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Introduction: Limited knowledge about medicines use contributes to improper medicines use. This study investigates the knowledge and practice of appropriate medicine use and associated factors among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Methods: A community-based descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out using a pre-validated questionnaire. One thousand adult participants were invited to participate using the convenience sampling method. The differences in the total knowledge and practice scores for appropriate medicine use were determined using Kruskal–Wallis and the Mann–Whitney tests. Factors significantly associated with the knowledge and practice of appropriate use of medicines were predicted using binary logistic regression. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant at a 95% confidence level. Results: A total of 941 participants completed the questionnaire (response rate of 94.1%). The total mean knowledge score was 7.35 out of 12 (standard deviation, SD = 1.85). Also, the total mean practice score was 3.98 out of 4 (SD = 0.37). Only 0.7% of the participants knew how to dispose of medicines, while 29.0% of them checked the expiry date of medicines before using them. The study identified that male gender, good monthly income, secondary and college/university education levels, and the absence of chronic disease were more likely to be knowledgeable about using medicines properly. In addition, those aged above 55, male, and widow/divorced were more likely to practice medicines properly. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the knowledge and practice of appropriate medicine use varied significantly. Low knowledge levels and malpractice in some areas might affect the safety of medicine use. Educational activities are crucial to improving knowledge and practice of proper medication use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We examined the prevalence and nature of comorbid post-traumatic stress reactions and depressive symptoms, and the impact of exposure to traumatic events on both types of psychopathology, among Palestinian children during war conflict in the region. Methods: The 403 children aged 9-15 years, who lived in four refugee camps, were assessed by completing the Gaza Traumatic Events Checklist, the Child Post Traumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI), and the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ). Results: Children reported experiencing a wide range of traumatic events, both direct experience of violence and through the media. CPTSD-RI and MFQ scores were significantly correlated. Both CPTSD-RI and MFQ scores were independently predicted by the number of experienced traumatic events, and this association remained after adjusting for socioeconomic variables. Exposure to traumatic events strongly predicted MFQ scores while controlling for CPTSD-RI scores. In contrast, the association between traumatic events and CPTSD-RI scores, while controlling for MFQ scores, was weak. The CPTSD-RI items whose frequency was significantly associated with total MFQ scores were: sleep disturbance, somatic complaints, constricted affect, impulse control, and difficulties in concentration. However, not all remaining CPTSD-RI items were significantly associated with exposure to traumatic events, thus raising the possibility that the association between depression and PTSD was due in part to symptom overlap. Conclusions: Children living in war zones are at high risk of suffering from PTSD and depressive disorders. Exposure to trauma was not found to have a unique association with PTSD. The relationship between PTSD and depressive symptomatology requires further investigation.

Objectives. This study examined gender variation in nutritional treatment and anthropometric status of infants in the Gaza Strip. Numerous studies have documented gender differences in health status in developing areas, generally finding boys to be at an advantage over girls. Social and economic characteristics in Gaza suggest that one might expect preferential treatment of boys there. Methods. The study used data on two samples of infants 0 to 18 months of age collected from five health centers in Gaza. A variety of different analytic methods were used to look for gender differences in feeding patterns, prevalence of malnutrition, and anthropometric status. Results. Although some differences in nutritional treatment and anthropometric outcome for infants of different socioeconomic status and between the earlier and later samples were found, no consistent gender differences were revealed. Conclusions. The findings are consistent with several different explanations. First, expectations of finding gender differences may have been unfounded. Alternatively, such differences may have existed previously but have been eliminated through successful public health intervention, rising levels of education, and economic development. (Am J Public Health. 1995; 85:965--969), Male infants do not appear to be better fed than females among Moslem Palestinians although this is a culture where preferential treatment of males might be expected. A health education program begun in 1988 might have helped. Nutritional data and growth measurements were collected on Palestinians attending five health centers. One set of data was obtained from 988 boys and 846 girls aged 0 to 18 months in 1987 and another set from 949 boys and 875 girls in 1989. Nutritional status as measured by weight for age, length for age, and weight for height declined similarly with age for both groups. Girls in the 12 to 18 month age group weighed less for age compared with boys in 1987 but not in 1989. Poor children were more likely to be malnourished, but there was no discrepancy between the sexes. No significant differences were found in either time period for duration of breastfeeding, being fed meat, or receiving supplemental vitamins or iron.

Abstract Background There is little information about meal patterns and food consumption of adolescents in Palestine. The objective of this study was to describe the association between sociodemographic factors and food intake, and meal patterns among Palestinian school adolescents (12–15 year) in North Gaza Strip. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2002 comprising 944 subjects in 10 schools in Gaza city, Jabalia village and Jabalia refugee camp. Self-administered questionnaires were filled in by students and parents to obtain data on frequency of meals, food intake and sociodemographic characteristics. Results High household socioeconomic status (SES) was associated with the increased number of meals and the increased intakes of many nutritious foods such as; animal food items, fruits and vegetables and dairy foods. The percentage of adolescents having breakfast daily of high and low SES was 74.5% vs 55% in boys and 65.6% vs 45% in girls. The percentage of girls with refugee status who had lunch was higher (90.2%) compared to the local citizen girls (83.9%), (p = 0.03). Girls were less likely to skip daily lunch (OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.36–0.87, p = 0.01) compared to boys. Risk of skipping lunch was three times higher among adolescents living in the village compared to Gaza well-off area (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.72–6.31, p < 0.001). Adolescents who were having lunch daily were less likely to skip breakfast or dinner. Only 11.6% of boys and 16.2% of girls consumed fruits daily. In multivariate analysis, SES was positively associated with food frequency intake scores in both genders. Boys from the refugee camp and the village had a significant higher consumption of fruits and vegetables than boys from high and low income area in Gaza City, while it was the opposite in girls. Conclusion Meal skipping is common, particularly among those of low SES and the intakes of many nutritious foods such as animal food items, fruits and vegetables and dairy foods seem to be low among adolescents of low SES. The results of this study could be used as an important base-line for future monitoring of the nutritional situation of adolescents.