Attitudes of high school students in the Kingdom of Bahrain towards physical education program

The Kingdom of Bahrain considers education one of the most important sectors of human development. The government secondary schools' physical education program provides students with regular physical activities in order to develop positive attitudes towards physical activity as part of day-to-day living. There are few data related to physical education and activity in Bahrain. This study was conducted to provide information on the attitudes of high school students towards the physical education program. In order to increase the role of schools in improving adolescent health, and prevent chronic diseases as early as possible. This study was conducted in Bahrain governmental secondary schools, and 475 students [Bahraini And non-Bahraini] of both genders were selected randomly from a total of 26 government high schools having a total population of 22,321 students. They were selected from the three main tracks for the academic year 2004-2005.Their ages ranged between 14-21 years. The study revealed that 68.5% of the students [both gender] had positive attitudes toward physical education, with a significant difference in attitude between male and female students. The main factors contributing to the students' positive attitudes included; curriculum 76.0%, self-perception 70.9%, teacher 59.1%, class atmosphere 54.0%, and facilities 36.0%. Negative attitudes towards physical education were more among female students than males due to lack of physical education facilities and inadequate classroom's atmosphere. Physical education hours needed to be extended, and physical education facilities to be enhanced by increasing the financial resources

Hypertension the silent killer. Part one

Hypertension is one of the non-communicable diseases that are very common world wide, especially in the developing countries. The non-communicable diseases are a group of illnesses that are not only preventable but have common preventable risk factors. The most important risk factors are smoking, drinking alcohol, high blood pressure [BP], high cholesterol, overweight, low fruit and vegetable intake and poor physical activity. Such diseases form the biggest challenge to the public health services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, as they constitute 47% of the whole burden of disease, a figure expected to rise to 60% by the year 2020. The incidence of hypertension in the Eastern Mediterranean Region countries can reach up to 25% in the adult population, while its incidence in the American continent ranges from 14% to 40% among those 35 to 64. The prevalence of hypertension and obesity in this region, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] countries, is increasing tremendously. Without a doubt the major causative factor for this increase is related to the rapid social changes in life style, attitude and eating habits. The high prevalence of hypertension in the GCC countries may also indicate low awareness rates among its people which studies have shown can reach up to 75%. It is a common practice to diagnose hypertension when BP is > 140/90 and to classify it as mild, moderate or severe. However, since hypertension has serious consequences on various target organs, WHO recommended that it should be classified as follows: - hypertension with no other cardio vascular risk factors and no target organ damage. - hypertension with other cardio vascular risk factors. - hypertension with evidence of target organ damage. - hypertension with other cardiovascular risk factors and evidence of target organ damage. This review highlights the extent of the problem, its definition, the major risk factors and complications and effective methods of controlling and preventing hypertension

Hypertension the silent killer: Part two

The review of Hypertension highlights the extent of the problem, its definition, the major risk factors and complications and effective methods of controlling and preventing hypertension. Hypertension is one of the non-communicable diseases that are very common world wide, especially in the developing countries. Such diseases form the biggest challenge to the public health services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, as they constitute 47% of the whole burden of disease, a figure expected to rise to 60% by the year 2020. The incidence of hypertension in the Eastern Mediterranean Region countries can reach up to 25% in the adult population, while its incidence in the American continent ranges from 14% to 40% among those 35 to 64. The prevalence of hypertension and obesity in this region, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, is increasing tremendously. Although it is well known that with proper control of hypertension the risk of complications is reduced, preventive measures should be taken before any sign of hypertension develops. The complications of hypertension are very costly to society, families, and individuals because they lead to long periods of disability, premature mortality, and expensive diagnosis and care. Studies have shown that lowering blood pressure by even 5-6 millimeters of mercury can reduce mortality from cerebrovascular disease by as much as 35%-40%, from cardiovascular causes by 23% and from ischemic heart disease, by 15%-20%. Economically, the non-communicable diseases also put a great burden on countries' assigned health budgets and policies, especially in the poor ones. In conclusion, greater efforts should be made for prevention of hypertension by community awareness and effective blood pressure reduction. However, it has to be highlighted that the risk relationship between blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases is continuous and progressive, and studies have shown that complications may occur even in people who are labeled as normotensives. Nonetheless, this fact should not deter policy makers from implementing strategic plans to overcome the problem of hypertension