METHODS: We analyzed data from the World Health Organization Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS 2014-2018) of 18,536 schoolchildren aged 12-16 from Iraq, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, and Yemen. The weighted prevalence was calculated to generate nationally representative estimates. Adjusted multilevel logistic regression models were conducted to assess the association between ENDS use and WTS.
RESULTS: The pooled weighted prevalence of ENDS use was 9.5%. Higher odds of ENDS use were significantly associated with WTS (AOR: 5.26, 95%CI: 4.28-6.46), smoking conventional cigarettes (AOR: 1.54, 95%CI: 1.23-1.94) and first tobacco use prior to the age of 12 (AOR: 1.40, 95%CI: 1.14-1.72). Females and children who were taught in school the dangers of tobacco had less odds of using ENDS.
CONCLUSION: WTS was associated with increased odds of ENDS use by >5 folds, and vice versa. Tobacco consumption at age younger than 12 years was associated with higher odds of ENDS use, but less odds of WTS. Females and those who were taught in school the dangers of tobacco were less likely to report ENDS use.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted on children aging 3 to 12 years in Kuwait during three different stages of COVID19 pandemic (pre-total curfew, during total curfew, and post-total curfew). The psychological status was assessed using the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria.
RESULTS: Of 2157 children between the age of 3 to 12 years old, 853 (39.5%) reported increased level of aggression, 789 (36.6%) over-crying, 749 (34.7%) sadness, 493 (22.9%) anxiety, 429 (19.9%) anhedonia, 383 (17.8%) confusion, 274 (12.7%) nightmares, 177 (8.2%) avoidance, 174 (8.1%) physical symptoms and 121 (5.6%) bedwetting during the pandemic. General health status was also affected with reported disturbed sleeping pattern (84.6%), altered appetite (50.9%) and weight changes (36.9%), mainly weight gain. Risk factors included being non-national, as well as having lower parental educational level and lower socioeconomic status; while protective factors involved meeting classmates, indoor and outdoor activities, and less screen time.
CONCLUSIONS: COVID19 crisis had drastic impact on children's mental and general health, requiring serious action regarding evaluating this generation and intervening accordingly.
METHODS: We will perform a comprehensive search for studies investigating the effect of a multi-professional home visit approach on quality of life among older adults. We will conduct the literature search in selected electronic databases and relevant research websites from January 2010 onwards. We will include randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cluster randomised controlled trials (cluster RCTs), and observational studies that enrolled older adults without dementia over 60 years old, along with studies involving multi-professional preventive-promotive home visit approaches not related to recent hospital discharge. We will report our planned review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We will retrieve and record relevant data in a standardised data extraction form and evaluate the quality of the included articles using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and the quality assessment tool for studies with diverse designs (QATSDD). Where appropriate, outcomes will be pooled for meta-analysis using a random-effects model. The main outcomes include quality of life, incidence of falls, depression, dementia, and emergency department admissions.
DISCUSSION: This review may provide evidence for the effectiveness of home visits in improving older adults' quality of life. It will potentially benefit health care professionals, policymakers, and researchers by facilitating the design and delivery of interventions related to older generations and improve service delivery in future.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42021234531 .
DATA SYNTHESIS: Data used in this research was obtained from diverse clinical trials. Thorough searches were carried out on multiple electronic platforms including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library from their inception until May 2024. Random effects models were assessed and pooled data were determined as weighted mean differences (WMDs) with a 95 % confidence interval (CI).
RESULTS: Overall, 20 randomized clinical trials (n = 1638 participants) met our inclusion criteria. The current meta-analysis demonstrates a significant reduction in TG (WMD: -12.21 mg/dL; %95CI: -20.16, -4.26; P = 0.003). Pooled analysis of 19 studies on HDL-c indicated a significant increase (WMD: 2.59 mg/dL; %95CI: 1.11, 4.07; P = 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: We found that WP intake can improve TG and HDL-c significantly without significant effects on TC, and LDL-c levels. However, future well-designed with long duration RCTs is required on diverse populations to understand better the effects of these natural compounds and their constituents on lipid profile in adults.