Correlates of parental knowledge about smartphone exposure among young children.

BACKGROUND: Unhealthy smartphone habits use can impair the health of young children. Smartphone use among young children is affected by several factors of which the most important is parental knowledge pertains to smartphone exposure among young children. In Jordan, no studies have focused on this factor. METHOD: A nation-wide cross-sectional survey was distributed to parents of children aged <6 years to assess parental knowledge of smartphone exposure among young children and examine its correlates in Jordan. An online self-reporting questionnaire was administered via Survey Monkey and posted on social media platforms in June 2020. RESULTS: A total of 2,781 Jordanian parents completed the survey. During the pandemic the daily hours of Smartphone use among children were significantly higher than prior the coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (2.12 vs. 1.7 h). More than half the children exceeded the recommended daily hours of use. These results were positively associated with increased smartphone use among parents. Overall, the parents proved knowledgeable regarding the effects of excessive smartphone exposure on the health of their children. However, a knowledge deficit was evident in two areas: parental controls on smartphone and safe levels of infant smartphone exposure. The mothers possessed a significantly higher level of knowledge than the fathers. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that, in the context Jordan, increasing parental knowledge has the potential to reduce smartphone exposure among young children. Awareness campaigns are needed to enhance parental knowledge of smartphone exposure among young children and the use of parental controls on smartphones.

Students' perceptions and experiences in a health promotion course using interactive learning.

There is lack of studies that describe the experience of studying a health promotion course using an interactive approach and students' perceptions about this method of teaching. The purpose of this study is to describe students' experiences and perceptions about health promotion course using an interactive learning approach. A descriptive qualitative design was used among 16 undergraduate university students at a governmental university. Four main themes emerged from the data analysis including: (1) fruitfulness and satisfying experience of interactive learning, (2) interactive learning versus traditional learning, (3) barriers to interactive learning, and (4) suggestions to enhance interactive learning. Students reflected positive attitudes toward interactive learning. Interactive learning helped students to be engaged in learning process physically and cognitively. Students mentioned several advantages of learning health promotion course using interactive learning, including, enhancing understanding, sharing ideas and opinions, promoting self-esteem and self-confidence, keeping their minds active and attentive, and improving interpersonal communication. Updated and contemporary learning strategies and methods should be introduced for enhancing interactive learning courses.

Resettled Syrian refugees in Jordan: Survival or health promotion.

Aim: To assess the health promotion practices of Syrian refugees in the north of Jordan and to determine their correlation with some socio-demographic variables. Design: Cross-sectional descriptive correlational. Methods: Health-Promotion Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II) was used to measure health promotion practices of Syrian refugees. Data were collected from a convenient sample of 250 Syrian refugees who lived in the North of Jordan. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. Results: The results showed that Syrian refugees in Jordan had low scores of total health promotion scale (mean = 2.28) with a cut score of 2.5, which indicated that they minimally adopted health promotion practices in general. The higher score was found on the interpersonal relation domain (mean = 2.89, SD 0.52). While the stress management domain (mean = 2.48, SD 0.43), spiritual growth domain (mean = 2.38, SD 0.39) and nutrition domain (mean = 2.34, SD 0.37) were lower than 2.5, the scores on responsibility and physical activity domains (mean = 2.20, SD 0.62), (mean = 1.35, SD 0.18) respectively, were the lowest. Women, married and unemployed, have more healthy behaviours than their counterparts.

Jordanian Men's and Women's Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence and Its Correlates With Family Functioning and Demographics.

Jordan is a developing country in the Middle East and, much like other countries in the world, has high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV). Little information is available on Jordanian men's and women's attitudes toward IPV. The purpose of this study is to examine men's and women's attitudes toward IPV in Jordan and its relationship with some demographics and family functioning. A descriptive cross-sectional correlational design with a sample of 401 men and women was used. Descriptive statistics (M, SD), Pearson r, t test, and ANOVA were used. The results indicated that Jordanian men and women have a lower score of IPVAS, 40.06 (SD = 8.20), indicating lower acceptance of IPV compared with the literature. Family functioning was 3.12 (SD = 0.46), indicating more healthy families. Family functioning was negatively correlated with IPVAS scores (r = -.22, p = .00). All demographic variables showed small to moderate correlations with IPVAS. Education for both study participants and their spouses had a negative correlation with IPVAS (r = -.27, p = .00) and (r = -.20, p = .00), respectively. Male participants, individuals who were living with extended family, and those living in rural areas had significantly high IPVAS scores, indicating more accepting attitudes toward IPV. Practitioners should provide families with education on the methods of conflict resolution, effective communication within the family, problem-solving approaches, equal role distribution, and appropriate styles of establishing a family.

Mothers' knowledge & perception about child sexual abuse in Jordan.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a serious problem causing physical, social and psychosocial harm. To understand the Jordanian mothers' efforts to prevent CSA, we assessed the mothers' general knowledge about CSA, their perceptions, knowledge about signs and symptoms of CSA and their knowledge about prevention practices of CSA in relation to their demographics. A cross- sectional descriptive design was used with a convenient sample of 488 mothers. The data was collected using a self-reported questionnaire consisting of 52 items. Descriptive and parametric and non-parametric statistical procedures were employed. Almost all mothers in the study were Muslim and married. Half of the mothers had post-secondary education and only 36% were employed. The study revealed that the majority of mothers were knowledgeable about CSA and its prevention practices. Though only 17% of mothers had started practicing some of the CSA preventive measures when their children were young (1-4 years of age) and less than half (48.8%) had started when their children were 4-6 years of age. Three quarters (74%) of the mothers indicated that educating children about CSA can prevent it. Only 37.7% knew about laws regarding CSA in Jordan and less than half of mothers knew about social organizations that provide services for children who suffered from sexual abuse. Mothers who had a high income or a high level of education or were employed had a higher awareness of CSA and recognized signs and symptoms of CSA more than other mothers.