 Also the weather, class assignments and the lack of interest or just the desire to do any other activity, have been among the most commonly mentioned barriers to physical activity by university students in the study carried by Sanz and Ponce. 15 The lack of social and institutional support, as well as the physical environment, were the main barriers found by Gyurcsik et al. 16 The aim of our study was to describe the pattern of vigorous physical activity among Egyptian freshmen university students and to evaluate the association between physical activity, Abstract objectives. To highlight the pattern of vigorous physical activity among freshmen university students and to evaluate the association between sociodemographic factors, perceived barriers, support factors, sedentary behaviours and body mass index. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on Mansoura University students at the beginning of the academic year 2008-2009. A total of 500 freshmen students were selected by systematic random sample. Participants responded to the short form of International Physical Activity Questionnaire and other questions. Results. The study revealed that the prevalence of vigorous activity among the students was 9.8% (N=49) versus 90.2% (N=451) for mild and moderate activity. Body-related barriers were significantly higher among those reporting mild and moderate activities as shyness from others when doing exercise (6.9% versus 0.0%) and shyness from body looks in front of people (14.6% versus 4.1%). Lack of equipment was also perceived to be a barrier (31.0% versus 16.3%), for those doing mild to moderate versus vigorous, respectively. A significantly higher proportion of persons doing vigorous activity reported the influence of support factors such as perceived benefit for health (53.1% versus 33.7%), encouragement from others (53.1% versus 30.4%) and participation from others (51.0% versus 23.9%), compared with the more sedentary students. The majority of both groups spent <4 hours daily in front of a computer, but the overall proportion was significantly higher among those only reporting mild and moderate activity (88.0% versus 63.3%). Conclusion. The prevalence of most of the barriers studied was higher among those reporting mild and moderate activities and support factors were higher among those reporting vigorous activity. These results highlight the importance of environmental factors, social norms and intra-personal factors in determining the pattern of activity among Egyptian freshmen university students.
Background: The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 month... more Background: The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life. The objective of this study was to assess the exclusive breastfeeding rate among infants and its predictors in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: Mothers attending for vaccinating their infants at the age of 6 months at primary healthcare centers were interviewed. Various sociodemographic variables, obstetric and infant factors, and breastfeeding practices were assessed for any influence on exclusive breastfeeding. Results: Only 24.4% of infants were exclusively breastfed at the age of 6 months. Logistic regression revealed that the independent predictors of exclusive breastfeeding were (in order) being a housewife mother (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] ¼ 4.7), infant on-demand feeding (odds ratio ¼ 3.4), not giving prelacteal feed (AOR ¼ 3.1), rural/hegar residence (AOR ¼ 2.2), timely breastfeeding initiation (AOR ¼ 2.0), average-weight infants (AOR ¼ 1.8), and spontaneous vaginal delivery (AOR ¼ 1.6). Conclusions: Mothers at risk of not breastfeeding exclusively should be the target of breastfeeding promotion during prenatal care. Working mothers should continue breastfeeding after returning to work.
Journal of Environmental and Public Health
Background. Self-medication is a common practice in developed and developing countries.Objectives... more Background. Self-medication is a common practice in developed and developing countries.Objectives. To explore the prevalence of self-medication practices among university students, probable reasons, symptoms requiring self-medication, and sources of advice.Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Mansoura University, Egypt, and included 1st and last year students of both medical and nonmedical faculties.Results. Prevalence of self-medication was 62.9%. Younger age, female, medical, and ever-married students and those having home pharmacy tended to self-medicate more than their peers with significant difference between them. Being medical student, being from urban area, having good current health condition, being careless about health, and having drugs stored at home pharmacy were independently associated with the likelihood of self-medicating.Conclusion. Prevalence of self-medication among university students is high which constitutes a health problem that nee...
Background. Self-medication is a common practice in developed and developing countries. Objective... more Background. Self-medication is a common practice in developed and developing countries. Objectives. To explore the prevalence of self-medication practices among university students, probable reasons, symptoms requiring self-medication, and sources of advice. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Mansoura University, Egypt, and included 1st and last year students of both medical and nonmedical faculties. Results. Prevalence of self-medication was 62.9%. Younger age, female, medical, and ever-married students and those having home pharmacy tended to self-medicate more than their peers with significant difference between them. Being medical student, being from urban area, having good current health condition, being careless about health, and having drugs stored at home pharmacy were independently associated with the likelihood of self-medicating. Conclusion. Prevalence of self-medication among university students is high which constitutes a health problem that needs intervention.
Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to d... more Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to determine their driving behavior and its relation to different related factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 480 medical students at Mansoura University, Egypt. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect student personal data, knowledge about road safety, attitude towards road safety, and driving practices. Results: More than 40% of students experienced an injury in the previous year, mainly as a pedestrian (56%), and 15.2% practiced driving, although only 9.6% had a driving licence. Most of the students had correct road safety knowledge except for awareness that the safe time to read maps is when your vehicle is parked (44%), one should drive in the left lane (29.6%), and one should overtake from the right-hand lane only (25.8%). The majority of the students reported that road traffic injuries can be prevented (89.2%). The mean score of the driving practices of the students ranged from 0.66±1.04 to 2.44±6.28 and rural residents showed significantly higher score regarding errors and lapses. Conclusion: Good road safety knowledge and a favorable, low risk attitude, did not translate into improved road traffic behavior and this highlights the importance of stricter implementation of the existing rules and including road safety in medical education programs.
Background: Plasmid mediated quinolone resistant determinants (PMQRs) are found to be of clinical... more Background: Plasmid mediated quinolone resistant determinants (PMQRs) are found to be of clinical relevance because it causes decreased susceptibility to quinolones which are valuable antibiotics against intrinsically resistant Serratia marcescens. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of PMQR determinants (qnr, aac(6′)-Ibcr and qep) and their relation with extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and / or Amp C-producing S. marcescens. Material and Method: One hundred and eleven S. marcescens were tested for resistance to five quinolones by disc diffusion method. Testing for qnr, aac(6′)-Ib-cr and qep was carried out by multiplex PCR, while ESBL and Amp C production were evaluated by double disc synergy test and cefoxitin Hodge test, respectively. Results: A total of 51/111 (45.9%) S. marcescens were resistant to one or more of the tested quinolones. Among S. marcescens isolates, 13 (11.7%) were ESBL producers and 5 (4.5%) were Amp C producers. Multiplex PCR confirmed the presence of PMQR determinant in 14 (12.6%) of S. marcescens isolates and these were positive for qnrA and qnr B in 3 and 10 of the isolates, respectively, whereas one isolate co-harbored aac(6')-Ib-cr and qnrA. Among 13 ESBL producers, 3 and 5 isolates were positive for qnrA and qnr B, respectively (8/13; 61.5%),whereas one isolate which has co-expressed aac(6')-Ib-cr and qnrA was associated with Amp C production (1/5;20%).
International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health, 2014
Aim: to assess pregnant women perception of ANC (antenatal care) and their satisfaction with diff... more Aim: to assess pregnant women perception of ANC (antenatal care) and their satisfaction with different aspects of care. Study Design: A Cross sectional study was conducted on 600 pregnant females. Place and Duration of Study: Shawa family medicine center in Shawa village in Mansoura, Dakahlia governorate from March 2010 to September 2010. Methodology: Our target group completed the questionnaire including sociodemographic data, duration of pregnancy and number of their antenatal visit, questions to assess; satisfaction about different aspects of quality of the care, to assess women perception for ANC components. Results: High satisfaction (>90%) was reported for waiting time for laboratory results, answering inquiries and help by staff, trust the doctor followed by cleanness of the center, privacy, most of accessibility items, most of physician performance items. Satisfaction ( 75%) received proper nutritional care and fetal examination, performed ultrasound examination and only 65% actually received tetanus toxoid. <40% reported home visits, familial participation in care, had blood and stool analysis. Pregnant females were satisfied with most of the health education messages. Information about teeth care, breast care and clothing achieved lowest satisfaction (<20%). Conclusions: The majority of the females was satisfied by the quality of care and reported the perception of ANC components however; low satisfaction with health education components indicates a need for strategies to improve this important aspect of care.
Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology, 2013
Purpose: To determine the discriminating ability of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness me... more Purpose: To determine the discriminating ability of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in different stages of glaucoma. Patients and methods: Thirty normal, 150 glaucomatous eyes were included. Glaucomatous eyes were graded into early, moderate and severe stages according to one of the global indices called visual field index (VFI). Complete ophthalmic examination, white on white perimetry and SD-OCT were done for all patients. RNFL thickness of quadrants and average thickness were recorded. Area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were used to assess the performance of OCT parameters. Results: Average, inferior and superior RNFL thickness were the best parameters to discriminate normal from early glaucoma (AUC: 0.91-86), early from moderate (AUC: 0.77-0.70) and moderate from severe (AUC: 0.85-83). Average RNFL loss was 18% in early glaucoma, 28% in moderate glaucoma and 41% in severe glaucoma. Early damage tends to be focal and in the lower quadrant. A significant correlation was detected between mean VFI and mean RNFL loss. Glaucoma was restaged according to average RNFL loss into early: P97.5 l, moderate: <97.5-72.5 l and severe: <72.5 l. Conclusion: RNFL thickness measured with SD-OCT could discriminate the three stages of glaucoma. RNFL loss can be correlated to visual field loss. Future OCT-based staging of glaucoma, adjunctive to perimetry is possible.
The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine, 2020
Background: Utilization of prenatal health services is associated with improved pregnancy outcome... more Background: Utilization of prenatal health services is associated with improved pregnancy outcomes, including reduced maternal and perinatal mortality. Objective: to assess antenatal care (ANC) utilization and to investigate its relation to spouse involvement and women empowerment. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 500 females attending an immunization clinic for the purpose of immunizing their babies who were delivered within the previous six months in 4 urban and rural primary care centers in Mansoura district from September 2017 to January 2018. Results: The mean age of the studied group was 27.5± 9.8. Most of the mothers were highly educated, not working, with enough to just enough income, unaccompanied with their husbands who had a positive attitude towards ANC. Approximately 68.6% of the mothers had ≥4 ANC visits. Better ANC utilization (≥4 visits) was significantly associated with living in urban areas, higher education, working status, enough income, an accompanying spouse, and a positive attitude of the spouse. Mothers had moderate empowerment (5.6±2.3 out of 9). Total empowerment score was significantly higher among mothers who had ≥4 compared with <4 ANC visits (5.9±2.1 versus 4.8±2.5). Conclusion: Spouse involvement and women empowerment have a positive impact on antenatal care utilization.
Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 2013
Background: Transition from pre-clinical to clinical training has been identified as a crucial st... more Background: Transition from pre-clinical to clinical training has been identified as a crucial stage of medical education regarding student stress. When entering the clinical environs, students may become more prone to burnout. Aims: This study aimed to determine the prevalence, sources and predictors of high stress levels and burnout among medical students at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, during the clinical phase of medical education. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional survey of medical students in years four through six at Al-Ahsa Medical College during the academic year 2011-12 was performed. All 324 regular course attendants were invited to participate in the study and 233 participated (response rate of 71.9%). A self-reported questionnaire was used which covered three categories, including 18 sources of stress. Short Perceived Stress Scale and Emotional Exhaustion Subscale of Maslach Burnout Inventory were used to measure stress and burnout. Result: Sixth year stu...
Osong public health and research perspectives, 2018
To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to determine the... more To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to determine their driving behavior and its relation to different related factors. This cross-sectional study involved 480 medical students at Mansoura University, Egypt. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect student personal data, knowledge about road safety, attitude towards road safety, and driving practices. More than 40% of students experienced an injury in the previous year, mainly as a pedestrian (56%), and 15.2% practiced driving, although only 9.6% had a driving licence. Most of the students had correct road safety knowledge except for awareness that the safe time to read maps is when your vehicle is parked (44%), one should drive in the left lane (29.6%), and one should overtake from the right-hand lane only (25.8%). The majority of the students reported that road traffic injuries can be prevented (89.2%). The mean score of the driving practices of the students ranged from 0.66...
Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic. Its prevalence is increasing in developing countries. Th... more Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic. Its prevalence is increasing in developing countries. This study aims to estimate the prevalence, and associated risk factors of obesity and overweight among preschool children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mansoura district. The researcher took the anthropometric measurements of preschool children. A questionnaire included questions related to socioeconomic characteristics and maternal feeding behavior toward preschool children was used. 52% of studied children were males, mostly from urban areas. Overweight and obesity were significantly higher among females, children of highly educated mothers, children of over birth weight, among breast fed for at least 3, children consuming > two sugary juice bottles / day.
The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine
Objectives: To assess the diabetic patient condition using different diabetic scales and its rela... more Objectives: To assess the diabetic patient condition using different diabetic scales and its relation to the blood glucose level and to assess the impact of health education message on their knowledge and to evaluate the possibility to create computational models for assessing diabetic patient condition automatically. Method: An interventional study was carried out on diabetic patients attending the diabetic clinic of Mansoura General Hospital, during the period of May to September 2015. Results: Random blood sugar showed significant positive correlation with Diabetes duration, BMI, depression and significant negative correlation with self-efficacy, empowerment, and social support, stage of change for diet and stage of change for exercise. However, diabetes activity showed significant positive correlation with different scales (Diabetes duration, BMI, social support, self-efficacy, empowerment, stage of change for diet and stage of change for exercise) except with random blood glucose and depression which showed significant negative correlation. Linear regression analysis showed that stage of change for exercise, social support, empowerment and BMI are common predictors for both random blood glucose and diabetes activity. Based on this study, two computational models could be concluded for predicting diabetes activity and random glucose level from different diabetes scales using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Improvement in the knowledge was observed after the health education setting as detected by the increase in the mean knowledge score. Conclusion: Computational models for diabetes condition assessment could be concluded where different variables under study were found related to the outcome of diabetes either management adherence or blood glucose level.
The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine
Background: Hypertension (HTN) is an important health problem with great complications that can b... more Background: Hypertension (HTN) is an important health problem with great complications that can be prevented through proper management which depends mainly on patient compliance. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on attendants of the outpatient's clinic of Mansoura International Hospital (MIH) for HTN management during the period from January 2014 to June 2015. Results: The study included 350 patients; 170 (48.6%) of them were compliant with the medication regimen and 141 (59.7%) compliant to lifestyle modification. Compliance to medication regimen was mainly affected by gender, residence, work status and educational level, internal factors (personal factors), health care provider and cues to action. While gender, the perception of a barrier to compliance and internal factors (personal factors) were the predictors' for compliance to lifestyle modification. A proved relationship between compliance with medical regimen and lowering blood pressure level of the participants and also their BMI was detected. Conclusion: as compliance with medical regimen affect managing hypertension; so measures to increase patient's awareness about nature of HTN and its complication providing them with clear and direct messages. Continuous follow-up for the non-compliant patients to improve their behavior, involve them in the drug choice or decisions about treatment strategies. Incorporate family members to ensure medication compliance.
Chinese medical journal, Jan 5, 2018
Eating disorders (EDs) are serious illnesses associated with medical complications and have been ... more Eating disorders (EDs) are serious illnesses associated with medical complications and have been increased, especially among societies with an excessive concern about weight, shape, or appearance. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of EDs among the individuals attending weight management centers and its associated factors. A cross-sectional study was carried out among individuals attending four weight management centers in Tanta, Gharbia Governorate, Egypt during the period from July to December 2016. Precoded interview questionnaires were used to identify the following data: sociodemographic characteristics and medical history of depression or psychological disorders and the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-40) was used to assess the attitudes, behavior, and traits associated with the EDs. A total of 400 participants (112 males and 288 females) were included in the study. According to EAT-40 questionnaires, the prevalence of positive and negative EDs was 65.0% (n = 260) and 35...
Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to d... more Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to determine their driving behavior and its relation to different related factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 480 medical students at Mansoura University, Egypt. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect student personal data, knowledge about road safety, attitude towards road safety, and driving practices. Results: More than 40% of students experienced an injury in the previous year, mainly as a pedestrian (56%), and 15.2% practiced driving, although only 9.6% had a driving licence. Most of the students had correct road safety knowledge except for awareness that the safe time to read maps is when your vehicle is parked (44%), one should drive in the left lane (29.6%), and one should overtake from the right-hand lane only (25.8%). The majority of the students reported that road traffic injuries can be prevented (89.2%). The mean score of the driving practices of...
British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, 2014
Aim: To determine the knowledge, attitude and beliefs of children below 2 years' caregivers t... more Aim: To determine the knowledge, attitude and beliefs of children below 2 years' caregivers towards immunization in an Egyptian community, to detect of the underlying causes of vaccination delay, and to determine their satisfaction regarding aspects of care. Methodology: This cross sectional study was carried out on caregivers attending immunization setting in 5 urban and rural health facilities in Mansoura district, Egypt. They fill the questionnaire that asks about, Socio-demographic characteristics and different factors related to their attitude towards immunization. Results: The study included 1000 caregiver in the study. We found that no caregiver refused to immunize his children and 10% only delayed their immunization which was mainly due to deficient information about the importance of vaccination. Caregivers who delayed vaccines compared with caregivers who regularly vaccinated their children were Original Research Article British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 4(14): 2757-2767, 2014 2758 less likely to believe that vaccines are necessary to protect the health of children (91% vs. 99.3%, p<0.001), that their child might get a disease if they aren’t vaccinated(72% vs.83.3%, p<0.001), to read and watch stories about health (93% vs.100%, p<0.001), to agree with the statement, “vaccines are safe” (85% vs. 100%, p<0.001), to believe that they had a good relationship with their child’s health-care provider, (85% vs. 100%, p<0.001). At the same time, they reported lower satisfaction regarding different aspects of care except for insurances of proper vaccine administration. Conclusion: Vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions. Uptake of vaccination services is dependent not only on the quality of these services but also on other factors including knowledge and attitude of the parents. In this study we found that no one refused to immunize his children and the frequency of delayed vaccination was 10%. This delay was mainly due to insufficient information about the importance of vaccination, child illness, negative knowledge about the vaccines and vaccine deficiency. Health education programs is needed to explain different vaccines related worry together with improving different aspects of care that enhances caregivers satisfaction.
BMC Public Health, 2012
Background Self-medication is the use of medication without prescription, orientation, or supervi... more Background Self-medication is the use of medication without prescription, orientation, or supervision of a physician or dentist. Self-medication might become a serious health problem. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication among first and last-year students enrolled in healthcare and non-healthcare programs. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Of 830 students in the sample, 95% answered the questionnaire – 789 students enrolled in 10 undergraduate programs. Mean age was 22 ± 6.17 years. The students answered a questionnaire covering socio-economic and demographic variables, use of medication, and medication knowledge. Information was collected on the conditions treated with medication, the medications used, and attitude towards self-medication. Results Of 789 students, 86.4% self-medicated (88.5% of 446 healthcare students). There ...
British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, 2012
Aim: To study the problem of ARI (Acute respiratory tract infection) according to IMCI (integrate... more Aim: To study the problem of ARI (Acute respiratory tract infection) according to IMCI (integrated management of childhood illness) guidelines and find its relation with different related factors. Study Design: Cross sectional study followed by comparative study to the different classifications of ARI. Place and Duration of Study: Met-Mazah Integrated Hospital in Met-Mazah village, Dakahlia governorate, Egypt. The study carried out on one hundred children below 5 years selected by systematic sampling through a period of 6 months. Methodology: A questionnaire was used to assess different factors such as sociodemographic factors, feeding habits and immunization history then detailed general and pulmonary examination of patients was done. Results: The majority of ARIs cases were below two years. Severe pneumonia or very severe disease was slightly higher among male children and those had birth order 6 and more with no significant difference. More than half (60%) of those with family size ≥ 6 had severe pneumonia or very severe disease with significant statistical difference (p=0.005). About half of the children with very low social score were classified as pneumonia (46%) with no significant statistical difference. Total cases of ARIs and those classified as severe pneumonia or very severe disease were higher among those
South African Journal of Sports Medicine, Dec 14, 2011
Irwin, 7 in his systematic review on participation in physical activity amongst university studen... more Irwin, 7 in his systematic review on participation in physical activity amongst university students (19 studies from 27 countries, not including Egypt) concluded that less than one-half of university students in USA and Canada were sufficiently active to gain a health benefit. Also Musharrafieh et al. 8 found that 26.4% of university students in Lebanon engaged in regular physical exercise. Conversely, Abdullah et al. 9 found that two-thirds of Chinese university students were physically active. In 2011, the American College Health Association 10 reported that college students as a population are physically inactive, with only 20% reporting participation in moderate physical activity and 30% in vigorous physical activity on a regular basis from 2008 to 2010 with slight variation over years. In Egypt, the only available study of physical activity among university students was done by Abolfotouh et al. 11 This study was conducted among 600 students attending Alexandria University hostels and reported that 33.8% of the studied sample were physically inactive. Barriers to physical activity have been examined across a variety of populations. Although findings revealed that as barriers increased, physical activity decreased in youth and adult populations, the findings have been inconsistent in adolescent populations. 12 Body consciousness has been shown to be a barrier for female adolescents in the general population. 13 Lack of time has been the greatest obstacle to physical activity in adolescent students. 14 Also the weather, class assignments and the lack of interest or just the desire to do any other activity, have been among the most commonly mentioned barriers to physical activity by university students in the study carried by Sanz and Ponce. 15 The lack of social and institutional support, as well as the physical environment, were the main barriers found by Gyurcsik et al. 16 The aim of our study was to describe the pattern of vigorous physical activity among Egyptian freshmen university students and to evaluate the association between physical activity, Abstract objectives. To highlight the pattern of vigorous physical activity among freshmen university students and to evaluate the association between sociodemographic factors, perceived barriers, support factors, sedentary behaviours and body mass index. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on Mansoura University students at the beginning of the academic year 2008-2009. A total of 500 freshmen students were selected by systematic random sample. Participants responded to the short form of International Physical Activity Questionnaire and other questions. Results. The study revealed that the prevalence of vigorous activity among the students was 9.8% (N=49) versus 90.2% (N=451) for mild and moderate activity. Body-related barriers were significantly higher among those reporting mild and moderate activities as shyness from others when doing exercise (6.9% versus 0.0%) and shyness from body looks in front of people (14.6% versus 4.1%). Lack of equipment was also perceived to be a barrier (31.0% versus 16.3%), for those doing mild to moderate versus vigorous, respectively. A significantly higher proportion of persons doing vigorous activity reported the influence of support factors such as perceived benefit for health (53.1% versus 33.7%), encouragement from others (53.1% versus 30.4%) and participation from others (51.0% versus 23.9%), compared with the more sedentary students. The majority of both groups spent <4 hours daily in front of a computer, but the overall proportion was significantly higher among those only reporting mild and moderate activity (88.0% versus 63.3%). Conclusion. The prevalence of most of the barriers studied was higher among those reporting mild and moderate activities and support factors were higher among those reporting vigorous activity. These results highlight the importance of environmental factors, social norms and intra-personal factors in determining the pattern of activity among Egyptian freshmen university students.
Background: The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 month... more Background: The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life. The objective of this study was to assess the exclusive breastfeeding rate among infants and its predictors in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: Mothers attending for vaccinating their infants at the age of 6 months at primary healthcare centers were interviewed. Various sociodemographic variables, obstetric and infant factors, and breastfeeding practices were assessed for any influence on exclusive breastfeeding. Results: Only 24.4% of infants were exclusively breastfed at the age of 6 months. Logistic regression revealed that the independent predictors of exclusive breastfeeding were (in order) being a housewife mother (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] ¼ 4.7), infant on-demand feeding (odds ratio ¼ 3.4), not giving prelacteal feed (AOR ¼ 3.1), rural/hegar residence (AOR ¼ 2.2), timely breastfeeding initiation (AOR ¼ 2.0), average-weight infants (AOR ¼ 1.8), and spontaneous vaginal delivery (AOR ¼ 1.6). Conclusions: Mothers at risk of not breastfeeding exclusively should be the target of breastfeeding promotion during prenatal care. Working mothers should continue breastfeeding after returning to work.
Journal of Environmental and Public Health
Background. Self-medication is a common practice in developed and developing countries.Objectives... more Background. Self-medication is a common practice in developed and developing countries.Objectives. To explore the prevalence of self-medication practices among university students, probable reasons, symptoms requiring self-medication, and sources of advice.Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Mansoura University, Egypt, and included 1st and last year students of both medical and nonmedical faculties.Results. Prevalence of self-medication was 62.9%. Younger age, female, medical, and ever-married students and those having home pharmacy tended to self-medicate more than their peers with significant difference between them. Being medical student, being from urban area, having good current health condition, being careless about health, and having drugs stored at home pharmacy were independently associated with the likelihood of self-medicating.Conclusion. Prevalence of self-medication among university students is high which constitutes a health problem that nee...
Background. Self-medication is a common practice in developed and developing countries. Objective... more Background. Self-medication is a common practice in developed and developing countries. Objectives. To explore the prevalence of self-medication practices among university students, probable reasons, symptoms requiring self-medication, and sources of advice. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Mansoura University, Egypt, and included 1st and last year students of both medical and nonmedical faculties. Results. Prevalence of self-medication was 62.9%. Younger age, female, medical, and ever-married students and those having home pharmacy tended to self-medicate more than their peers with significant difference between them. Being medical student, being from urban area, having good current health condition, being careless about health, and having drugs stored at home pharmacy were independently associated with the likelihood of self-medicating. Conclusion. Prevalence of self-medication among university students is high which constitutes a health problem that needs intervention.
Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to d... more Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards road safety and to determine their driving behavior and its relation to different related factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 480 medical students at Mansoura University, Egypt. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect student personal data, knowledge about road safety, attitude towards road safety, and driving practices. Results: More than 40% of students experienced an injury in the previous year, mainly as a pedestrian (56%), and 15.2% practiced driving, although only 9.6% had a driving licence. Most of the students had correct road safety knowledge except for awareness that the safe time to read maps is when your vehicle is parked (44%), one should drive in the left lane (29.6%), and one should overtake from the right-hand lane only (25.8%). The majority of the students reported that road traffic injuries can be prevented (89.2%). The mean score of the driving practices of the students ranged from 0.66±1.04 to 2.44±6.28 and rural residents showed significantly higher score regarding errors and lapses. Conclusion: Good road safety knowledge and a favorable, low risk attitude, did not translate into improved road traffic behavior and this highlights the importance of stricter implementation of the existing rules and including road safety in medical education programs.