Human papillomavirus vaccine knowledge and conspiracy beliefs among secondary school students in Lebanon.

BACKGROUND: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is widely prevalent across the globe. In Lebanon, the society is transitioning from traditional conservatism to a more open attitude. Although previous studies have examined the knowledge of adults in Lebanon with regard to HPV and its vaccine, there is a lack of research on secondary school students. Moreover, HPV is considered a worldwide public health matter that needs to be addressed. Therefore, the objective of our study is to assess factors associated with knowledge and conspiracy beliefs towards HPV vaccine among a sample of Lebanese adolescents. METHODS: Between December 2022 and February 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional study on Lebanese adolescents aged 15 to 18 years old. Parental approval was needed in order to participate. We used a questionnaire to collect data, which included the HPV-knowledge questionnaire (HPV-KQ) and the Vaccine Conspiracy Belief Scale (VCBS). RESULTS: Of the 406 participants who filled the survey, 64.8% were female, with a mean age of 16.62 ± 1.01. Results showed that 31.0% of students had high knowledge about HPV, while 27.6% had high conspiracy beliefs, and 48% of participants relied on the internet to access information on HPV. Students who had previously heard of HPV, received sexual education at school or outside, and had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine demonstrated significantly higher knowledge of HPV. Additionally, students with high knowledge had a lower mean House Crowding Index, and those whose fathers had a university education had lower conspiracy beliefs. Females had a higher vaccination rate than males, while no significant difference was found between those who had engaged in sexual activity and those who had not. The multivariate analysis indicated that previous awareness of HPV and receiving sexual education outside school were significantly associated with higher knowledge. CONCLUSION: Our study brings to light the urgent need for action to increase HPV awareness and vaccination among Lebanese secondary school students. The prevalence of vaccine misconceptions and conspiracy beliefs and the limited knowledge of HPV underscore the importance of more comprehensive sexual education in schools and the dissemination of accurate information about HPV and its vaccine. Furthermore, given the low vaccination rate among males, efforts should be made to promote HPV vaccination among this population. Addressing these issues can improve public health and help prevent the spread of HPV and its related diseases.

Religious hallucinations in Lebanese patients with schizophrenia and their association with religious coping.

PURPOSE: to evaluate the relationship between religious hallucinations and religious coping among Lebanese patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: We have studied the prevalence of religious hallucinations (RH) among 148 hospitalized Lebanese patients suffering from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in November 2021 exhibiting religious delusions (RD), and their relationship with religious coping using the brief Religious Coping Scale (RCOPE). The PANSS scale was used to evaluate psychotic symptoms. RESULTS: After adjustment over all variables, more psychotic symptoms (higher total PANSS scores) (aOR = 1.02) and more religious negative coping (aOR = 1.11) were significantly associated with higher odds of having religious hallucinations, whereas watching religious programs (aOR = 0.34) was significantly associated with lower odds of having religious hallucinations. CONCLUSION: This paper highlights the important role of religiosity that has to play in the formation of religious hallucinations in schizophrenia. Significant association was found between negative religious coping and the emergence of religious hallucinations.

Eating disorders and their relationship with menopausal phases among a sample of middle-aged Lebanese women.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of our study was to evaluate the association between the transition to menopause, body dissatisfaction, and abnormal eating habits (restrained eating, binge eating, and orthorexia nervosa) in a sample of middle-aged Lebanese women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted between July 2019 and January 2020 enrolled 1001 women aged 40 years and above from all Lebanese governorates. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews with all participants. The Body dissatisfaction subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory­second version was used to assess body dissatisfaction, whereas the Binge Eating Scale, Dutch Restrained Eating Scale, ORTO-15, Dusseldorf Orthorexia Scale (DOS), and Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS) were used to assess eating disorders (binge eating, restrained eating and orthorexia nervosa respectively. Multivariable analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to compare multiple measures among the three menopausal phases, after adjustment over potential confounding variables (age, monthly income, body mass index, marital status, education level, and body dissatisfaction). RESULTS: Postmenopause was significantly associated with more orthorexia nervosa tendencies (lower ORTO-15 scores) than premenopause (ß = - 1.87; p = 0.022). Perimenopause was associated with more binge eating (ß = 1.56; p = 0.031), and less orthorexia nervosa (as measured by the DOS) than premenopause, with this association tending to significance (ß = - 1.10; p = 0.051). Furthermore, higher body dissatisfaction was significantly associated with higher restrained eating (ß = 0.02; p < 0.001), binge eating (ß = 0.48; p < 0.001), and orthorexia nervosa as measured by ORTO-15 (ß = - 0.17; p < 0.001) and TOS (ß = 0.08; p = 0.002), but not DOS. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that menopausal stages are associated with some disordered eating behaviors (binge eating and orthorexia nervosa) among middle-aged women. Those results may serve as a first step towards spreading awareness among women within this age group regarding eating attitudes. Moreover, healthcare professionals should screen for the presence of disordered eating during those women's routine visits to the clinics.

Global Perspectives on Children's Digital Opportunities: An Emerging Research and Policy Agenda.

Diverse international perspectives show that children can benefit greatly from digital opportunities. Despite widespread optimism about the potential of digital technologies, especially for information and education, the research reveals an insufficient evidence base to guide policy and practice across all continents of the world, especially in middle- and low-income countries. Beyond revealing pressing and sizeable gaps in knowledge, this cross-national review also reveals the importance of understanding local values and practices regarding the use of technologies. This leads us to stress that future researchers must take into account local contexts and existing inequalities and must share best practices internationally so that children can navigate the balance between risks and opportunities. This article documents the particular irony that while the world's poorer countries look to research to find ways to increase access and accelerate the fair distribution of digital educational resources, the world's wealthier countries look to research for guidance in managing excessive screen time, heavily commercial content, and technologies that intrude on autonomy and privacy. We conclude by recommending that digital divides should be carefully bridged with contextual sensitivity to avoid exacerbating existing disparities; that the provision of technological resources is complemented by a focus on skills enhancement, for teachers as well as students; that a keen eye is needed to ensure the balance of children's protection and participation rights, with protection now including data abuses as well as safety considerations; and that we forge collaborations among all stakeholders in seeking to enhance children's digital opportunities worldwide.