Do personal beliefs and peers affect the practice of alcohol consumption in university students in Lebanon?

Alcohol consumption is frequent among university students in Lebanon as elsewhere in the world. A cross- sectional study was conducted in Lebanon's public and private universities between October 2009 and September 2010 using a standardized questionnaire to assess personal beliefs about alcohol consumption, peers' behaviours and opinions and history of and current drinking practices. Of 1235 students, 199 [16.1%] had an AUDIT score >/=. Older age, male sex, Christian religion, attending a private university, studying a non-health specialty and residing in Beirut or Mount Lebanon were associated with a higher risk of harmful drinking. Beliefs concerning alcohol consumption and peers' opinions and behaviours were factors significantly associated with harmful drinking, especially: ignoring the dangers of alcohol consumption; higher frequency of consumption with friends; and a higher proportion of friends who drank regularly. University students'alcohol drinking behaviour was mostly influenced by peers' behaviour, and a peer education programme is recommended to decrease the risk of harmful drinking

Pattern of obesity and associated diabetes in Lebanese adolescents: a pilot study

Obesity-associated diabetes in adolescents is increasing throughout the world. In this study, body mass index and capillary blood glucose were measured in a randomly selected sample of adolescents from 3 Lebanese private schools. Obesity was evaluated according to international Obesity Task Force cut-offs. Out of 300 students, 18.7% were at risk of obesity 3.0% were obese. Random glycaemia level was >/= 140 mg/dL in 10.3% of students. In those fasting, 10.5% had glucose intolerance and 3.5% had diabetes. Glucose levels were significantly higher in overweight versus normal weight individuals: 86 [SD 13] versus 96 [SD 16] mg/dL. Among the normal weight group 8.6% had abnormal glycaemia while among those who were overweight 37.0% had abnormal glycaemia. Lebanese school students have high rates of overweight and of obesity-associated diabetes and glucose intolerance

Obesity-associated distress in Lebanese adolescents: an exploratory look at a large cohort of students

Childhood obesity has become an international concern. Our objective was to construct a scale for assessing obesity-related distress among Lebanese boys and girls and to study the relationship between obesity-associated behaviours and distress. Across-sectional study was conducted in 2009 on a sample of 1933 adolescents aged 12-18 years. Questions were asked about personal and family characteristics, satisfaction with weight, frequency of consumption of selected food groups, eating and dieting habits, physical activity behaviour [current and during childhood], attitudes towards obesity, and obesity-related distress. In the factor analysis, all 8 items of the obesity distress scale loaded onto 1 factor. Boys were significantly less likely than girls to be distressed by their obesity. Obesity-related distress, particularly when related to family and media pressure to lose weight; increased the risk of using weight-loss diets and drugs but was not associated with healthy dietary habits or participation in physical activity

[Maternity leave and experience of working mothers in Lebanon]

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 802 Lebanese mothers to evaluate the effect of rapid return to work on their health and that of their child. Breastfeeding practices were also assessed. The duration of maternity leave was insufficient for 72.8% of the women. Rapid return to work could cause physical and psychological problems depending on the type of work. The average length of breastfeeding was 4.7 months and while the average desired length was 10.9 months. Breastfeeding depended on the duration of the maternity leave, the possibility of breaks for breastfeeding and the presence of nurseries at work. Urgent interventions are necessary to prolong maternity leave and promote breastfeeding among working women

Knowledge and practice of university students in Lebanon regarding contraception

We evaluated knowledge and practice of Lebanese university students regarding contraception in a cross-sectional, comparative study on students in public and private universities using an Arabic language self-administered questionnaire. We found low levels of knowledge of contraception. The majority of males [73.3%] and a few females [21.8%] declared previous sexual relations: the majority of males had used a condom [86.1%], but females had generally not used contraceptives [75.6%]

[Smoking among Lebanese mothers: knowledge, attitudes and practices]

Smoking among women is increasing, especially in women of reproductive age. In a cross-sectional study of 1000 Lebanese mothers, we evaluated their knowledge, attitude and practice regarding cigarette smoking. We found that the amount of tobacco smoked by Lebanese mothers was related to age, educational level, profession and knowledge regarding smoking. A woman was more likely to stop or decrease smoking during pregnancy if she were more knowledgeable about the effects of smoking on the baby, if she smoked less, and if she had a higher degree of education. Knowledge about the effects of smoking on the smoker did not seem to affect this practice