Stress profile among Fayoum university students

Stress is a specific adaptive reaction of an individual to a variety of physical or psychological challenges. The term "stress" refers to the process involving perception, appraisal, and response to harmful, threatening, or challenging events or stimuli. This specific stress reaction depends on the nature and intensity of the stressor, the social and cultural context, and on the subject's ability to evaluate and to cope with the problem as well as his vulnerability to stress. To assess sources of stress among Fayoum university students, symptoms of stress, stress levels and the coping strategies they used to overcome these stresses, comparing between medical and non medical students as well as between academic and clinical medical groups and between male and female students. This is a descriptive study of 400 students implemented in three faculties; Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Education and Faculty of Social Service in Fayoum University. A self-administered Arabic questionnaire including background characteristics and sources of stress and a validated structured Arabic questionnaire was used to assess the stress level. The sources of stress related to study or to family were the most common sources of stress. The four most frequently reported stressors, feeling tired of long study hours [81. 7%], family adherence to know all their friends [80.7%], feeling annoyance to be deprived of attending lectures when coming late [79.8%] and when parents quarrel with them if they do something wrong [78.4%], in that order. The mean family sources score was significantly higher among females than males [p=0.000]. It was clear that Fayoum university students were exposed to a variety of interpersonal and environmental stressors. These findings indicated the need for stress management programs specific to the needs of college students

Characteristics of women smoking in water pipe cafes in Cairo, Egypt

Tobacco use is increasing throughout the developing world. In particular, the use of water pipes to smoke tobacco has become increasingly popular among women. Many women water pipe users go to cafes to smoke rather than doing so at home, where it may not be allowed or accepted by family or neighbors. Although effective tobacco control policies will require an understanding of the complex socio-demographic, behavioral, and motivational characteristics of such women, they have been underrepresented in previous surveys of tobacco use. In order to address this knowledge gap, our study was conducted in Cairo, Egypt, to determine the personal and social characteristics of women smokers, their use of cigarettes and water pipes, and their attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge towards tobacco smoking and its health effects. An anonymous self administered questionnaire was given to women who smoked in water pipe caf‚s. A total of 630 subjects participated: 49% were cigarette-only smokers, 23% smoked both cigarettes and water pipes, and 28% exclusively smoked water pipes. The median age was 32.5 years, while those who exclusively smoked water pipes were younger than cigarette smokers on average [29 vs. 37, p<.001]. Cigarette smokers started smoking at a younger age [median 22 years] than water pipe smokers [mean 24 years, p<0.01]. Marital status was strongly associated with many of the surveyed factors: 63% of the unmarried women participants were water pipe smokers, compared to 41% of the married women and 41% of divorced or widowed women [p<0.01]. Being unmarried was also associated with the belief that water pipe smoking is less harmful than cigarettes [44% vs. 38% of married women, and 27% of divorced/widowed]. The results of this study suggest that future tobacco control efforts in Egypt will need to specifically address the use of tobacco products by women in caf‚s, where it is.becoming increasingly popular for women to smoke

Risk Factors in Cerebral Stroke [A case Control Study in Kasr-El Aini Hospital]

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the world, it is the first leading cause of adult disability. Many clinical and laboratory risk factors are accused to be predisposing for the occurrence of stroke such as hypertension, diabetes cardiac diseases and hypercholestrolemia. The current study is a case control study, conducted on 450 subjects attending Kasr El Aini hospitals [150 stroke patients and 300 control subjects]. The objective of this study is to detect these risk factors, and assess their relation to the disabling effects of stroke to be used in the future as alarming signals for early diagnosis. Tools of the study included physical examination, dietary pattern, lab investigations, duplex, ECG and Echo cardiography. Patients group was subjected to additional investigations such as Neurological assessment scales including: Mini Mental State Examination [MMSE], Motoricity Index, Barthel Index and Modified Rankin out come scale. CT scan was also performed. Results showed a statistical significant difference between patient and control groups regarding most clinical and laboratory risk markers. Hypertension, smoking and transient ischemic attacks [TIAs]were considered among the most predominant risk markers among the patient group with a poor outcome on cognitive, motor deficits, and disability. Hypercholestrolemia recorded the worst outcome as regards Modified Rankin disability scale. Moreover, prompt control of these risk factors are associated with lowering these disabilities. Dietary habits played a major role in stoke. The most frequent food categories consumed by the patient group were fats, proteins, and caffeine; yet vegetables, and carbohydrates were the most frequently consumed by control subjects. It is recommended that knowledge about risk factors together with their effects on the outcome of the stroke attack be used in planning of a national preventive program directed to the risk groups and also be included in the primary care facilities for early detection and proper management of such risk markers