Lebanese Research Articles

Psychometric evaluation of the Arabic version of the heart failure-specific health literacy scale in a socio-politically challenged setting.

Low levels of formal education among Lebanese people with HF were reported. Additionally, limited discharge education is provided to this population. Therefore, it was necessary to evaluate the health literacy levels among this population following the translation of the heart failure-specific health literacy scale into Arabic and to evaluate its psychometric properties in the Lebanese setting. A cross-sectional design conducted on participants from the community with confirmed cases of heart failure. A research team was trained for data collection. Following securing participants' consents, baseline sociodemographic characteristics and the Arabic version of the heart failure-specific health literacy scale were administered. Data collection took place between June and December 2022. A pilot sample analysis was done to confirm homogeneity between the English and the Arabic versions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to evaluate content and construct validity of the scale. Cronbach alpha was done to evaluate reliability. The pilot analysis confirmed homogeneity of the items of the Arabic and English versions of the scale. The final sample of 343 participants was randomly divided to two parts for each of the exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The mean age was 64 years with the majority being male participants. In terms of exploratory factor analysis, the three subscales of the literacy scale explained 60% of the variance. The best acceptable fit was found on 11 items of the scale after dropping the 10th item from the analysis. The Cronbach alpha of the scale was 0.68. The Arabic version of the heart failure-specific health literacy scale was evaluated to be a valid and reliable tool. Further analysis should be done on the dropped item, and correlations should be done with significant variables such as self-care. STROBE checklist. No patient/public contribution. Participants with heart failure were shown to have low levels of literacy in Lebanon. Additionally, low literacy levels are also common among Lebanese older adults living in high income, Western Countries. Therefore, this valid and reliable scale can be used to evaluate health literacy among people with heart failure in Lebanon and among Lebanese and other Arabic-speaking older adults globally.

Can the Phoenix still rise? Traumatic effect of Beirut port explosion on Lebanese people's experiences.

Mental distress and decreased functionality are highly prevalent after collective traumas. Survivors' ability to function is worsened by untreated distress and unmet needs related to job security and a sense of belonging. We aim to identify groups of people using a latent class analysis based on multiple dimensions of subjective experiences after a massive urban violent event. This cross-sectional internet-based study included 1,305 Lebanese adults 4 months after the Beirut Port explosion. Emotions, attitudes, and needs were assessed using the iCode software, a novel approach measuring explicit subjective answers and implicit reaction time to various statements. Responses revealed alarming levels of distress with 75%-80% of participants feeling anxious. Latent class analysis differentiated three groups on initial dimensions derived from the principal component analysis. The first group included those with the most intense emotional distress and intrusive thoughts. They were younger, had higher job worries, and wanted to leave the country. The second group was equally distressed, with marked intrusion and avoidance yet with faith and community resilience buffering negative emotionality. The last group was less distressed with a marked sense of community. Clustering people based on emotional experiences, needs, and resources might offer additional benefits to traditional assessments that fail to detect the variability of vulnerability to mass violence within seemingly homogeneous samples. Integrating implicit and explicit responses also helps with a rapid classification, providing insight to subjective attitudes postcollective trauma. The study mostly provides suggestions for targeted outreach to at-risk subpopulations to better foster resilience in unstable environments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Magical Representations of Individual and Collective Trauma in al-Samman’s Beirut Nightmares

This article examines Ghāda al-Sammān’s creative fictional depiction of the causes and the atrocities of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) in her novel, Beirut Nightmares (1976). It investigates the author’s perceptive fusion of different artistic tropes in order to achieve a proper articulation of her sociopolitical commentary on the early years of the conflict. It shows how al-Sammān bears witness to the collective war trauma of the Lebanese people through the individual trauma of a female intellectual. Al- Sammān transcends the realistic representation of events in order to magnify the traumatic experience through her employment of gothic elements and magical realism which purposefully disrupt the chronology of the narrative. The apt employment of different tropes enables her to effectively criticize the legacy of colonization as well as the oppression of current totalitarian regimes. It also concludes that al-Sammān’s artistic techniques which bespeak trauma do not contradict with the intellectual’s attempts to heal her own wounds and to overcome her personal frustrations in order to fulfill her communal mission of enlightening people.

Exploring innovative food in a developing country: Edible insects as a sustainable option

Abstract Today's consumers are becoming more aware of what they eat and the benefits that a healthy diet can provide. Edible insects (EIs) have recently been proposed as a sustainable, protein-rich alternative food source. Consumers' adoption of insects as part of their diet may be influenced by their awareness of this source of food. In this context, the current study investigated the level of knowledge about EI in a developing country, with the goal of understanding how Lebanese people perceive EI as food, as well as whether there are any sociodemographic or socioeconomic differences in their knowledge and motivation to accept EI as food. This was a cross-sectional study conducted using a questionnaire survey of 357 Lebanese participants. Basic descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data, which were supplemented with statistical tests such as ANOVA for comparisons between three or more groups with post hoc to examine any group differences and Cronbach's alpha to assess internal scale reliability. The search for differences according to sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics showed significant differences between age groups and levels of education. Additionally, the results showed that the items used to assess the EI dimensions scale have a very high internal consistency, with the lowest being nutritional aspects (α = 0.669) and the highest being health effects (α = 0.797). This work is relevant because it highlights the EI food dimensions that influence people’s acceptance in Lebanon, which is facing social and economic crises while highlighting many age inequalities and education level differences. Based on the findings, individual EI dimensions were discovered, allowing for strategies deployment to effectively improve knowledge and eventually respond to a Sustainable Development Goal objective even in a nation where this is not a traditional practice.

The Implementation of Central Bank Policy during the Economic Crisis in Lebanon

During the last four years Lebanon has been facing a severe crisis that have no way out. It has challenged all the potential of the authorities dealing with financial, social and economic sector circumstances. Recently this economic crisis is still going up in higher frequency and more effectively on the Lebanese people. During this crisis central bank of Lebanon implemented its own monetary policy that is represented by expansionary monetary policy. The aim of this paper is to detect the impact of central bank implemented monetary policy during the economic crisis in Lebanon using money supply and open market operations tools in both short and long run on coincident index and consumer price index. In this consideration we perform monthly data covering the period January 2017 to June 2022 by applying VAR model. The empirical results shows that money supply and open market operation have no impact on coincident index and consumer price index in the long run, in addition they do not cause them in the short run. However the impulse response function show some reactions of coincident index and consumer price index to shocks in money supply and open market operations.

Profiles of intuitive eating in adults: the role of self-esteem, interoceptive awareness, and motivation for healthy eating

ObjectiveIntuitive eating is an eating behavior that has recently come to use mainly in the young population. Knowing that the Lebanese cultural diet differs from other countries, the purpose of this study was to investigate if there is a relationship between self-esteem, interoceptive awareness, and motivation for healthy eating in a sample of Lebanese adults using a Latent Profile Analysis approach.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingLebanese governorates.Participants359 Lebanese participants enrolled in this study (mean age: 22.75 ± 7.04 years, 40.1% males), through convenience sampling in several Lebanese governorates. Participants were asked to fill anonymously the following scales: The Intuitive Eating Scale (IES-2), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Scale (MAIA), and the Motivation for Healthy Eating Scale (MHES).ResultsOur findings revealed four profiles: profile 1 (n = 67; 18.66%) characterized by high SE and intermediate interoceptive awareness and motivation for healthy eating; profile 2 (n = 86; 23.97%) presented high SE, interoceptive awareness, and motivation for healthy eating; profile 3 (n = 86; 23.96%) characterized by high SE, interoceptive awareness, and motivation for healthy eating; class 4 (n = 108; 30.08) described by low SE, intermediate interoceptive awareness, and motivation for healthy eating One-way analysis of variance did not observe a significant difference between the four profiles based on intuitive eating (F = 1.810; p = 0.145; ɳp2 = 0.015).ConclusionsAmong a sample of Lebanese people, four profiles of interoceptive awareness, motivation for healthy eating, and self-esteem were observed, with no difference concerning intuitive eating.

Lebanese Emigration to Brazil

Abstract This article deals with the reasons and dynamics of the Lebanese immigration to Brazil since the end of the 19th century onward, adding figures and charts to better expose and explain this social economic phenomena. For this, the article relied on a number of fugures, statisctics and studies to explain the reasons for this mass immigration of the Lebanese people.

COVID‐19 herd immunity in Lebanon: Challenges and prospects

AbstractCOVID‐19 hit Lebanon at the worst time, amid an economic downward spiral and national protests regarding living conditions and political corruption. The first case was found on February 21, 2020, and the first batch of vaccines arrived on March 24, 2021. Although neither natural infection nor mass vaccination truly provided herd immunity, the latter was a more effective way to handle the pandemic, and Lebanon fell short on that path. During the pandemic, a myriad of factors complicated its response to the virus. Thanks to the COVAX program, the country received 1086,720 doses donated and 1626,390 deliveries. All in all, over 5.8 million doses have been administered. A total of 2.74 million people received at least one dose, and 2.4 million had a complete primary vaccination series. However, around 98% of the population were infected with the virus. Issues that stopped the vaccination campaigns include a lack of trust in government officials and news media, leading to false information propagating and remaining unchallenged online. Other factors include the economic collapse, which led to the Lebanese currency losing over 98% of its initial worth. Some Lebanese people might find themselves either unable to reach proper health facilities or unwilling to adopt the narrative pushed by the political elite. Poverty also worsened affected infected individuals’ prognosis and mortality. A bigger emphasis must be put on reaching individuals with disabilities or in low‐income areas, as they were the most affected by the pandemic. Problems these communities face include the lack of funding for special education schools and the lack of accessibility to medical information promoted by the government. Lebanon must learn from the issues that arose during this pandemic and focus on fixing them in advance to prepare for any other health emergency that might turn up in the future.

The moderating effect of psychological distress in the association between temperaments and dark future among young adults

ObjectiveThe aim of the current study is to evaluate the moderating effect of psychological distress variables, depression, anxiety and stress on the relationship between affective temperaments and future anxiety, assessed with the Dark Future scale.MethodsLebanese adults from all districts/governorates of Lebanon participated in this cross-sectional study. The data was collected through a questionnaire including: a section about sociodemographic characteristics, the Dark Future scale (DFS), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-8) and the Affective Temperament Scale (TEMPS-M).ResultsThe interaction irritable temperament by psychological distress (p = .007) was significantly associated with dark future; at low levels of psychological distress, more irritable temperament (Beta = 0.16) was significantly associated with more dark future. The interaction anxious temperament by psychological distress (p = .010) was significantly associated with dark future; at low (Beta = 0.34), moderate (Beta = 0.25) and high (Beta = 0.15) levels of psychological distress, more anxious temperament was significantly associated with more dark future.ConclusionThe nature of the associations among depression, anxiety and stress, specific temperaments and anxiety towards the future in a sample of Lebanese individuals was clarified. This is especially significant as Lebanese people live in circumstances that promote psychological distress and future anxiety such as dramatic economic and political crises, instability and lack of security in different aspects of life.

Ageing, dementia, and the mortality experience of older Lebanese people: findings from a prospective cohort study

AbstractBackgroundAgeing is a foremost predictor of mortality and neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia, a global priority ageing‐related sequelae that significantly influence quality of life. There is limited published knowledge of the survival experience of the rapidly ageing Lebanese population. This study examined the mortality experience of older Lebanese adults and assessed the influence of ageing, dementia, and other covariates on all‐cause mortality hazard.MethodsCOLDS (Cohort of Older Lebanese Adults) is a prospective population‐based study of Lebanese participants aged ≥65 years at baseline, along with their designated informants. In this study, 476 participants consented to follow‐up out of 502 surveyed at baseline for dementia, and 344 had their mortality status assessed after 3 years. Proportionate, age‐specific and crude mortality rates were estimated while, Cox proportional regression model of mortality hazard was built, adjusted for covariates.ResultsAfter 3.34±0.69 person‐years, 114 deaths were observed among participants yielding an age‐adjusted death rate of 32.2% (95% CI. 31.2, 33.2). Cardiovascular diseases were the commonest (50%) reported cause of death. Dementia and age were not statistically significantly associated with mortality. Literacy, place of residence, religion, physical activity, and diabetes were significantly associated with mortality at 95% confidence level.ConclusionsBeing physically active was the most powerful protective factor against mortality among the older adults, while living in Beirut, the capital city, heightened death‐risk. These findings have extensive implications for more research, which is crucial to improving health system policies and action in support of healthy ageing.

Returnees, Institutions, and Networks

Abstract This article explores the development of Beirut's innovation ecosystem in the context of its social composition, complementing popular narratives of informal power in Lebanon. Drawing on ethnographic research, this article explores the extensions of existing institutions and practices—how universities, banks, and diaspora returnees collaboratively developed a context for venture development. By focusing on diaspora returnee expertise as a key driver for innovation ecosystem founding, the article also qualifies a key element of Lebanese economic development—the loops of emigration and return immigration of Lebanese people and the resulting economic and managerial cosmopolitanism inherent in their involvement in their country's commercial and financial settings. The emergent innovation ecosystem is a function of existing Lebanese cultural and organisational tendencies.

Substance use disorder in the context of the economic crisis, covid-19 pandemic and social unrest: a cross-sectional study across Beirut (2020–2021)

BackgroundSubstance use disorder (SUD) is related to the interplay of various factors. The primary objective of this study was to assess the variation in substance use (SU) among a set of Lebanese people undergoing treatment for SUD during the Lebanese economic crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, and Beirut Blast. MethodsA cross-sectional study including Lebanese adults previously diagnosed with and being treated for SUD at the Skoun center was conducted. Data collection was done using a paper-based Arabic questionnaire tackling the economic crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Beirut Blast, as well as the following scores: APGAR, PHQ-9, GAD-7 and PCL-6. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 with P value<0.05 considered significant. A bivariate analysis was conducted to study the association between the use of substances and study variables and scores. ResultsThe sample included 126 men and 10 women. Most participants had a stable consumption of illicit drugs (58.8%), alcohol (76.5%), prescription drugs (70.6%) and non-prescription drugs (89%). Additionally, most participants had concomitant mild or moderate depression (55.1%), mild or moderate anxiety (50.7%), and PTSD (61.8%). Factors found to significantly increase SU were economic distress, change in employment status, and decrease in working hours. PTSD was also identified as a risk factor for increased illicit drug and alcohol use. Furthermore, severe anxiety was found to be a risk factor for increased alcohol consumption. ConclusionMost participants were able to maintain a stable pattern of SU despite the quadruple crisis in Lebanon highlighting the important role played by Lebanese Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and efforts employed to control SUD.

A Qualitative Investigation of University Students’ Experience of the Beirut Port Explosion

The Beirut port explosion on the 4th of August 2020 added to the struggles of the Lebanese people who were facing a financial crisis, a global pandemic, and political unrest. We hypothesized that these compounded challenges would have significant psychological implications on emerging adults, including university students, already vulnerable to life’s transitions involving self-discovery and independence. This qualitative study sought to investigate university students’ experience of the Beirut port explosion. An online survey with two open-ended questions was administered between December 11, 2020 and January 14, 2021 in a private university with two campuses. Thematic analysis of 1,044 data items revealed four themes: (1) Experiencing emotional upheaval, (2) Realizing the fragility of life, (3) Overcoming adversity, and (4) Changing one’s outlook on life. Responses revealed a number of emotions with a keenly negative valence. The collective’s role in fostering social support was evident through decreased fearful reactions. Many lost trust in the judicial system and favored emigration over standing for justice. The limited requests for retribution are likely due to a sense of impunity and adaptation to cumulative trauma. We suggest that this adaptation offers a clearer understanding of life’s purpose despite its frailty. The role of impunity and social support in influencing healing warrants further research.

The instrumentalization of identity in the Lebanese Conflict

This research tries to shed light on the case of Lebanese conflict, an example of identitarian conflict that has been alive for centuries, and given its location in the Middle East, an area of international interests, the country has been exposed to many external interventions. Said interventions have taken advantage of the political inexperience of local communities to sow division as part of a master plan to redesign the area according to occidental interests. The objective is to rethink a Peace Process based on the urgent need for a change of mentality among the human mosaic that integrates and defines Lebanese society. For this purpose, a qualitative methodology was used, through an analytical study of works by major authors who masterfully deal with the theme of identity and multiculturalism as well as an inclusive humanism, where people resemble rather than differ by sharing common basic values. As a result, it is observed that the identity of the Lebanese people has been instrumentalized to guarantee the sustainability of the local conflict, dissecting it into small characteristics such as confession. It concludes with a peace process based on a change of mentality on the perception of identity and specifically religious characteristic, in order to move forward with a better inclusive identity.

Validity and reliability of the Arabic Fear of COVID-19 Scale in Lebanese people during the pandemic

ABSTRACT While global attention is drawn to the somatic consequences of COVID-19, its psychological impact including fear and worry should be considered. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Lebanon, to cross-culturally adapt and validate the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) into the Arabic language among the Lebanese population. The study encompassed 712 Lebanese participants. Results showed that the A-FCV-19S has high internal consistency (α = .849). The exploratory factor analysis extracted a two-factor model explaining 68.428% of the total variance. As for the convergent validity, the A-FCV-19S total score significantly correlated with the HSCL-anxiety and HSCL-depression (r = .550 and .452, p-value < .0001 respectively). Thus, the findings indicate that the A-FCV-19S has acceptable psychometric properties and, therefore, it is a valid and reliable measure that can be used to evaluate and monitor the fear of COVID-19 among the general Lebanese population.

From “Switzerland” to “Venezuela” of the Middle East: who is harmed the most by inflation in Lebanon?

PurposeThe paper explores the inflationary consequences of the Lebanese economic and financial crises on Lebanese society. The study investigates the distribution of inflationary harm across various demographic characteristics, including age, marital status, educational level, employment type, region of residence, income range and type. It also identifies the different coping mechanisms adopted by the Lebanese people to survive during the inflationary period.Design/methodology/approachThe study surveys 168 Lebanese citizens to determine which groups of people are most affected by inflation, its impact on their quality of life and the different coping mechanisms the citizens employ to endure the period of growing prices.FindingsThe results show that some groups of Lebanese citizens are more influenced than others by rising prices. The categories of people who suffer the most from inflation are the elderly, the widowed, those characterized by low educational and low-income levels, the unemployed, the retired and public sector employees, as well as homemakers.Originality/valueThis study provides policymakers with substantial information regarding the economic and social well-being of Lebanese citizens by highlighting the categories of people in need for special financial and social support. The findings can guide targeted policy interventions to support vulnerable populations. The study can also inform future research on the impact of the crisis and the effectiveness of policies.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2022-0736

The Impact of Social Media on Political Efficacy and Real-Life Netizens Political Participation (Lebanon- Case Study)

Purpose: The objective of this study was to explore netizens' external and internal political efficacy as being exposed to political branding on social media and to show how political branding would level up the citizens’ political awareness and boost their participation in voting in the parliamentary election. Lebanon was taken as a case study. Theoretical framework: Recent literature has reported the impact of social media political branding on youth participation in voting while other studies have been done separately about the impact of social media political branding on citizens’ political efficacy particularly in developed countries. (Binder et al., 2021; Hassan &amp; Ridzuan, 2021; Moorman et al., 2019; Slipetska, 2021; Lau et al., 2021) However, there is still much to investigate about netizens’ political efficacy and participation in a developing country like Lebanon. Methodology: The study used the deductive approach and was based on using of primary statistical data for testing the hypotheses which have been analyzed by SPSS v22. The population, 491participants, from whom the data was obtained randomly were Lebanese people of age groups over 21 in various provinces. Findings: Overall, the data reflects a positive correlation of social media impact on voters' political participation, and it implies that the political influence of social media platforms on the self-external and internal efficacy is strong. Research, Practical &amp; Social Implications: On the Lebanese level, and as the election has been done, it is recommended to measure the youth participation in voting. Also, this study is very beneficial to be used by the governments themselves for fostering the political efficacy of the nations, especially in developing countries. Originality: This study analyses the role social media does in encouraging citizens’ political efficacy and political participation in voting especially after the offensive revolution Lebanese have done pre- election comparing with many previous parliamentary elections in which participation was so shy and didn’t exceed 49.70 %. (Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, 2018)

Abstract P6-02-17: A Real-World Study of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Germline Mutations among High Hereditary Risk Subjects and Patients with Breast and Ovarian Cancer in Lebanon

Abstract Background: The prevalence of pathogenic BRCA mutations in high hereditary risk breast cancer patients (pts) in ethnic Lebanese Arab women was 5.6% in a study published in 2015 (El Saghir, et al. The Oncologist). In this study, we look at real world practice prevalence of BRCA mutations among pts with breast and/or ovarian cancer referred for testing because of positive family history (FH) and/or young age at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). Methods: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at AUBMC. We retrospectively collected clinical, radiological, pathological and genetic information on breast and ovarian cancer pts at a high hereditary risk for whom Sanger sequencing of all coding exons and immediately flanking intronic regions of BRCA1 and BRCA2 was performed between January 1, 2010 and Jan 1, 2019 at AUBMC. Between Jan 2019 and Aug 2020, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of 70 cancer-associated genes was referred to and done in Centogene labs (Germany). 346 subjects were included in the study; 235 pts with breast and/or ovarian cancer, and 101 subjects of young age or with a positive family history. Results: 210 pts had breast cancer (209 females, 1 male); 81 were diagnosed at age ≤40, 81 aged 41-50, and 48 aged &amp;gt;50. 185 pts had BRCA sequencing and 25 had NGS panel testing. 31 pts had ovarian cancer; 28 had BRCA testing and 3 had NGS. 3 pts had ovarian and breast cancer; all had Sanger sequencing, 1 male pt with both breast and prostate cancers had BRCA testing. The 101 subjects who were tested in the setting of positive FH of cancers or a known deleterious mutation in first degree family members were either target tested for the known familial mutation or had BRCA screening. The incidence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in women with breast cancer was 8.5% (18/210 patients) and 19.3% (6/31 patients) in women with ovarian cancer. Of the 3 pts who had both breast and ovarian cancer, 1 had a BRCA1 mutation. Almost all patients with hereditary breast cancer had a positive FH and the majority were &amp;lt; 40 years of age. 8 out of 13 BRCA1 pts had Triple Negative disease (61%). Of the 101 subjects with no history of cancer, 9 out of 30 with relatives who had BRCA1 mutation carried the same mutation, and 3 out of 15 with BRCA2 carried the mutation. The remaining 56 pts were tested because of positive FH; 3 out of 56 had a pathogenic mutation (1 BRCA1, 1 BRCA2 and 1 RAD51D). Of the 28 pts who had NGS panel sequencing, 1 patient had RAD51D, 1 had a PALB2 mutation, 1 had BARD1 and 1 had APC risk variant. Conclusions: In this real-world practice study of patients and subjects referred for germline mutation testing. BRCA mutation rate in pts with breast cancer was 8.5% (18/210) and 19% in ovarian cancer (6/31). Young age (&amp;lt; 40 years) and a positive FH are the most useful criteria to select pts with breast cancer for mutation testing, especially in the setting of limited resources. This is the first study to report a 20% rate of BRCA pathogenic variants in patients with ovarian cancer in Lebanon and Arab countries; we highlight the need to refer all ovarian cancer pts for counseling and genetic testing. NGS is important to detect mutations other than BRCA1 and BRCA2 in our population where 50% of cases are below age 50. Table 1. Incidence of BRCA1/2 mutations, age, and family history in pts with breast and ovarian cancer. Citation Format: Nagi El Saghir, Nadine Safi, Ahmad Masri, Firas Kreidieh, Deborah Mukherji, Nada Assaf, Rami Mahfouz, Hiba Moukadem. A Real-World Study of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Germline Mutations among High Hereditary Risk Subjects and Patients with Breast and Ovarian Cancer in Lebanon [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-02-17.

Prevalence of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Domestic Water Storage Tanks in Sidon, Lebanon

Safe, accessible, and good water quality are essential characteristics for reducing various waterborne diseases. Since domestic water is the water most consumed by Lebanese people, cleaning household water tanks is important to prevent their exposure to pathogenic microorganisms. Generally, all the stages of the value chain of the Lebanese water sector are still imperfect. Thus, the domestic water should be regularly tested, especially in the impoverished landmarks where water quality is the worst. The aim of this study is to evaluate the physicochemical parameters and microbiological quality of the water in the storage tanks of homes in Sidon, Lebanon. Fifty water samples were collected aseptically from domestic water storage tanks. The microbiological assessment was performed using basic plating techniques. Identification of isolated bacteria was performed using MALDI-TOF-MS. Physicochemical parameters were assessed using titration, pH, and conductivity measurements. Antibiotic-susceptibility testing was performed using antibiotic disks. Screening for virulence genes in bacteria was carried out via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Most of the physicochemical parameters were within the permissible limits of the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking water. The heterotrophic plate count (HPC) varied between the water samples. The total coliform, fecal coliform, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) contaminate was 54%, 20%, and 16% in each of the samples, respectively. Other bacteria isolated from household water included intestinal Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) (68%), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (68%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) (22%). Other predominant isolates recovered from the samples were also identified. The bacterial isolates showed a prevalence of resistance and intermediate resistance against the tested antibiotic agents. Multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was detected in 21% of the collected S. aureus, using cefoxitin agent and mecA gene detection. A prevalence of virulence genes in both P. aeruginosa and S. aureus was also noticed. Our data show that Sidon domestic water is not suitable for either drinking or home applications.

Socio-Demographic Association with Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (Kap) Towards Covid-19 Vaccines: A Young Population Cross Sectional Study in Lebanon

Background: Since its first emergence in Wuhan-China in the late 2019 to date, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become the biggest public health threat on an international scale. Vaccination remains the first line of defence against the widespread of the virus. Objective: We aim to assess the socio-demographic association with knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) towards the different COVID-19 vaccines in young Lebanese population. Method: This cross-sectional study conducted in Lebanon between January 24th and 31st 2021. 1350 respondents answered this questionnaire. Questions included four dimensions (11 Socio-demographic characteristics, 22 knowledge questions, 5 attitude questions and 5 related to the practices). One-way ANOVA was used to analyse the differences between the KAP variables with the socio-demographic variables. When significant differences were found (p-value &lt; 0.05), Duncan’s Multiple Range test was applied to determine the significant differences between the means. Results: The average knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines among our participants is 52.88%; 52.81% showed a good attitude towards the different type of vaccines, and 53.98% demonstrated good practices. The socio-demographic variables having a significant influence on the knowledge and practices towards the COVID-19 vaccines were the living place, the educational level, the school in which the students belong to, the type of job (health-related or non-health related job) and the income range. The type of insurance that respondents have was significantly associated with practices but not with knowledge. Conclusion This study showed significant differences in KAP among Lebanese people regarding COVID-19 vaccines, mainly affected by gender, education, work field and income. Our findings reflect fair knowledge, positive attitudes and good practices towards COVID-19 vaccine among the Lebanese population. Consequently, the Ministry of public health must work harder to disseminate, in higher frequency, more accurate information about the vaccines, and organize more vaccination campaigns in order to increase trust in the vaccines efficacy and to decrease the public hesitation.