Public Health الصحة العامة
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- ItemSide Effects of COVID-19 Pfizer Vaccine among Al-Makassed Islamic Charitable Hospital Employees(Al-Quds University, 2024-02-14) Mohammad Hisham Mohammad Khallaf; محمد هشام محمد خلافSide effects of Covid-19 Vaccine among Al-Makassed Islamic Charitable Hospital Employees. Background: The BioNTech-Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine was given to the employees at Al-Makassed Hospital, at a time when the data on the side effects of the respective vaccine were very scarce. Therefore, in this research, we seek to examine the side effects that might be caused by the vaccine and its related complications, as experienced by the vaccinated employees at Al-Makassed Hospital. Study methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Al-Makassed Hospital, Participants’ prior consent was obtained. The data was collected through an online questionnaire and analyzed through the use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Univariate and bivariate analysis was conducted to examine the study objectives. Result: The study examined 203 employees from Al-Makassed Hospital, investigating the side effects that they experienced post Covid-19 vaccination. Half of the sample were males, 44% were in the age group 20-30 years, and 60.6% hold a bachelor degree. The most common side effects were pain at the injection site (82.9%), and the least one was the erection problems (1.1%). Nausea presented a significant association with the female gender compared to male participants, and was more prevalent in those in the age group20-30 years old. Also, city of residence showed significant association with the following side effects: lymph node enlargement, syncope and allergic reactions after vaccination and city of residence. A significant association were found between rashes and participants with chronic diseases. Those with allergies reported general weakness more than those without such allergies. Syncope and diarrhea were reported more by participants using chronic medications. No association founded between post covid-19 vaccine and other vaccines. The study found a significant association between working in shifts and the following two covid-19 vaccine side effects: general weakness and cough. Nausea, cough, difficulty of breathing, low back pain and menstrual cycle changes, all these side effects were reported more by participants diagnosed with an infection of covid-19 post any dose of the vaccine. The study showed that pain in the injection site and muscle and joint pain were the most reported side effects following the first vaccine dose, pain in the injection site and general weakness were the most reported side effects post the second vaccine dose, and headache and pain in the injection site were the most reported following the third dose of the vaccine. (65.3%) of participants had similar side effects to those of their vaccinated family members. Majority of participants complained of side effects in less than 24 hours post vaccination. In terms of the duration of side effects, the majority (58.5%) lasted for three days. (59.6%) of the reported side effects were mild. (64.2%) received treatment as a result of vaccine side effects and (78.2%) responded well to treatment. Conclusion: The majority of vaccine side effects in this study, whether common or rare, are consistent across the board. Some correlations were found drawing, thus, a number of associations with common demographic factors such as gender, age and health status among others. The predominance of side effects appeared to be mild to moderate in severity, appearing within 24 hours following vaccination and lasting, for the most part, up to 48 hours, indicating that the vaccine itself is safe and effective, highlighting, therefore, the need for vaccination and enhancing people’s confidence toward the vaccine itself, as the virus still lurks around, not so much in disguise, as new variants of the virus have come out and spread globally with the virus still infecting people.
- ItemDietary habits and associated factors and their relationships with body mass index and percent body fat among Al-Quds University students(Al-Quds University, 2023-10-16) Walaa Maher Idrees; ولاء ماهر ادريسIn university education, a healthy lifestyle is an important component of the adult population. Several research have demonstrated that there is a growing global demand to closely monitor university students' eating habits. University students in Palestine have a lack of awareness regarding good eating practices. Evidence is scarce on the relationship between eating habits and other characteristics in university students who are overweight or obese. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity using BMI and percent body fat measurements in a sample of university students, together with finding the effect of unhealthy eating habits, depression, and food addiction on BMI and percent body fat among Al-Quds University students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Nutrition Assessment Laboratory at Al-Quds University /Abu Dies. The study participants were both male and female students aged over 18 years old from different faculties in the university. A questionnaire was administered to assess the level of eating habits, depression, and food addiction. Body composition especially percent body fat was measured using the body composition analyzer (Inbody120, Biospace, Korea). Weight and height were measured using a weight scale with a stadiometer (Inbody, BSM120, Biospace, Korea). Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 26.0. Data were analyzed by using parametric tests such as frequency and chi-square. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity were calculated using students’ body mass index (BMI). BMI was higher fo male students compared to females (53.7% vs. 46.6%) (p<0.05). . Further, the prevalence of overfat, i.e. percent body fat (PBF), was higher among females students compared to males (71% vs 29%, respectively), (p<0.05). There was a negative significant association between the level of depression and eating habits (p<0.05). The Binary logistic regression showed that there are statistically significant differences in the BMI according to the gender, food addiction, Ownership status of house, PBF categories (P. values <0.05), in the logistic regression study that predicted the percent body fat (PBF). All the variables indicated no statistically significant difference except the “Body Mass Index (BMI). Conclusion: In summary, BMI revealed that male and female students at Al-Quds University had high levels of overweight and obesity. In addition, when PBF% was used to define adiposity instead of BMI, it increased the percentage of people who were obese by twice as much, Findings revealed significant variations (p<0.05) of PBF between males and females, females seem to have more overfat than males by PBF. University students' assessed depression was quite high, showing that they were depressed because of their new educational setting. University students with depression have fewer healthy eating habits than students with no depression symptoms. It would be interesting to begin interventions with this population, throughout their undergraduate education, to include motivational aspects and knowledge of healthy habits in terms of reducing overweight and obesity and minimizing depression and food addiction. Keywords: BMI, PBF, eating habits, food addiction, depression, socio-demographic, University students.
- ItemAssessment of physicians' and patients' satisfaction with the implementation of ISO 15189 in Palestinian Medicare Private Medical Laboratories(Al-Quds University, 2023-12-27) Dina Mrwan Mohammad Abu Zayyad; دينا مروان محمد ابو زيادRecently, all medical laboratories have become interested in ISO 15189, the first quality management ISO system for medical laboratories. To enhance and deliver high-quality healthcare services, it is important to understand patients’ and Physicians' satisfaction levels. International laboratory standards stipulate that the clinical laboratory must monitor customer satisfaction as a crucial metric of the quality management system. However, baseline information on the level of physician and patient satisfaction with laboratory services in privately owned medical laboratories that adhere to ISO 15189 is lacking in Palestine. Aim: The present study aims to assess patients’ and physicians’ satisfaction with the implementation of ISO 15189 in Palestinian Medicare Private Medical Laboratories. Methods: The study employed a quantitative approach, utilizing a cross-sectional study design involving a survey conducted on 191 patients selected conveniently from a monthly average of 6,300 patients in eight branches of Medicare laboratories (Ramallah, Tulkarm, Hebron, Nablus, Jericho, Al-Eizariya, Bethlehem, and Jenin). Additionally, 123 physicians were conveniently selected from the total of 325 physicians who referred patients to the previously mentioned branches of Medicare laboratories each month. This study covered eight branches of Medicare laboratories in Palestine, all adhering to ISO 15189 standards. A structured questionnaire, self-administered, was used to collect data, and analysis was performed using SPSS1. Participants rated their satisfaction on a 5-point Likert scale, with 1 denoting the lowest and 5 the highest satisfaction levels. Statistical significance was determined at a p-value less than 0.05. 1 SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is a software package used for the analysis of statistical data iv Results: The study demonstrated high satisfaction levels among patients (89%) and physicians (85%) in Medicare Private Medical Laboratories adhering to ISO 15189 standards. Patient satisfaction correlated positively with factors like work environment, result accuracy and reliability, and service accessibility, but not with socio-demographic variables. Similarly, physician satisfaction is linked to result quality and laboratory accessibility, with no correlation to socio-demographic variables. The results highlight the positive influence of ISO 15189 implementation on the quality of medical laboratory service. Conclusion: The findings from the study highlighted how the implementation of ISO 15189 positively affected the quality of medical laboratory services. This emphasizes the significance of encouraging policymakers to strive to apply ISO 15189 in Palestinian medical laboratories as a tool of assessment. This adoption aims to guarantee that national medical laboratories consistently achieve and maintain higher standards of practice.
- Itemكرب ما بعد الصدمة وأساليب التكيف لدى ضباط الإسعاف في الضفة الغربية(Al-Quds University, 2023-08-07) تسنيم موسى عايد دار زيدان; Tasneem Mousa Ayed Dar Ziedanهدفت الدراسة لمعرفة أعراض كرب ما بعد الصدمة للعاملين في مجال الإسعاف في الضفة الغربية (ضباط الإسعاف)، وعلاقتهم بأساليب التكيف المتبعة، اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج الوصفي الارتباطي، مجتمع الدراسة يمثله ضباط الإسعاف في الضفة الغربية، وقد تم تحديد عينة من 300 ضابط اسعاف بنسبة تمثل 59.4%، واعتمد الباحث على أداة الإستبانة في جمع البيانات، وتحتوي الأداة على مقياس كرب ما بعد الصدمة(PTSD Scale according to DSM-IV)، وتتضمن أيضا مقياس أساليب التكيف (أساليب مواجهة الضغوط-Copy Inventory) ومحاورهم الرئيسية. وتبين من التحليل النتائج التالية: ان درجة مستوى الكرب ما بعد الصدمة لدى ضباط الإسعاف في الضفة الغربية متوسطة، إذ حقق مجال استعادة الخبرات الصادمة أعلى أثر وحقق درجة متوسطة، و مجال الاستثارة أيضا حقق درجة متوسطة، وأخيرا مجال تجنب الخبرات الصادمة وحقق درجة منخفضة. كما أن درجة أساليب التكيف لدى ضباط الإسعاف في الضفة الغربية متوسطة، إذ حقق مجال التكيف الروحاني الديني على أعلى متوسط، ومن ثم مجال الانسحاب السلوكي، وثم مجال إعادة التقيم الإيجابي، ومن ثم مجال الإنكار. وأظهرت العلاقة بين أعراض كرب ما بعد الصدمة وأساليب التكيف لدى ضباط الإسعاف في فلسطين وجود علاقة طردية بينهما. وبخصوص الفروق الفردية في أعراض كرب ما بعد الصدمة تبين من الدراسة وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية تبعا لمتغير كل من: الجنس لصالح الذكور، الحالة الاجتماعية لصالح الأعزب، العمر لصالح من هم فوق 40، الخبرة لصالح 6 سنوات فأكثر، مكان العمل لصالح المحافظات الجنوبية، مكان السكن لصالح المدينة، طبيعة العمل لصالح ضباط الإسعاف، المستوى التعليمي لصالح الدراسات العليا، الحصول على دورات متخصصة لصالح من حصل على دورات متخصصة. وبخصوص الفروق في أساليب التكيف تبين من الدراسة وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية تبعا لمتغير كلا من: الحالة الاجتماعية لصالح الأعزب، مكان العمل لصالح مناطق الجنوب، طبيعة العمل لصالح المتدرب، المستوى التعليمي لصالح الدراسات العليا. وعلى ضوء ذلك تم تقديم التوصيات ذات العلاقة ومنها: 1. تقديم برنامج بناء قدرات لدى ضباط الإسعاف يركز على كيفية الخروج من دائرة الصادمة وكيفية التعافي منها. 2. التركيز على أساليب التكيف وتقوية أصولها عند ضباط الإسعاف 3. عمل تصنيف لقدرات ضباط الإسعاف في التكيف واستخدام أساليب التكيف في الظروف الصعبة ، وعمل برامج بناء قدرات للفئة الأقل قدرة في استخدام أساليب التكيف.
- ItemEpidemiological Review of Viral Hepatitis A in the West Bank(Al-Quds University, 2023-08-20) Alladin Nouraldin Abed Al-Shalalda; علاء الدين نور الدين عابد الشلالدةHepatitis A Virus HAV has been a significant cause of infections among the children and adolescents of Palestine. The possibility of protection from HAV through vaccination made it necessary to identify the epidemiology changing of hepatitis A infection in Palestine and to understand the trends for HAV and possible age-specific prevalence transitions. This data-based cross-sectional study was conducted during the period April – July 2023 on 1,781 surveys from the records from the Preventive Medicine Department- Ministry of Health MoH in Palestine. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS against different variables (age, gender place of residents, environmental conditions, liver enzymes and HAV symptoms (Fever, chills, vomiting, Jaundice, and dark urine). The high mean incidence rate in the 5 – 9 years age group suggests that individuals within this age range are particularly vulnerable to contracting HAV; which indicate an epidemiology changing of hepatitis A infection in Palestine The study revealed the association of several risk factors for higher HAV incidence rates: (i) elder age groups; (ii) environmental and behavioral conditions. This study provided strong evidence for continuous transition of HAV epidemiology towards intermediate endemicity in Palestine, with adolescents and adults most at risk. Following the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for countries with intermediate endemicity, vaccination strategy against hepatitis A is recommended for children in Palestine.