Abstract
Background: Medical students are at high risk of developing depressive symptoms rather than their age-matched
group as medical education is stressful and medical students have psychological and academic stressors. The study
aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and the most important correlates associated with it
among Assiut University Medical Students in the academic year 2019–2020. It is a cross sectional study conducted
among 766 medical students at Assiut University in the academic year 2019–2020, screening for depressive symptoms
was by patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).
Results: The mean age of students was 21.27 ± 1.9, 55.5% of them have depressive symptoms. Female students had
statistically significantly higher percent of depressive symptoms compared with males (58.9% vs 51.2%), there was
statistically significant lower mean socio-economic score among students having depressive symptoms compared to
students with no depressive symptoms (5.73 ± 2.46 and 6.22 ± 2.5 respectively). Students having depressive symptoms
had higher mean scores of stresses. The multivariable regression revealed that younger age of the students
(OR = 0.797; p < 0.001), having a chronic disease (OR = 3.174; P = 0.024), lower life satisfaction score (OR = 0.908;
p < 0.001), students with higher medical stress score (OR = 3.596, P < 0.001), and high sense of control score
(OR = 2.323; p < 0.001) were the significant correlates of depressive symptoms among medical students.
Conclusions: Female gender, low socio-economic status, having chronic disease, presence of family history of either
mental illness or depressive symptoms, low satisfaction with life, higher total medical stressors, and low sense of control
were the most important correlates of depressive symptoms among medical students.

Abstract
HIV stigma among health care providers in the Arab world is understudied due to a lack of valid and reliable measures. Data from
352 Egyptian physicians was used to validate an Arabic version of the Health Care Provider HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale (HPASS).
Exploratory factor analysis (n=1 9 4) suggested a 3 -factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis (n=1 5 8) validated the
three-factor solution with 18 items, which explained 5 3 .3 6% of the variance. All items loaded on their designated constructs,
which ranged from 0 .58 to 0 .82 (prejudice) to 0 .58 to 0 .66 (stereotypes) and 0 .52 to 0 .91 (discrimination). The prejudice,
stereotypes, and discrimination subscales consisted of seven, five, and six items, respectively. The internal consistency (α =0 .9 0)
and the test-retest reliability demonstrated (r=0 .9 5) were excellent. The cultural adaptation of the Arabic version of HPASS
suggests that it is a suitable scale for assessing HIV stigma among Arab health care providers.

Abstract

Objectives

This study aims to assess pregnant women’s intention in rural Upper Egypt to use the copper-bearing intrauterine device (IUD) and to identify the factors influencing their intention to use the method.

Methods

The study was a household survey of 400 pregnant women in 16 villages in Assiut and Sohag Governorates in Upper Egypt.

Results

Only one third of the study participants (30.8%) had the intention to use IUD. Reasons of not intending to use IUD were; perceived pain during IUD insertion or removal (37.5%), perceived side effects (21.3%) and misconceptions (15.2%), husbands’ disapproval for using the method (15.8%) and the desire for future fertility (12.3%). Having a secondary or a higher level of education (OR (95% CI) = 1.726 (1.085–2.746), p = 0.01) and previous use of IUD (OR (95% CI) = 2.277 (1.108–4.678), p = 0.02) were the positive predictors of the intention to use IUD, while perception of husband opposition to IUD use (OR (95% CI) = 0.604 (0.379–0.964), p = 0.03) and perception of IUD related myths (OR (95% CI) = 0.893 (0.836–0.955), p = 0.004) were the negative predictors of the intention to use IUD.

Conclusion

The intention to use IUD is relatively low among pregnant women in rural Upper Egypt. Targeting pregnant women and their husbands with proper counselling regarding IUD use during antenatal care visits would greatly impact increasing their use of the method.

There are several studies reporting the outcomes of hypoplastic aortic arch and aortic coarctation repair with combination of techniques. However, only few studies reported of aortic arch and coarctation repair using a homograft patch through sternotomy and circulatory arrest with retrograde cerebral perfusion. We report our experience and outcomes of this cohort of neonates and infants.

Abstract

Background

Despite the observed decrease in female genital mutilation (FGM) prevalence, it is increasingly being medicalized. We examined the attitudes of both parents towards the FGM practice in Egypt, and highlighted the effect of fathers’ decision making and attitudes towards FGM and violence on FGM practice and medicalization.

Methods

This study is a secondary analysis of Egypt Health Issues Survey (EHIS), 2015. The 2015 EHIS involved a systematic random selection of a subsample of 614 Shiakhas/villages out of the 884 shiakhas/villages that had been chosen as Primary Sampling Units in the 2014 EDHS. Descriptive statistics of the study sample and parents’ attitudes was performed. Three indices were created describing; mothers’ and fathers’ attitudes towards FGM, decision making and rejecting violence against women. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to identify predictors of FGM practice and medicalization.

Results

A considerable proportion of EHIS girls; 16.4% were circumcised and 36% of girls were expected to be circumcised. More than two thirds of circumcised girls were circumcised by a physician; namely 67% and 13.5% by nurses. The majority of mothers (88.4%) and fathers (84.8%) believed that FGM practice should continue. They believed that FGM is a religious obligation (72.3% of mothers and 73% of fathers). Parents believed that husbands prefer a circumcised wife (81.1% and 82.5% of mothers and fathers respectively). Being in the poorest wealth quintile (OR = 4.2, p < 0.001) and living in rural Upper Egypt (OR = 4.55, p < 0.001) were the predictors of FGM practice, while medicalization was more likely among the rich and educated parents. Parents’ attitudes supporting FGM was significantly associated with its practice (OR = 1.97, p < 0.001, for mothers and OR = 1.27, p < 0.001, for fathers). Rejecting violence against women was associated with less likelihood of practicing FGM (OR = 0.89, p < 0.05) and more likelihood of its medicalization (OR = 1.25, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

More attention should be paid to enforce the laws against FGM practice by health care providers. Raising the community awareness on girls’ human rights and elimination of FGM practice which is a severe form of violence against women and gender inequality in sexual rights should be prioritized with targeting men in FGM programs.

This study secondary analysed the last Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) implemented in Egypt which is a cross-sectional school-based survey used self-administered questionnaire to research smoking among a national representative sample of (2,141) adolescents aged 13–15 years. The study identified that male adolescents are more likely to smoke than female adolescents in Egypt. The likelihood of adolescents’ smoking in Egypt was significantly associated with age; low educational level of fathers; having no weekly pocket of money; poor self-confidence to refuse friends’ smoking offers; absence of restriction on selling cigarettes to adolescents near their schools; and observing teachers’ smoking inside schools. Whereas accessing information, through schools, about smoking consequences prevents adolescents’ smoking. Adolescence is critical period for experimenting and continue smoking. The study …