Search Results (19)

Introduction: Nutrition literacy has garnered growing research attention worldwide, yet only a few instruments have been developed to specifically measure this construct among adolescents. Accordingly, the present research sought to examine the validity and reliability of the Adolescent Nutrition Literacy Scale (ANLS) within a group of Lebanese adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from December 2022 to March 2023, targeting a nationally representative sample. Results: Fit indices of the three-factor structure were good. Internal reliability was adequate for the following three subscales: Functional Nutrition Literacy (FNL) (ω = 0.88/α = 0.88), Interactive Nutrition Literacy (INL) (ω = 0.87/α = 0.86) and Critical Nutrition Literacy (CNL) (ω = 0.89/α = 0.89). Invariance was established across genders at configural, metric, and scalar levels. A significantly higher mean FNL and INL scores were found in males compared to females, with no significant difference between the two genders in terms of CNL. Higher FNL, but not CNL and INL scores were significantly associated with lower child food security. Conclusions: The Arabic ANLS has exhibited robust psychometric reliability, validity, and cost-effectiveness as a tool for assessing nutrition literacy. By utilizing the Arabic version of the ANLS, we can more efficiently and accurately assess the nutritional literacy of adolescents. Full article

Background: Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder with poorly detailed subtypes/dimensions, such as religious OCD (ROCD). To date, little is known about ROCD characteristics. This work aimed to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, along with the religiosity and spirituality, of Lebanese Muslim citizens diagnosed with OCD and exhibiting religious symptoms. Methods: Participants were Lebanese Muslims, outpatients with OCD and religious symptoms, aged 18 or above, who could complete a questionnaire. Exclusion criteria were as follows: other psychiatric disorders and cognitive or physical impairments preventing participation. They completed a questionnaire including the 25-item Arabic Scale of Obsessions and Compulsions (10 questions addressing obsessions, 10 questions addressing compulsions, and 5 filler items, all of which were rated on a 4–point Likert scale, with higher total scores indicating increasing severity), the 26-item Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating higher spirituality), and questions assessing sociodemographic, clinical, and religiosity variables. Results: Fifty adults (62% females, 52% aged between 18 and 29 years) completed the study. They had mild (26%), moderate (48%), and severe (26%) OCD symptoms. The majority attended religious school at least at one point in their life and described a moderate to very high degree of self-religiosity and parental religiosity. Group comparisons (patients with mild vs. moderate vs. severe OCD symptoms) showed significant differences with regard to a family history of psychiatric disorders (p = 0.043), the frequency of self-questioning if they prayed correctly (p = 0.005), a higher rating of partial ablution repetition (p = 0.006), and the frequency of partial ablution repetitions (p = 0.041). No significant group differences were noted with regard to sociodemographic or spirituality outcomes. The prevalence of religious doubts (i.e., self-questioning if praying correctly) and specific rituals (partial ablution repetition) among severe OCD patients were 100% (13/13) and 77% (10/13), respectively. Conclusions: The results suggest a link between specific religious practices and OCD severity, underscoring the need for culturally sensitive approaches in diagnosing and treating ROCD. Full article

Background: Globally, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is on the rise, especially in Arab countries, which emphasizes the need for reliable ethnic-specific biochemical screening parameters. Methods: Two hundred twenty-one Lebanese adults were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Biochemical parameters including Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA), Triglyceride and Glucose index (TyG), ratio of Triglycerides to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (TG/HDL-C), Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP), and Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) were assessed for their prediction of MetS. Analysis of covariance, logistic regression, expected-versus-observed case ratio were used to determine model calibration, concordance statistic, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values (PPV, NPV). Results: The prevalence of MetS was 44.3%. All biochemical parameters were significantly associated with MetS, with a strong model discrimination (c-statistic between 0.77 and 0.94). In both sex categories, TyG best predicted MetS (females: cut-off value, 8.34; males: cut-off value, 8.43) and showed good estimation among females, but overestimation among males. HOMA had the lowest discriminatory power in both sex categories. Conclusions: This study suggests that TyG best predicts MetS, while HOMA has the lowest predictive power. Future larger studies need to focus on harmonizing ethnic specific cut-offs and further validating our results. Full article

Cognitive reserve is the adaptability of cognitive processes in the face of brain aging and pathology. This study aimed to validate the Arabic version of the Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire (CRIq) in a healthy Lebanese sample. CRIq assesses cognitive reserve through three domains: education, working activity, and leisure time. Statistical measures, including descriptive and regression analysis along with structural equation modeling, were utilized to investigate the convergent and discriminant validity of the CRIq, incorporating fluid intelligence (Gf) and measures of cognitive function, long-term memory encoding and retrieval (Glr), and processing speed (Gs). Results from 174 participants revealed that the activities assessed by the CRIq-Arabic were comparable to the original CRIq study, with slight cultural differences. The internal consistency of the CRIq-Arabic was good (Cronbach’s α = 0.88), indicating reliability. Convergent validity was confirmed, with moderate to high loadings on the cognitive reserve latent construct. Discriminant validity was supported as correlations between cognitive reserve variables and non-target constructs (Gf, Glr, and Gs) were less than 1. The findings provide an initial psychometric validation of the CRIq-Arabic. Further research of clinical samples is needed to enhance its utility in neuropsychological practice. Full article

(1) Background: Sexual satisfaction (SS) is an essential component of quality of life. There is a scarcity of research about sexual satisfaction in Lebanon, a country where discussing sexual issues is still considered a taboo. The present study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of responses to the items in the Arabic version of the Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire (SSQ), as well as the correlates of sexual satisfaction, among a sample of Lebanese adults. (2) Methods: Two cross-sectional studies were conducted between June and September 2022 with 270 and 359 participants, respectively. (3) Results: The results showed that the Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire is adequate to be used in Lebanon (McDonald’s ω = 0.90 and 0.86, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that higher waterpipe dependence (Beta = −0.17) was substantially linked to lower sexual satisfaction, while better emotional intelligence (EI) (Beta = 0.27) and physical activity (Beta = 0.17) were significantly associated with greater sexual satisfaction. (4) Conclusions: The reliability and validity of the responses to the Arabic version of the Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire were supported by our findings. Also, practical implications for sexual satisfaction enhancement strategies in the Lebanese population might be beneficial since many associated factors are considered to be modifiable. Full article

This study assesses the potential impact of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on poverty reduction and agricultural development in Lebanon, against a backdrop of economic crisis and agricultural uncertainties. GMO adoption is considered a viable strategy to enhance food security, spur economic growth, and alleviate poverty. Simulating various GMO adoption scenarios, specifically in the apple agriculture sector of Mount Lebanon’s Sannine–Baskinta area, this research examines their effects on poverty rates. The findings demonstrate a substantial reduction in poverty rates, from 55% to 36%, with a simulated GMO adoption rate of 70%, underscoring the transformative potential of GMOs in poverty alleviation. The study highlights the critical importance of well-informed decision-making and evidence-based policymaking to address challenges in the agriculture sector. It serves as a foundational pilot project for the introduction of genetically modified crops in Lebanese agriculture, with a focus on the Sannine–Baskinta region. The identified GMOs offer prospects for enhanced resilience to weather conditions and pests, reduced pesticide usage, elimination of chemical fertilizers, increased yield, and improved nutritional value. Future research endeavors aim to extend the project to encompass other crops and regions in Lebanon, as well as in other Arab countries. Full article

Atheism has stirred up controversy in the Arabic-speaking world since the 2011 uprisings, when atheists there began appearing in public. What role does Arabic mass media play in the modern politics of minorities such as atheists, given the heated debates that it hosts on atheism? This question is important because perceptions of media frames influence the behavior of politicians and the electorate—and, as a result, laws that affect minority groups such as atheists. This article focuses on Lebanon, where eight of the nine television channels are affiliated with and funded by religious–political parties. It explores the existence of bias against atheists on televised Lebanese talk shows and news reports (2010–2022). Our findings reveal significant bias (69% overall and over 85% in speaker prominence bias), with channels that promote communal religious practice exhibiting the highest levels. Ultimately, our findings demonstrate that television, as the most influential Lebanese and Arabic mass medium, likely affects the public’s negative perceptions of Arabic-speaking atheists. Our findings reflect the decrease in objectivity in conflict-based media and such media’s poor understanding or intentional disregard for media’s crucial role in building a fair, democratic society. Full article

In this study, we investigated HLA class I and class II allele and haplotype frequencies in Emiratis and compared them to those of Asian, Mediterranean, and Sub-Saharan African populations. Methods: Two-hundred unrelated Emirati parents of patients selected for bone marrow transplantation were genotyped for HLA class I (A, B, C) and class II (DRB1, DQB1) genes using reverse sequence specific oligonucleotide bead-based multiplexing. HLA haplotypes were assigned with certainty by segregation (pedigree) analysis, and haplotype frequencies were obtained by direct counting. HLA class I and class II frequencies in Emiratis were compared to data from other populations using standard genetic distances (SGD), Neighbor-Joining (NJ) phylogenetic dendrograms, and correspondence analysis. Results: The studied HLA loci were in Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium. We identified 17 HLA-A, 28 HLA-B, 14 HLA-C, 13 HLA-DRB1, and 5 HLA-DQB1 alleles, of which HLA-A*02 (22.2%), -B*51 (19.5%), -C*07 (20.0%), -DRB1*03 (22.2%), and -DQB1*02 (32.8%) were the most frequent allele lineages. DRB1*03~DQB1*02 (21.2%), DRB1*16~DQB1*05 (17.3%), B*35~C*04 (11.7%), B*08~DRB1*03 (9.7%), A*02~B*51 (7.5%), and A*26~C*07~B*08~DRB1*03~DQB1*02 (4.2%) were the most frequent two- and five-locus HLA haplotypes. Correspondence analysis and dendrograms showed that Emiratis were clustered with the Arabian Peninsula populations (Saudis, Omanis and Kuwaitis), West Mediterranean populations (North Africans, Iberians) and Pakistanis, but were distant from East Mediterranean (Turks, Albanians, Greek), Levantine (Syrians, Palestinians, Lebanese), Iranian, Iraqi Kurdish, and Sub-Saharan populations. Conclusions: Emiratis were closely related to Arabian Peninsula populations, West Mediterranean populations and Pakistanis. However, the contribution of East Mediterranean, Levantine Arab, Iranian, and Sub-Saharan populations to the Emiratis’ gene pool appears to be minor. Full article

Lebanon has been suffering from severe challenges in its electric sector for decades owing to chronic supply shortages and faults in its aging power grid infrastructure. The deplorable situation of the Lebanese electric sector has been made worse by the economic meltdown that started in 2019, which eventually led to total power blackouts across the country. In this paper, we present a case study on the design and implementation of a solar microgrid system for Beirut Arab University, Lebanon. As a first step, simulation software for a microgrid and a distributed generation power system is used to compare different design scenarios. Considering the available installation area and the fact that the greatest demand occurs during the daytime, when both the educational and managerial facilities are running, it is found that a 500-kW photovoltaic system tied to the university’s already present diesel generators is the optimal solution in terms of return on investment. The second step details the actual implementation of the system in the Beirut campus and the evaluation of the system’s performance in terms of diesel cost savings and emissions reduction. We expect that the results of this case study will encourage other institutions and communities to adopt sustainable and renewable energy sources. Full article

(1) Background: Sexuality is a prohibited topic about which knowledge is highly lacking among Arabs compared to Westerners, due to religious restrictions. A majority of people believes that any use of pornography is a toxic conduct that will have negative repercussions; these beliefs only shame those who engage in this behavior. Consumption of pornography can be attributed to self-reported reasons such as loneliness and fear of commitment. To date, there has been a dearth of research in Lebanon concerning pornography use. Hence, this study aims to assess the correlation between loneliness, fear of commitment, and internet pornography use among Lebanese adults. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted between October and November 2020 assessed pornography use through the Cyber-Pornography Use Inventory, Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and Fear of commitment scale. It enrolled 653 adults from all Lebanese geographic areas. (3) Results: Women compared to men and Muslims compared to Christians were significantly associated with lower pornography addictive patterns scores, whereas more fear of commitment was significantly associated with higher pornography addictive patterns scores. More fear of commitment and more loneliness were significantly associated with higher having guilt regarding online porn use scores. Muslims compared to Christians had significantly lower online sexual behaviors scores. (4) Conclusions: Further research is recommended to properly assess internet pornography use and develop appropriate treatment options. Full article

Background: We found that it was important to fill a gap in the literature and check the psychometric properties of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS) in the Arabic language and delineate factors associated with postnatal depression (PPD) and anxiety (PPA) among Lebanese women 4–6 weeks after delivery. Methods: This cross-sectional study carried out between July 2018 and March 2019 enrolled 295 participants who came for a postnatal checkup at four clinics. Results: The EPDS and PASS scales’ items converged over two- and four-factor solutions, explaining 62.51% and 53.33% of the variance, respectively (KMO EPDS = 0.816, αCronbach EPDS = 0.826; KMO PASS = 0.878, αCronbach PASS = 0.920; Bartlett’s test of sphericity p < 0.001). Higher postpartum anxiety (Beta = 0.256), higher postpartum insomnia (Beta = 0.079), having hypotension during pregnancy (Beta = 2.760), and having a second (Beta = 1.663) or a third baby or more (Beta = 2.470) compared with the first one were significantly associated with higher postpartum depression. Higher postpartum depression (Beta = 1.33) was significantly associated with higher postpartum anxiety, whereas having a baby through a planned pregnancy (Beta = −4.365) and having a baby who ate regularly (Beta = −3.639) were significantly associated with lower postpartum anxiety. Conclusion: Depression and anxiety prevalence rates in the Lebanese population were higher compared with other countries, which may be due in part to the differences in regional, social and environmental culture. Full article

Adolescence is a transitional period between childhood and adulthood. Nowadays, adolescents in Lebanon are growing during a time of unprecedented health crises and political instability. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of malnutrition, dietary diversity in adolescents’ households, and adolescents’ self-reported food insecurity in Lebanon. A national representative sample of 450 parent–adolescent dyads (parents: mean age ± standard deviation (SD) = 46.0 ± 7.0, mothers: 59.0%; adolescents: mean age ± SD = 15.0 ± 3.0, girls: 54.6%) were interviewed. Anthropometric and blood hemoglobin measurements were performed for adolescents. The Food Consumption Score, the Arab Family Food Security Scale and the Adolescent-Level Food-Security Scale were used. The overall prevalence of adolescent stunting, thinness, overweight, obesity and anemia was 6.7%, 4.7%, 19.3%, 12.9% and 16.7%, respectively. Almost 40.4% and 68% of adolescent’s households consumed undiversified diets and were food insecure, respectively. Food insecurity (FI) affected 54.0% of adolescents. Adolescents attending schools (vs. university) were eight times more likely to be stunted (p = 0.04). Boys had a 4.3 times higher thinness risk (p = 0.005) compared to girls. Households reporting an income decline since the start of the Lebanese economic crisis were three times more likely to have a thin adolescent (p = 0.01). Parental overweight/obesity (p = 0.002) and lower education level (p = 0.04) nearly doubled the risk of adolescent overweight or obesity. At a time when escalating crises in Lebanon are shifting diets for the youngest generations, the development of adolescent-responsive nutritional policies becomes a must. Full article

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a salient metabolite that can be used to assess Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB1) exposure in humans and animals. The carcinogenic potency of AFB1 and AFM1 was severely reported. The aims of this study were (1) to survey the contamination level of AFM1 in the most traded infant powdered formula brands (IPF) (n = 42) along with the AFB1 level in under 5’s children food brands (biscuits, cornflakes, and cereals) (n = 42) and (2) to assess the estimated daily intake (EDI), the hazard quotient (HQ) and the margin of exposure (MOE) of AFM1 among infants (0–12 months) in Lebanon. All of the samples were analyzed using ELISA technique. AFB1 was below detection limit in all of the children’s food brands samples. Out of 42 IPF samples 9.5% were AFM1-positive in the range of 29.54–140.16 ng/L and exceeded the maximum tolerable limit (MTL) set by the European commission (25 ng/kg). The overall average contamination level was 5.72 ± 0.014 ng/L. The EDI of AMF1 for male was in the range of 0.37–0.78 ng/kg/b.w./day and 0.40–0.87 ng/kg/b.w./day for females. Similarly, the HQ calculation resulted in an average of 3.05 for males and 3.28 for females. MOE calculations were far lower from 10,000 in both genders which indicates a high risk of genotoxicity and carcinogenicity. Our findings show that AFM1’s EDI, HQ and MOE scored high among Lebanese infants. As infants consume more IPF relative to their body weight, the persistence of IPF with high AFM1 levels threatens their health. Thus, infant’s exposure risk to AFM1 in IPF should be a continuous focus of attention. Full article

Despite the relatively scarce literature on the topic and the lack of terminological consensus among scholars, Cognate Infinitives (CI) have been identified to share formal and functional characteristics across Semitic. The present study provides a description of the formal features of Cognate Infinitives in Lebanese Arabic (LA) based on the analysis of linguistic data gathered through a participant observation method. The novelty of this description lies in its comparative approach, which has been developed in the light of the Semitic evidence available, gathered through a review of the main literature available on the topic. The results of this comparative analysis reveal that the grammatical features of Cognate Infinitives in Lebanese Arabic seem to be in line with general Semitic trends that do not, however, always find their parallel in prescriptive descriptions of Cognate Infinitives in Classical or Standard Arabic. Full article

To determine Industrially-Produced Trans fatty acids (IP-TFAs) distribution of Lebanese traditional foods, especially regarding Elaidic acid (EA; 9t18:1) and Linolelaidic acid (LEA; 9t12t18:2), a mapping exercise was enrolled between January 2019 and April 2021 in which 145 food samples of three categories (traditional dishes, Arabic sweets, and market food products) were analyzed using Gas chromatography methods. Results showed that about 93% of the products tested in Lebanon, between 2019 and 2021, met the World Health Organization recommendations, while about 7% exceeded the limit. The mean level of the IP-TFAs Elaidic and Linolelaidic acid in most Traditional dishes (0.9%), Arabic sweets (0.6%), butter and margarine (1.6%), and market foods (0.52%) were relatively low compared with other countries. Despite that, the relative impact of IP-TFAs on heart diseases mortality in Lebanon is limited but unambiguously still substantial. The persistence of food products with high IP-TFAs levels threatens the health of Lebanese people. Fortunately, this problem is fairly easy to solve in Lebanon via proper legislation. Full article