Overall adequacy of antenatal care in Oman: secondary analysis of national reproductive health survey data, 2008

Despite the good health status of women and children in Oman, there are still some gaps to be filled. This study explored the adequacy of antenatal care [ANC] utilization of Omani ever-married women and the sociodemographic and health service determinants of adequate and sufficient ANC. In a secondary analysis of a national dataset [N=1852 women], the percentages of women who had 4+ ANC visits, attended ANC in the 1st trimester and received care by trained personnel were 96.8%, 74.9% and 99.1% respectively. Overall adequacy of ANC [use and sufficiency of recommended basic services] for the surveyed women was 53.8%. After adjustment of other covariates, being pregnant with the 1st baby was the only significant predictor of overall adequacy of ANC [OR 2.2; 95% Cl: 1.6-3.2]. Greater awareness of the need for adequate ANC is required for mothers with more than one baby

Nutrition knowledge, beliefs and dietary habits among elderly people in Nizwa, Oman: implications for policy

The nutritional needs of the ageing population require special attention. We undertook a cross-sectional, community-based, household survey in Nizwa wilayat, Oman to study nutrition-related knowledge and beliefs and self-reported dietary habits among a sample of elderly people. The response rate for the household interview was 99.3% from a total sample of 2041. About 45% of the elderly were overweight or obese. Overall we found poor knowledge of nutrition plus some nutritional imbalances and low levels of physical activity. Significant sex differences existed in elderly peoples' nutritional knowledge, consumption of fluids, milk and sweets, use of dietary regimens and experience of appetite change. The findings warrant reorientation of the existing health promotion strategy for the elderly