{"title":"Economic Evaluation for Health Interventions: Narrative Review","authors":"Rasha Mosallam","doi":"10.21608/jhiph.2024.343082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21608/jhiph.2024.343082","url":null,"abstract":"Costs and benefits should be considered alongside each other so that decisions can be made regarding the efficient delivery of scarce health care resources. So, if costs are high, benefit might also be large. Similarly, no health intervention can be efficient just because it is of low cost. An intervention may be of low cost and have no benefits. So, the important question when informing efficient decision making is how to compare costs and benefits associated with alternative interventions with each other. This is where economic evaluations are used. Types of economic evaluation are: (1) cost effectiveness analysis (CEA) which uses uni-dimensional measures of benefit (expressed in health units) and as such is generally used to address questions of technical efficiency; (2) Cost Minimization Analysis (CMA) which is considered to be a special case of CEA where alternative interventions are equivalent in terms of effectiveness and are compared only in terms of cost; (3) Cost-utility analysis (CUA) in which outcomes are considered in terms of changes in both quality and quantity of life. Here a cost per quality adjusted life years (QALY) ratio is estimated. The advantage of using this broader form of analysis is that it can address questions of both technical and allocative efficiency across various health producing programs; (4) Cost benefit analysis (CBA) expresses benefits and costs in monetary terms. By allowing costs to be compared directly to benefits, CBA is able to address questions of allocative efficiency (both within and beyond the health sector).","PeriodicalId":34256,"journal":{"name":"Journal of High Institute of Public Health","volume":"18 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140433259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sally Elotla, M. Tawfik, Fifi Elsayed, Asmaa Fouad, Abeer Ameen
{"title":"Mental Distress and Fears and Their Association with Health Care Access and Non-Adherence of Patients with Cancer to Treatment during COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Sally Elotla, M. Tawfik, Fifi Elsayed, Asmaa Fouad, Abeer Ameen","doi":"10.21608/jhiph.2024.339467","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21608/jhiph.2024.339467","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34256,"journal":{"name":"Journal of High Institute of Public Health","volume":"14 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139873722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sally Elotla, M. Tawfik, Fifi Elsayed, Asmaa Fouad, Abeer Ameen
{"title":"Mental Distress and Fears and Their Association with Health Care Access and Non-Adherence of Patients with Cancer to Treatment during COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Sally Elotla, M. Tawfik, Fifi Elsayed, Asmaa Fouad, Abeer Ameen","doi":"10.21608/jhiph.2024.339467","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21608/jhiph.2024.339467","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34256,"journal":{"name":"Journal of High Institute of Public Health","volume":"30 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139813691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How Physically Active are University Students in Saudi Arabia?","authors":"Sultana A. Alhurishi","doi":"10.21608/jhiph.2023.329509","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21608/jhiph.2023.329509","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Physical activity is a very positive behavior that has many health benefits, so understanding current physical activity levels in specific populations is important for health policy planning. Objective(s): to estimate physical activity patterns in King Saud University students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study estimated physical activity patterns among King Saud University students. An online survey was distributed to all students attending King Saud University. The survey included questions on socio-demographic characteristics and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Results : A total of 427 students were enrolled in the study (41% response rate of those clicking on the survey link). Three-quarters of respondents were females, and the majority were physically inactive (62.5%); no student reported being highly active. About half of them used their smartphones five hours or more per day, and the majority (65.1%) used applications to monitor physical activity. Bivariable analysis revealed a positive association between physical activity status and decreased hours of using a smartphone per day and using applications to monitor physical activity. Conclusion: Physical inactivity was prevalent among students at King Saud University. Targeted interventions are needed to enhance physical activity and prevent sedentary behaviors to prevent long-term adverse health consequences.","PeriodicalId":34256,"journal":{"name":"Journal of High Institute of Public Health","volume":"285 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138982558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessment and Implementation of Pre-Requisite Programs in a Dairy Products Plant in Gaza Strip, Palestine","authors":"Reema Abdallah, Adel Omara, Nasir Abo-Foul","doi":"10.21608/jhiph.2023.327929","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21608/jhiph.2023.327929","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Food safety in food industries requires compliance with the basic requirements of good hygiene practices or prerequisite programs (PRPs), along with a food safety management system (FSMS) such as HACCP and ISO 22000. Objective(s): This study aimed to assess and implement PRPs in a dairy products plant, in Gaza strip, Palestine. Methods: The assessment of the PRPs in the plant was conducted by using a pre-structured checklist for observation of the 14 PRPs parameters. It was followed by rehabilitation to ensure that products meet the prerequisite of quality and safety. Results : The overall score percentage of the available required elements of the PRP was 60.2%, with highest score for product information and consumer awareness (100%). While the lowest score was for both environment and location (28.6%) and utilities as air, water, and energy (46.66%). The deficiency in PRP was more pronounced in the pest control and product recall procedures (0% each). After rehabilitation, the overall score percentage of PRPs parameters were improved to 95.5%. The score percentage of waste disposal, equipment suitability, cleaning and maintenance, management of purchased materials, measures for prevention of cross-contamination, cleaning and sanitizing product recall procedures, warehousing and training was improved to 100%. Also, the score percentage of pest control parameter increased to 85.7%. Conclusion: Implantation of PRPs in a dairy products plant with sustainable rehabilitation is considered a prophylactic means for producing safe products and the foundation stone to apply any FSMS.","PeriodicalId":34256,"journal":{"name":"Journal of High Institute of Public Health","volume":"474 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139210455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mai Alkiek, Medhat Attia, Zeinab N. Shata, Heba Abdelaziz
{"title":"Prevalence and Determinants of Body Dysmorphic Symptoms among University Students in Alexandria, Egypt","authors":"Mai Alkiek, Medhat Attia, Zeinab N. Shata, Heba Abdelaziz","doi":"10.21608/jhiph.2023.327607","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21608/jhiph.2023.327607","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental disorder that disrupts young adults’ self-image and might damage their lives. BDD includes preoccupation with one or more perceived physical flaws that are not visible to others, along with repetitive behaviors or mental acts in response to appearance worries. Objective(s): The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of body dysmorphic symptoms among university students in Alexandria, Egypt, and to identify some of its determinants. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 636 randomly selected first year university students in Alexandria. The data was collected using a predesigned structured self-administered questionnaire along with the Arabic version of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire (BDDQ). Results : The prevalence of BDD symptoms was estimated to be 5.3% among Alexandria University students. BDD symptoms were significantly more common in females than males (8.5% Vs. 2.2%, p<0.001). The most common areas of concern were skin (36.6%) and belly size (36.2%). The logistic regression revealed that four variables were proved to be significant predictors of BDD symptoms; female gender (OR=3.011, 95% CI=1.220-7.436), time spent on social media (OR=2.926, 95% CI=1.337 - 6.403), history of exposure to bullying (OR=6.202, 95% CI=1.994 - 19.291), and not asking for support when needed (OR=3.327, 95% CI= 1.296 - 8.542). Conclusion: Symptoms of BDD are relatively common among university students in Alexandria and are more common among females. Preventive mental health services should be supported on the universal level as well as in schools and universities.","PeriodicalId":34256,"journal":{"name":"Journal of High Institute of Public Health","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139233848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Anxiety and Depression Among Egyptians During the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown","authors":"Tayseer Metwally, Hebatalla Aly, Mohamed Hefny, Hend Hassan","doi":"10.21608/jhiph.2023.323352","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21608/jhiph.2023.323352","url":null,"abstract":"Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a multiplicity of pressures. Experiencing lockdown, self-isolation, and the loss of beloved ones are the main risk factors for the development of mental health disorders during the pandemic. In low-and middle-income countries, infection control precautions, surveillance databases, laboratory capacity, and public health funds are limited, so the psychological influences of the pandemic on the public can be even worse. Objective(s): This study was conducted to assess anxiety and depression among Egyptians during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an e-survey distributed in May 2020 for the assessment of sociodemographic and occupational data and a validated Arabic questionnaire to assess depression by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and anxiety by the General Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7). Results : Five hundred and eighty-nine participants were included in the study, with a mean age of 28.3 ± 11.2 years. About 43.6% of the sample resided in the Suez Canal region, and about 58.6% were university students. Among the study population, 46.5% expressed moderate to severe anxiety and 64.3% expressed moderate to severe depression. The study demonstrated that all participants showed high frequencies of depression and anxiety regardless of variations in age, sex, educational level, occupation, or chronic diseases. Conclusion: Depression and anxiety rates during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were higher than before the pandemic, so identification, social support, and early intervention are very important to prevent additional complications.","PeriodicalId":34256,"journal":{"name":"Journal of High Institute of Public Health","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136317479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meisa Al Foraih, Sarah Hyatt, Nenad Naumovski, Hajar Alasmari
{"title":"Seasonal Variations in Dietary Flavonoid Content of Edible Plants","authors":"Meisa Al Foraih, Sarah Hyatt, Nenad Naumovski, Hajar Alasmari","doi":"10.21608/jhiph.2023.322226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21608/jhiph.2023.322226","url":null,"abstract":"Flavonoids are ubiquitous compounds commonly found in vegetables, fruits and other plant foods. Although not considered nutrients per se, consumption of various flavonoids is associated with established health benefits. Their biosynthesis, and therefore concentrations, are influenced by genetic, geographic and environmental conditions. Flavonoid content in foods can be seasonal, potentially influencing their total intake and biovailability. In view of the potential role of flavonoids in human health, studies published over an 11-year period (2009 to 2020) investigating links between flavonoid content and season in edible and medicinal plants, were examined. The limited studies to date focus on a small range of plant species. Within this, there is consistent evidence that flavonoid content varies according to season, particularly in relation to plant genotype and environmental conditions such as temperature, geographic location, light conditions/UV radiation and drought/water stress. Seven studies detected highest total flavonoid content at the end of winter and lowest in mid-autumn. From the included studies, rutin was the most commonly studied flavonoid, showing its highest levels in both spring and winter. These findings suggest studies on flavonoid intake should include seasonal considerations. Further studies on seasonal variations of common dietary flavonoids are warranted to enable such studies.","PeriodicalId":34256,"journal":{"name":"Journal of High Institute of Public Health","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135781573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Parental Attitudes and Anxiety towards COVID-19 Vaccination in Egypt","authors":"Heba Abdel Aziz, Salma Bekhit, Mohamed Mahgoub, Mohamed Tahoun, Amr Ghobashy, Doaa Mohamed","doi":"10.21608/jhiph.2023.320484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21608/jhiph.2023.320484","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Multiple factors negatively affect parental attitudes towards vaccinating children against COVID-19, particularly anxiety. This represents a barrier to long-term control of the pandemic. Objective(s): To study parental attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination of children and adolescents and its association with anxiety. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online electronic survey collected from 361 caregivers of children and adolescents (5-17 years old) was conducted. The Arabic version of Parental Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) Questionnaire for assessing vaccine hesitancy among parents and the Arabic version of Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI-A) for assessing anxiety symptoms were used. Results : 18% of the parents were hesitant towards vaccinating their children against COVID-19, 54.8% preferred that their children would develop natural immunity by acquiring the infection, 62.0%, 68.4%, and 41.8% were concerned that their children might have a serious side effect after the shot, they might not be safe or the vaccine might not prevent the disease respectively. Hesitance was higher among the unvaccinated and those who received the first and second dose with no intention to finish the booster one (p =0.004 and 0.001 respectively). Higher hesitancy was found among parents with severe anxiety (p=0.017). Conclusion: A significantly higher hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccination of children was found among parents having severe anxiety, young age, and higher education.","PeriodicalId":34256,"journal":{"name":"Journal of High Institute of Public Health","volume":"95 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135250817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mariam Eskander, Ibrahim Kharboush, Iman Marzouk, Hala Elgrawany
{"title":"Health Related Quality of Life of Under Five Children with Down Syndrome and Sociodemographic Correlates","authors":"Mariam Eskander, Ibrahim Kharboush, Iman Marzouk, Hala Elgrawany","doi":"10.21608/jhiph.2023.314774","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21608/jhiph.2023.314774","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Many researchers have revealed that health related quality of life (HRQOL) is significantly related to multiple socio-demographic factors in the general population. Only one previous research examined HRQOL in under five children with Down Syndrome (DS). So far, there are no DS-specific or gold standard tools present for this purpose. Objective(s): This study aimed to measure HRQOL in under five children with DS and to investigate its relation to some socio-demographic characteristics of under 5 children with DS and their caregivers. Methods: In a cross-sectional study of 267 under five children with DS, HRQOL was measured with the TNO-AZL Preschool Children Quality of Life (TAPQOL) questionnaire. TAPQOL was translated into Arabic and validated. Sociodemographic data were collected through a validated pre-designed structured interview questionnaire filled by the caregivers (mostly mothers). Results : The study revealed that 59.6%, 37.1% and 3.4% of the studied children had good, fair and poor HRQOL, respectively. Good HRQOL were significantly associated with children age group (1-<1.5 years) (0.000), mothers’ age group (<20 years) (0.039), professional work of the father (0.000) and married parents (0.042). These results were statistically significant. Nearly two thirds (62.5%) of the studied children with average socioeconomic status, had good HRQOL. This result was not statistically significant. Conclusion: More than half of the studied sample had good HRQOL. Good HRQOL were significantly associated with children age group (1-<1.5 years), mothers’ age group (<20 years), professional work of the father and married parents. The relation between the HRQOL and the socioeconomic class was not significant.","PeriodicalId":34256,"journal":{"name":"Journal of High Institute of Public Health","volume":"64 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135181807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}