Assessment of food consumption, smoking, alcohol use, and physical activity by sex and major of study among a sample of college students in Jordan.

This study aimed to assess the food frequency and health-related risk behaviors based on gender and major of study (health and non-health majors) in a sample of undergraduate university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 708 undergraduate university students (37.4% males; 62.6% females) with a mean age of 20.88(SD = 2.20), ranging from 18 to 37 years from five universities. A self-reported questionnaire was administered in the university classrooms to collect data. Results showed that 47.3% of students reported consuming fruits and vegetables (38.1%), and 54% reported consuming unhealthy foods at least once in the preceding 24 h. About 16% of the students were cigarette smokers, 17% were waterpipe smokers, and slightly more than 4% were alcohol consumers. Significant associations were found between the participants based on their sexes, and study majors (P < 0.001). Male students smoked and consumed alcohol at significantly higher rates than female students. As with regards to the physical activity in the preceding week, students had not carried out any stretching activities (52.8%), strengthening activities (62.4%), cycling (35%), or taken part in any physical activity classes (68.4%). The rates of physical activity were significantly higher among male students than female students (p < 0.001). The results showed that non-health major students differ from those in health majors in the consumption of cigarettes (p < 0.001) and waterpipe smoking (p = 0.027). Students in non-health majors were more likely than students in health majors to have carried out stretching activities (p = 0.021) and participated in physical activity classes (p = 0.02). Our findings highlighted the importance of identifying health-related risk behaviors among university students to develop a health-promoting intervention tailored to a specific group of students considering their sex and study majors.

The effect of health literacy in explaining medication adherence among patients with hypertension: A cross-sectional study of Syrian refugees in Jordan.

BACKGROUND: Poor medication adherence is a concern among patients with hypertension. However, few studies have assessed the effect of health literacy on medication adherence among refugee patients. AIM: The aim was to examine the effect of health literacy and associated factors in explaining medication adherence among Syrian refugee patients with hypertension. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was used, recruiting 150 Syrian refugees with hypertension in February 2020. The Hill-Bone scale and the Health Literacy Questionnaire were used to collect data, which were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: Participants had low levels of medication adherence and had low mean scores in eight of nine subscales of the health literacy scale, except in the appraisal of health information subscale. Factors including patient's age, marital status, the number of medications and co-morbid diseases were significantly associated with medication adherence. Age, understanding written health information and ability to engage with healthcare providers were predictive of medication adherence. CONCLUSION: To increase medication adherence among refugee patients with hypertension, nurses need to improve patients' health literacy and understanding of health information about their disease.

Parents' Knowledge and Beliefs about the Impact of Exposure to Media Violence on Children's Aggression.

The current study aimed to assess Jordanian parents' knowledge and beliefs about the effects of violent media on children's aggressive behavior. A sample of 262 parents of children aged 6-11 years completed a Media Quotient questionnaire about children's media habits, media effects, and children's aggressive behavior. Parents reported that their children spend an average of 4.83 h (SD = 2.12) watching TV, 3.20 h (SD = 2.29) playing video games, 1.07 h (SD = 0.88) listening to music, and only 0.52 min (SD = 0.67) reading for pleasure per day. Parents have a moderate level of knowledge about the media effect (M = 15.49, SD = 3.439). Children of parents who have adequate knowledge about the media effect, spend less time watching TV (r = -.355, p < .001), playing video games (r = -.265, p < .001), and listening to music (r = -.347, p < .001). Ninety-two percent (n = 241) of parents were concerned about the amount of sexual and of violent content their children see in movies or on TV. Children who spend more time playing video games (r = -.201, p = .004) show aggressive relational behavior. This study suggests that increasing parents' knowledge of media of evidence-based programs may have a protective effect on children's behavior.

Students' Perceptions of Characteristics of Victims and Perpetrators of Bullying in Public Schools in Jordan.

BACKGROUND: School bullying is the most common school violence among adolescents and has become a global concern. Little is known about the characteristics associated with bullies and victims among Jordanian students. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to examine student perceptions of school bullying-specifically, the characteristics of perpetrators and victims and how to stop bullying-and assess differences in perceptions between boys and girls. METHODS: Cross-sectional study, using self-reported questionnaires, was employed to collect data from eighth-grade students (N = 913; 51% male) from a mixed rural and suburban area in northern of Jordan during the 2013-2014 school year. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize item responses. Chi-squared tests were performed to compare responses between the male and female students. RESULTS: Most of the students described a bully as one who is a coward underneath (78.9%), lacks respect for other people (70%), wants to show power (67.5%), wants to impress others (60.8%), and wants to feel superior (59.6%). Students perceived victims of bullying as having low self-esteem (68.2%), talking or sounding different than others (50.9%), shy (35%), and having no friends (27.1%). Students suggested that, to stop bullying, the victim should stand up for himself (75.4%), should become psychologically stronger (75.1%), and should involve adults (teachers, family, or others; 45.9%). There was a significant gender difference, in which boys and girls were describing victims and bullies differently. DISCUSSION: A significant percentage of students relate bullying and victimization characteristics to psychosocial characteristics and less to physical characteristics. The results offer valuable information necessary to design and implement school bullying prevention and intervention programs.

The impact of training program on nurses' attitudes toward workplace violence in Jordan.

BACKGROUND: Nurses' attitudes toward workplace violence are still inadequately explored, and possess an impact in preventing, and managing the violent incidents and the quality of nursing care. Creating a demand for an effective intervention program to improve nurses' knowledge of and attitudes toward workplace violence. OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of the training program on nurses' attitudes toward workplace violence in a military hospital in Jordan. METHODS: One group before-after design was employed. A stratified random sample of 100 nurses working in three shifts was recruited. Data were collected earlier and after the preparation program using the Attitudes Toward Patient Physical Assault Questionnaire. "The Framework Guidelines for addressing workplace violence in the health sector", was adopted in this work. The preparation sessions were for one day each week over five weeks. The post-test assessment was over five weeks using the same questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 97 nurses completed the survey. The outcomes demonstrated the significant impact of the training program on nurses' attitudes towards workplace violence (t=6. 62, df=96, p=0.000). The prevalence of verbal abuse by patients and visitors was 63.9% and for physical abuse, 7.2% were from patients and 3.1% of visitors. Most violent incidents occurred during day duty and during delivering nursing care (40.2% and 32%, respectively). Major source of emotional support for abused nurses was from the nursing team (88.7%), while the legal support was from nursing management (48.5%). CONCLUSION: The study highlights a general concern among nursing staff about workplace violence. Confirming that violence prevention education for staff is a necessary step forward to deescalate the problem. A significant effect of the training program was evident in this study.