Samar ElFeky - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Samar ElFeky
Following in-house training, there was a need for assessing perceived performance of World Health... more Following in-house training, there was a need for assessing perceived performance of World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating centres in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with special relevance to WHO’s programme of work. Thus, a questionnaire was shared with responsible officers covering: selection process, frequency of communication, monitoring mechanisms, key delivered activities, and identified gaps during implementation. These included: tendency to implement regular activities, weak technical capacity and communication, and discrepancies between planned activities and actual implementation. Recommendations for centres included: establishing communication plan/modalities, selecting activities of global/regional nature, and mobilizing resources for work plan implementation. Recommendations for responsible officers included: carefully explaining
British Journal of Nutrition, 2020
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread globally, forcing countries to apply lockd... more Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread globally, forcing countries to apply lockdowns and strict social distancing measures. The aim of this study was to assess eating habits and lifestyle behaviours among residents of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the lockdown. A cross-sectional study among adult residents of the MENA region was conducted using an online questionnaire designed on Google Forms during April 2020. A total of 2970 participants from eighteen countries participated in the present study. During the pandemic, over 30 % reported weight gain, 6·2 % consumed five or more meals per d compared with 2·2 % before the pandemic (P < 0·001) and 48·8 % did not consume fruits on a daily basis. Moreover, 39·1 % did not engage in physical activity, and over 35 % spent more than 5 h/d on screens. A significant association between the frequency of training during the pandemic and the reported change in weight was found (P < 0·001). A significa...
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2019
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2018
Promoting and fostering an environment conducive for health research is mandatory for planning, d... more Promoting and fostering an environment conducive for health research is mandatory for planning, designing and implementing research and for sharing, using and translating its findings into evidence-informed health policies and cost-effective interventions (1). Mapping studies have been attempted in Africa (2), Canada (3), Europe (4), Latin America and the Caribbean (5). Recent studies in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region have revealed that the performance of health systems research is weak across all sectors, including governance, finance, workforce, medical and other technology, health information and service delivery. Such studies have referred to critical deficits in stewardship and translation of research into policy and practice, and often absence of an identified research agenda based on emerging priorities (6-8). It should be emphasized that there were prior attempts for health research mapping in the Region, but such studies were not comprehensive and only involved some member states (9-11), or were of institutional (rather than national) scope (10). Thus, to plan effectively for supporting health research to address current priorities and challenges in the Region, comprehensive mapping was deemed essential. This mapping study aimed to review the scope of existing health research in the Region and identify the challenges that need to be addressed to promote health research further. More specifically, the study aimed to synthesize prior mapping attempts for health research in the Region; to provide a rationale for carrying out comprehensive situation analysis of the range of health research institutions; and to identify possible gaps in the research cycle (research question, objectives, methods, data management, report writing and knowledge translation). The study followed a cross-sectional approach over 2 phases: the first was to synthesize prior attempts for mapping health research in the Eastern Mediterranean Region; and the second was to conduct a mapping survey of health research institutions in the Region. For synthesis of prior attempts, a literature search was carried out to identify prior mapping attempts for
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2017
notamment en relation avec le programme de travail de l'OMS. Pour cette raison, un questionnaire ... more notamment en relation avec le programme de travail de l'OMS. Pour cette raison, un questionnaire a été communiqué aux responsables traitant de domaines tels que le processus de sélection, la fréquence de communication, les mécanismes de suivi, les activités clés proposées, et les lacunes identifiées pendant la mise en oeuvre. Il s'agissait notamment de la tendance à mettre en oeuvre les mêmes activités, la faiblesse des capacités techniques et une mauvaise communication, un décalage entre les activités planifiées et la mise en oeuvre réelle. Les recommandations adressées aux centres étaient les suivantes : établir un plan/ des modalités de communication ; sélectionner des activités à caractère mondial/régional ; et mobiliser des ressources pour la mise en oeuvre du plan de travail. Les recommandations faites aux administrateurs responsables consistaient à expliquer clairement les règles et règlements actualisés de l'OMS, à garantir que les attribution spécifiques soient définies conformément aux mandats mondiaux/régionaux de l'OMS ; à mettre au point des mécanismes de communication courants ; à convenir de modalités de suivi et de coordination régulières ; et à assurer que les dispositions en vue des redésignations soient prises au cours de la quatrième année de la période initiale. ABSTRACT Following in-house training, there was a need for assessing perceived performance of World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating centres in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with special relevance to WHO's programme of work. Thus, a questionnaire was shared with responsible officers covering: selection process, frequency of communication, monitoring mechanisms, key delivered activities, and identified gaps during implementation. These included: tendency to implement regular activities, weak technical capacity and communication, and discrepancies between planned activities and actual implementation. Recommendations for centres included: establishing communication plan/modalities, selecting activities of global/regional nature, and mobilizing resources for work plan implementation. Recommendations for responsible officers included: carefully explaining updated WHO rules and regulations; ensuring that specific terms of reference are set as per WHO's global/regional mandates; setting up regular communication mechanisms; agreeing on regular monitoring and coordination modalities; and ensuring that redesignation planning takes place during the 4th year of prior designation period.
Health Promotion International, 2009
Community participation and empowerment are core principles underpinning the Healthy Cities movem... more Community participation and empowerment are core principles underpinning the Healthy Cities movement. By providing an overview of theory and presenting the relevant findings of evaluations, this article explores how cities in the WHO European Healthy Cities Network have integrated community participation and empowerment within their development. Reflecting the inclusion of public participation and empowerment within the designation criteria for project cities, the evaluation of Phase III in 2002 demonstrated that community participation continues to be a high priority in most project cities. Onethird of cities regularly consulted with large parts of their populations and another third undertook occasional consultations. Nearly 80% of cities had mechanisms for community representatives to participate in decisionmaking; and more than two-thirds of cities had initiatives explicitly aimed at empowering local people. Subsequent research carried out during 2005 further highlighted the centrality of public participation to the Healthy Cities movement. It found that all project cities continued to support community involvement. Community participation is an essential part of the process of good local governance, and empowerment remains at the heart of effective health promotion. To be meaningful, these processes must be seen as fundamental values of Healthy Cities and so must be developed as an integral part of long-term strategic development.
Urbanization has been rapidly increasing during the past two decades and it is estimated that by ... more Urbanization has been rapidly increasing during the past two decades and it is estimated that by 2030, two thirds of the world's population would be living in urban areas (1), exposing the population to a large number of environmental, social, cultural, economic and behavioural
PLOS ONE, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic is a major health crisis that has changed the life of millions globally. Th... more The COVID-19 pandemic is a major health crisis that has changed the life of millions globally. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the pandemic on mental health and quality of life among the general population in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. A total of 6142 adults from eighteen countries within the MENA region completed an online questionnaire between May and June 2020. Psychological impact was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the social and family support impact was assessed with questions from the Perceived Support Scale (PSS). The IES-R mean score was 29.3 (SD = 14.8), corresponding to mild stressful impact with 30.9% reporting severe psychological impact. Most participants (45%–62%) felt horrified, apprehensive, or helpless due to COVID-19. Furthermore, over 40% reported increased stress from work and financial matters. Higher IES-R scores were found among females, participants aged 26–35 years, those with lower ed...
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2018
Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit, Jan 6, 2018
Health research institutions in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) can play an integral role ... more Health research institutions in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) can play an integral role in promoting and supporting Knowledge Translation (KT). Assessing institutions' engagement in KT and bridging the "research- policy" gap is important in designing context-specific strategies to promote KT and informing funding efforts in the region. The objective of this study was to explore the engagement of EMR institutions in KT activities. A cross-sectional survey of institutions undertaking health research in the 22 EMR countries was undertaken. The survey covered institutional characteristics, institutional planning for research, national planning for health research, and knowledge management, translation and dissemination. 575 institutions were contacted of which 223 (38.3%) responded. Half the sampled institutions reported conducting priority-setting exercises, with 60.2% not following a standardized approach. Less than half institutions reported frequently/ always ...
Healthy Cities in the Eastern Mediterranean: From Sanitation to Comprehensive Policy
Healthy Cities, 2017
This chapter explains the emergence and evolution of healthy city approach in the countries of Ea... more This chapter explains the emergence and evolution of healthy city approach in the countries of Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO). Currently, two main approaches have been implemented in the EMR region; they include community-based initiatives (CBI) and Urban Heart to improve health of cities. In 1988, the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of WHO (EMRO) adopted community-based initiatives as a strategy to promote community health which encompasses four main programmes: basic development needs, Healthy Cities, Healthy Villages, and gender in health and development. The healthy city programme was initially implemented in the ‘Kooye 13 Aban’ area of Tehran in 1991 as a component of CBI programmes, and then expanded to 17 member states, now covering a population of nearly 18 million. WHO Kobe Centre for Health Development, established in 1995, and after pre-testing the tool in Malaysia it was piloted in a number of low- and middle-income countries in different regions, including in EMRO counties such as Iran, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia in 2008–2009. This chapter briefly provides few case studies from countries of the region explaining their local approach to creating healthy cities and extracts lessons learnt.
Social Science & Medicine, 2015
Following in-house training, there was a need for assessing perceived performance of World Health... more Following in-house training, there was a need for assessing perceived performance of World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating centres in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with special relevance to WHO’s programme of work. Thus, a questionnaire was shared with responsible officers covering: selection process, frequency of communication, monitoring mechanisms, key delivered activities, and identified gaps during implementation. These included: tendency to implement regular activities, weak technical capacity and communication, and discrepancies between planned activities and actual implementation. Recommendations for centres included: establishing communication plan/modalities, selecting activities of global/regional nature, and mobilizing resources for work plan implementation. Recommendations for responsible officers included: carefully explaining
British Journal of Nutrition, 2020
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread globally, forcing countries to apply lockd... more Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread globally, forcing countries to apply lockdowns and strict social distancing measures. The aim of this study was to assess eating habits and lifestyle behaviours among residents of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the lockdown. A cross-sectional study among adult residents of the MENA region was conducted using an online questionnaire designed on Google Forms during April 2020. A total of 2970 participants from eighteen countries participated in the present study. During the pandemic, over 30 % reported weight gain, 6·2 % consumed five or more meals per d compared with 2·2 % before the pandemic (P < 0·001) and 48·8 % did not consume fruits on a daily basis. Moreover, 39·1 % did not engage in physical activity, and over 35 % spent more than 5 h/d on screens. A significant association between the frequency of training during the pandemic and the reported change in weight was found (P < 0·001). A significa...
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2019
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2018
Promoting and fostering an environment conducive for health research is mandatory for planning, d... more Promoting and fostering an environment conducive for health research is mandatory for planning, designing and implementing research and for sharing, using and translating its findings into evidence-informed health policies and cost-effective interventions (1). Mapping studies have been attempted in Africa (2), Canada (3), Europe (4), Latin America and the Caribbean (5). Recent studies in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region have revealed that the performance of health systems research is weak across all sectors, including governance, finance, workforce, medical and other technology, health information and service delivery. Such studies have referred to critical deficits in stewardship and translation of research into policy and practice, and often absence of an identified research agenda based on emerging priorities (6-8). It should be emphasized that there were prior attempts for health research mapping in the Region, but such studies were not comprehensive and only involved some member states (9-11), or were of institutional (rather than national) scope (10). Thus, to plan effectively for supporting health research to address current priorities and challenges in the Region, comprehensive mapping was deemed essential. This mapping study aimed to review the scope of existing health research in the Region and identify the challenges that need to be addressed to promote health research further. More specifically, the study aimed to synthesize prior mapping attempts for health research in the Region; to provide a rationale for carrying out comprehensive situation analysis of the range of health research institutions; and to identify possible gaps in the research cycle (research question, objectives, methods, data management, report writing and knowledge translation). The study followed a cross-sectional approach over 2 phases: the first was to synthesize prior attempts for mapping health research in the Eastern Mediterranean Region; and the second was to conduct a mapping survey of health research institutions in the Region. For synthesis of prior attempts, a literature search was carried out to identify prior mapping attempts for
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2017
notamment en relation avec le programme de travail de l'OMS. Pour cette raison, un questionnaire ... more notamment en relation avec le programme de travail de l'OMS. Pour cette raison, un questionnaire a été communiqué aux responsables traitant de domaines tels que le processus de sélection, la fréquence de communication, les mécanismes de suivi, les activités clés proposées, et les lacunes identifiées pendant la mise en oeuvre. Il s'agissait notamment de la tendance à mettre en oeuvre les mêmes activités, la faiblesse des capacités techniques et une mauvaise communication, un décalage entre les activités planifiées et la mise en oeuvre réelle. Les recommandations adressées aux centres étaient les suivantes : établir un plan/ des modalités de communication ; sélectionner des activités à caractère mondial/régional ; et mobiliser des ressources pour la mise en oeuvre du plan de travail. Les recommandations faites aux administrateurs responsables consistaient à expliquer clairement les règles et règlements actualisés de l'OMS, à garantir que les attribution spécifiques soient définies conformément aux mandats mondiaux/régionaux de l'OMS ; à mettre au point des mécanismes de communication courants ; à convenir de modalités de suivi et de coordination régulières ; et à assurer que les dispositions en vue des redésignations soient prises au cours de la quatrième année de la période initiale. ABSTRACT Following in-house training, there was a need for assessing perceived performance of World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating centres in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with special relevance to WHO's programme of work. Thus, a questionnaire was shared with responsible officers covering: selection process, frequency of communication, monitoring mechanisms, key delivered activities, and identified gaps during implementation. These included: tendency to implement regular activities, weak technical capacity and communication, and discrepancies between planned activities and actual implementation. Recommendations for centres included: establishing communication plan/modalities, selecting activities of global/regional nature, and mobilizing resources for work plan implementation. Recommendations for responsible officers included: carefully explaining updated WHO rules and regulations; ensuring that specific terms of reference are set as per WHO's global/regional mandates; setting up regular communication mechanisms; agreeing on regular monitoring and coordination modalities; and ensuring that redesignation planning takes place during the 4th year of prior designation period.
Health Promotion International, 2009
Community participation and empowerment are core principles underpinning the Healthy Cities movem... more Community participation and empowerment are core principles underpinning the Healthy Cities movement. By providing an overview of theory and presenting the relevant findings of evaluations, this article explores how cities in the WHO European Healthy Cities Network have integrated community participation and empowerment within their development. Reflecting the inclusion of public participation and empowerment within the designation criteria for project cities, the evaluation of Phase III in 2002 demonstrated that community participation continues to be a high priority in most project cities. Onethird of cities regularly consulted with large parts of their populations and another third undertook occasional consultations. Nearly 80% of cities had mechanisms for community representatives to participate in decisionmaking; and more than two-thirds of cities had initiatives explicitly aimed at empowering local people. Subsequent research carried out during 2005 further highlighted the centrality of public participation to the Healthy Cities movement. It found that all project cities continued to support community involvement. Community participation is an essential part of the process of good local governance, and empowerment remains at the heart of effective health promotion. To be meaningful, these processes must be seen as fundamental values of Healthy Cities and so must be developed as an integral part of long-term strategic development.
Urbanization has been rapidly increasing during the past two decades and it is estimated that by ... more Urbanization has been rapidly increasing during the past two decades and it is estimated that by 2030, two thirds of the world's population would be living in urban areas (1), exposing the population to a large number of environmental, social, cultural, economic and behavioural
PLOS ONE, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic is a major health crisis that has changed the life of millions globally. Th... more The COVID-19 pandemic is a major health crisis that has changed the life of millions globally. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the pandemic on mental health and quality of life among the general population in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. A total of 6142 adults from eighteen countries within the MENA region completed an online questionnaire between May and June 2020. Psychological impact was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the social and family support impact was assessed with questions from the Perceived Support Scale (PSS). The IES-R mean score was 29.3 (SD = 14.8), corresponding to mild stressful impact with 30.9% reporting severe psychological impact. Most participants (45%–62%) felt horrified, apprehensive, or helpless due to COVID-19. Furthermore, over 40% reported increased stress from work and financial matters. Higher IES-R scores were found among females, participants aged 26–35 years, those with lower ed...
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2018
Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit, Jan 6, 2018
Health research institutions in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) can play an integral role ... more Health research institutions in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) can play an integral role in promoting and supporting Knowledge Translation (KT). Assessing institutions' engagement in KT and bridging the "research- policy" gap is important in designing context-specific strategies to promote KT and informing funding efforts in the region. The objective of this study was to explore the engagement of EMR institutions in KT activities. A cross-sectional survey of institutions undertaking health research in the 22 EMR countries was undertaken. The survey covered institutional characteristics, institutional planning for research, national planning for health research, and knowledge management, translation and dissemination. 575 institutions were contacted of which 223 (38.3%) responded. Half the sampled institutions reported conducting priority-setting exercises, with 60.2% not following a standardized approach. Less than half institutions reported frequently/ always ...
Healthy Cities in the Eastern Mediterranean: From Sanitation to Comprehensive Policy
Healthy Cities, 2017
This chapter explains the emergence and evolution of healthy city approach in the countries of Ea... more This chapter explains the emergence and evolution of healthy city approach in the countries of Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO). Currently, two main approaches have been implemented in the EMR region; they include community-based initiatives (CBI) and Urban Heart to improve health of cities. In 1988, the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of WHO (EMRO) adopted community-based initiatives as a strategy to promote community health which encompasses four main programmes: basic development needs, Healthy Cities, Healthy Villages, and gender in health and development. The healthy city programme was initially implemented in the ‘Kooye 13 Aban’ area of Tehran in 1991 as a component of CBI programmes, and then expanded to 17 member states, now covering a population of nearly 18 million. WHO Kobe Centre for Health Development, established in 1995, and after pre-testing the tool in Malaysia it was piloted in a number of low- and middle-income countries in different regions, including in EMRO counties such as Iran, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia in 2008–2009. This chapter briefly provides few case studies from countries of the region explaining their local approach to creating healthy cities and extracts lessons learnt.
Social Science & Medicine, 2015