Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de santé de la Méditerranée orientale = al-Majallah al-ṣiḥḥīyah li-sharq al-mutawassiṭ
-
East. Mediterr. Health J. · Sep 2013
Addressing maternal and child health in post-conflict Afghanistan: the way forward.
Afghanistan's maternal and child mortality rates are among the highest in the world. The country faces challenges to meet the Millennium Development Goals set for 2015 which can be attributed to multiple causes related to accessibility, affordability and availability of health-care services. ⋯ In order to ensure sound maternal and child health care in Afghanistan, policy-makers must prioritize monitoring and surveillance systems, integrating maternal and child health care with rights-based family planning methods, building human resources, offering incentives (such as the provision of a conditional cash transfer to women) and promoting action-oriented, community-based interventions. On a wider scale, the focus must be to improve the health infrastructure, organizing international collaboration and expanding sources of funding.
-
East. Mediterr. Health J. · Jul 2013
[Prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren in Tebessa (eastern Algeria) between 1995 and 2007].
This study assessed the prevalence of overweight and obesity among public-school children aged 4 to 13 years in Tebessa, eastern Algeria over 10/12 years. Weight and height measurements of 21,618 schoolchildren were obtained from their health cards for 1995 to 2007 (49.4% girls and 50.6% boys). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in 2005/2007 was 8.49%, down from 17.39% in 1995/1998. ⋯ Children aged 10 to 13 years were the only ones who showed changes during this period. More girls were obese than boys (3.20% versus 2.82%, P = 0.033), while more boys were overweight (8.73% versus 7.94%, P = 0.034). While the rates of overweight and obesity have decreased over 10/12 years, the rates still suggest the need for epidemiological surveillance and the development of a health-oriented strategy for prevention of childhood obesity.
-
East. Mediterr. Health J. · Jun 2013
Oral health behaviours in relation to caries and gingivitis in primary-school children in Tehran, 2008.
The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to determine the prevalence of caries, severe caries and gingivitis in Tehran primary-school children and to analyse the relationship between children's oral hygiene habits and prevalence of these oral health diseases. Data were collected on the oral hygiene habits of 1271 Tehran schoolchildren (637 boys, 634 girls) aged 9-13 years. ⋯ Dental visits of 48.2% of children were limited to toothache occasions and parents' lack of belief in the importance of oral health was the most commonly cited reason (P < or = 0.05). The source of oral health education had the strongest independent association with severe dental caries (OR= 2.35; 95% CI: 1.80-2.60); dental flossing frequency was the strongest predicting factor correlated with gingivitis (OR = 3.51; CI: 1.46-8.44).
-
Conductive electronic devices (CED), such as Taser and stun guns, are sold worldwide for use by security services, although they have also been used for self-defence and even for torture. CED are promoted as non-lethal weapons which can potentially save lives. However, there are multiple reports of deaths temporally associated with CED use. ⋯ These cases present complex situations in which multiple factors potentially contribute to the death, including electric shocks which cause neuromuscular incapacitation, severe pain and anxiety. Public health officials, physicians and hospital personnel need to be aware that individuals controlled with CED are at increased risk of death. We need better recording of incidents worldwide to understand the extent and outcomes of CED use.