Ali M. Shotar

Knowledge of substance abuse among high school students in Jordan.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitude, and beliefs about substance abuse among Jordanian adolescents (aged 15-18 years). Design: A descriptive design was employed using a self-administrated questionnaire to collect the data from 400 high school students. Methods: A multistage, random sample was generated in selecting schools from the educational directorate located in a large urban city located in the north of Jordan.This city district contains 23 public secondary schools and serves 56.8% of the adolescents in the entire province. Results: The results revealed the following: Students of both sexes were knowledgeable about aspects of substance abuse, including its harmful effects on the body and society and reported that even occasional or frequent use of cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs was extremely harmful. A majority of the students perceived substance abuse as a problem, although the older students were more acutely aware than the younger group. However, the results revealed that the students lack in-depth knowledge of substance abuse. In addition, the adolescents consistently refer to Islamic principles forbidding use of intoxicants but mistakenly presume that mosques are sources for assistance regarding substance abuse. Conclusions: Policy makers, health workers, and religious leaders must collaborate to build structured educational programs and readily accessible, evidence-based treatment programs for adolescents. Given that young people constitute the majority of the Jordanian population and that drug trafficking is prevalent in the region, the implications of prevention programs are critical to maintaining gains in public health outcomes as well as economic progress and development in Jordan.

Screening for domestic violence in Jordan: validation of an Arabic version of a domestic violence against women questionnaire

Objectives: Abuse against women causes a great deal of suffering for the victims and is a major public health problem. Measuring lifetime abuse is a complicated task; the various methods that are used to measure abuse can cause wide variations in the reported occurrences of abuse. Furthermore, the estimated prevalence of abuse also depends on how abuse is culturally defined. Researchers currently lack a validated Arabic language instrument that is also culturally tailored to Arab and Middle Eastern populations. Therefore, it is important to develop and evaluate psychometric properties of an Arabic language version of the newly developed NorVold Domestic Abuse Questionnaire (NORAQ). Design and methods: The five core elements of the NORAQ (emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, current suffering of the abuse, and communication of the history of abuse to the general practitioner) were translated into Arabic, translated back into English, and pilot tested to ensure cultural sensitivity and appropriateness for adult women in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Participants were recruited from the Jordanian Ministry of Health-Maternal and Child Health Care Centers in two large cities in Jordan. Results: A self administered NORAQ was completed by 175 women who had attended the centers. The order of factors was almost identical to the original English and Swedish languages questionnaire constructs. The forced 3-factor solution explained 64.25% of the variance in the measure. The alpha reliability coefficients were 0.75 for the total scale and ranged from 0.75 to 0.77 for the subscales. In terms of the prevalence of lifetime abuse, 39% of women reported emotional abuse, 30% physical abuse, and 6% sexual abuse. Conclusion: The Arabic version of the NORAQ has demonstrated initial reliability and validity. It is a cost-effective means for screening incidence and prevalence of lifetime domestic abuse against women in Jordan, and it may be applicable to other Middle East countries.

Firearm fatalities in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

This paper provides a database representing injury mortality in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, with the aim of establishing a system which will record information about the incidence of such deaths, identify new trends and give priority to violence prevention. The retrospective study was carried out on 64 fatalities from gunfire injuries at the Forensic Medicine Centre in Dammam, Saudi Arabia during the period from January 2002 — December 2006. The deaths included 55 cases of homicide, seven cases of suicide and two accidental shootings. Twenty-six victims were aged between 16-30 years and 24 victims were between 31-45 years. Fifty-nine of the cases were male. A handgun was the weapon used in 49 cases. The most common sites for the firearm entrance wounds were the head (45 cases) and the chest (35 cases). In the majority of cases (56.3%) a single shot was fired while in 15.6% of cases there were two shots. In 51.5% of cases no bullet was recovered from the body while a single bullet was recovered in 31.5% and two bullets in 6.2% of the cases. Distant range fire was observed in 65.6% of cases. Exit wounds were found on the head in 36.7% and on the chest in 28.7% of cases. The majority of victims were young males living in urban areas. This result should help in forming a strategy to improve the livelihoods of this group. The low incidence of alcohol abuse (one case, 1.56%) and only three cases (4.68%) of amphetamine abuse is significant.

Tobacco smoking status and perception of health among a sample of Jordanian students.

Limited data are available from Jordan examining patterns of tobacco use among adolescents, or how use is related to health perceptions. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of tobacco use and to assess the relationship between use and health-related perceptions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 11–18 year old school students from a major governorate in Jordan. Using a multistage random sampling 1050 students were selected. Students were categorized as non-smokers, cigarette-only smokers, waterpipe-only smokers, or dual smokers. Rates of waterpipe-only and cigarette-only smoking were 7% and 3%, respectively, and were similar for boys and girls. In contrast, the rate of dual use was much higher than for single product use and was double in girls compared to boys (34% vs. 17%). Dual-smokers were significantly more likely to think that it is safe to smoke as long as the person intends to quit within two years compared to non-smokers, and had lower self-rated health status than other groups. This is the first study among Arab adolescents to document high rates of dual tobacco use, especially pronounced among girls. The study findings have significant implications for designing tobacco smoking prevention programs for school health settings.

Zizyphus jujuba protects against ibuprofen-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

Abstract Context. Zizyphus jujuba Mill. (Rhamnaceae) has long been used for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia in Chinese traditional medicine. The edible part is the fruit. Different parts of Z. jujuba possess medicinal properties such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antifertility. Objectives: This study evaluated the therapeutic effect of Z. jujuba fruit aqueous extract (ZE) on nephrotoxicity induced by ibuprofen (IBP) in rats. Materials and methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were grouped as normal saline (control), ZE (500 mg/kg), IBP (400 mg/kg) and ZE + IBP-treated groups. After five days of oral administration, rats were sacrificed. The protective effect of ZE was evaluated by measuring kidney biomarkers, and histopathological changes of kidney were observed. Kidney antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and lipid peroxidase were investigated. Results: Administration of IBP resulted in a significant increase in urea and creatinine (p < 0.05) and a significant decrease in albumin and total protein (p < 0.05). Damage in glomeruli and proximal convoluted tubules was observed. IBP also increased CAT (p < 0.05) and GST (p < 0.001) activities compared to the control group. Administration of ZE with IBP significantly decreased serum urea and creatinine (p < 0.05) and reduced the severity of kidney damage. There was also a significant increase in the activities of CAT (p < 0.05) and GST (p < 0.001). Discussion and conclusion: These results indicated that Z. jujuba aqueous extract could have a therapeutic role in reducing nephrotoxicity induced by ibuprofen.

A study of wound fatalities in the north of Jordan

The aim of the present study is to analyze the epidemiological and demographic features of sharp wound fatalities. A retrospective study was carried out of 58 fatalities from injuries induced by the use of sharp objects which were sent to the Forensic Medicine Teaching Centre of North Jordan — affiliated to Jordan University of Science and Technology — for the period January 1989 to December 2000. Results showed that the majority of cases (46 - 79.31%) were young people, below 30 years of age. Forty-six cases were male (79.31%) and 12 (20.69%) were female. The 58 cases sustained 182 injuries. The trunk sustained the maximum number of injuries 145 (79.63%). Sharp wound fatalities showed a slight variation over the 12-year study period and rose twice, in 1991 and 2000. Forty four cases (75.86%) were urban residents. Thirty-seven (63.79%) cases occurred during the warmer months of the year. Most cases were murder 47 (81.03%) and 51 (88%) victims died from acute haemorrhagic shock. Forty-three (74.14%) cases died before receiving any treatment. None of the 58 victims had used alcohol or drugs. One victim was a Syrian labourer. Cases of sharp wound fatality were more or less stable with two peaks in 1991 and 2000. As in other parts of the world, most victims were young males living in urban areas under stressful conditions. Socio-cultural factors have reduced the frequency of fatalities.

Sexual Offenses Among Children in the North of Jordan: An Exploratory Study

Sexual offenses are an important global health problem threatening people of all age groups. There are no reported studies regarding sexual violence among children in Jordan. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the problem of sexual violence among children in the Northern region of Jordan. A retrospective design was adopted to review all reports from the Forensic Medicine Teaching Center of North of Jordan clinic on cases of sexual-related assaults that occurred between 2003 and 2007. Reports were reviewed for age, gender, toxicological analysis, and relevant information provided by victims and their relatives. Results indicated that 53% of the cases were male victims, with a male to female ratio of 1:1. Ages ranged from 3 to 18 years with a mean age of 12.5 years. Most cases were considered indecent assaults, while 37.1% were cases of rape. In most cases, offenders were strangers. It could be concluded that Jordanian children are as susceptible to sexual assaults as their counterparts worldwide. This study is the first to report sexual offenses among children in Jordan. As such, it provides baseline data that can be used to inform policy and prevention strategies focused on reducing sexual violence among this vulnerable segment of the Jordanian population.

Validation of the Waterpipe Tolerance Questionnaire Among Jordanian School-Going Adolescent Waterpipe Users.

Introduction: Waterpipe use among adolescents has been increasing progressively. Yet no studies were reported to assess the validity and reliability of nicotine dependence scale. The current study aims to assess the validity and reliability of an Arabic version of the modified Waterpipe Tolerance Questionnaire WTQ among school-going adolescent waterpipe users. Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted in Jordan, information on waterpipe use among 333 school-going adolescents aged 11-18 years was obtained using the Arabic version of the WTQ. An exploratory factor analysis and correlation matrices were conducted to assess validity and reliability of the WTQ. Results: The WTQ had a 0.73 alpha of internal consistency indicating moderate level of reliability. The scale showed multidimensionality with items loading on two factors, namely waterpipe consumption and morning smoking. Conclusion: This study report nicotine dependence level among school-going adolescents who identify themselves as waterpipe users using the WTQ.

ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS CASUALTIES IN THE NORTH OF JORDAN: AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY

The introduction on large areas of the genus Atriplex, in the Algerian steppe zone characterized by a fragile soil with an intense human and climate pressures, requires a study of its impact on the soil physico-chemical characteristics. The introduction of three species of Atriplex: a local specie Atriplex halimus, a second is Atriplex canescens originally from America and the third Atriplex nummularia from Australia. In each of these three species planting perimeter planted before 7 years a collect of the soil samples was conducted in the spring. The comparison between the soils results of the three species reveals the impact of Atriplex on some soil characteristics. The specie that improves the soil and does not disturb its physico-chemical characteristics is the local specie Atriplex halimus.