Areej Othman

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Jordan

The current study applied a life-course approach with 64 Jordanian and Syrian adolescents (15–19 years old) to understand when and how sociocultural norms are internalized and shaped the gender identity of adolescents passing from childhood to adulthood. The study participants reflected on important life events that shaped their sexual and gender i...

Background/Aims Early initiation of breastfeeding is recommended to reinforce breastfeeding practice. This study aimed to investigate factors that influence and predict early initiation of breastfeeding in Jordan. Methods A total of 400 mothers attending maternal and child health centers in Amman were selected to participate in this cross-sectiona...

Background There is growing global evidence that girl child marriage (CM) increases during humanitarian crises. Norms, attitudes, and policies that sustain CM are deeply entrenched within families and communities, and may be further exacerbated by conflict and displacement. The purpose of this study is to understand how the social and normative env...

Purpose Although the average age of marriage has increased in many countries in the Middle East in recent years, child marriage is thought to become more common among certain populations in Jordan, notably the refugees. This study explores the perspectives of Jordanian and Syrian adolescents on child marriage in relation to the Syrian conflict as m...

Objectives The aim of this study is to develop and validate a scale to measure provider attitudes towards provision of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in a conservative setting in the Middle East. Design Cross-sectional, psychometric validation study. Setting Public health facilities in Amman, Irbid, Mafraq and Zarqa...

Background The need for youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services has been identified as a national policy priority in Jordan, but there remains limited data on service utilization among adolescents, especially those who are unmarried, and there is limited training for healthcare practitioners (HCPs) in providing SRH services to...

Introduction Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a major public health concern in Jordan, especially among youth. Social acceptance of SGBV is alarmingly high, including among youth. Refugee populations may be at particular risk given limited social support and access to health services combined with increased social and economic pressure an...

Young people require good quality information about their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) while transitioning to adulthood and parents have a key role in providing it. This study intended explored Jordanian and Syrian parents' perspectives on initiating discussions about SRHR with their children. A convenience sample of Jordanian a...

Objectives: Our study is aimed at exploring the knowledge and personal practice of breast cancer screening among female community pharmacists in Jordan. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out using a nonrandom sample selection method for pharmacists in community pharmacies. Results: A total of 551 female pharmacists completed the qu...

Plain Language Summary Making sexual and reproductive (SRH) services easier for youth to access, organizing service delivery in a way that meets youth’s needs, and supporting health care professionals to interact with youth in a friendly manner can make SRH services more youth-friendly. If SRH services are more youth-friendly, more youth may use th...

Objectives: This report aims to investigate the attitudes of physicians in Jordan towards non-disclosure of health information among physicians, with a focus on those who are 'always truthful' and those who are not. Methods: The report is based on the second subset of data from a cross-sectional study-conducted between January and August 2016-of...

Young people throughout the world face considerable challenges related to their sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The parent–child relationship is fundamental to shaping children’s trajectories through adolescence and suggests considerable potential to improve youth SRH knowledge. Lack of parent–child sexual communication (PCSC) may cause youth...

Background: Reaching married and unmarried young people in Jordan with family planning information and services is a priority, especially considering Jordan's large refugee populations. To date, dissemination of family planning research and programmatic experience targeting young people in Jordan has been limited. Aims: This study aimed to provi...

Young people throughout the world face considerable challenges related to their sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The parent-child relationship is fundamental to shaping children's trajectories through adolescence and suggests considerable potential to improve youth SRH knowledge. Lack of parent-child sexual communication (PCSC) may cause youth...

Background: The determinants of sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV) and early marriage are embedded across different levels of the social ecological system, including at the individual, family, community, and policy levels. In Jordan and the Middle East, SGBV, honor killing, and early marriage are priority public health and human rights issue...

Purpose To explore: 1) the perceptions of Jordanian mothers of their children's health and illness; and 2) the strategies of Jordanian mothers regarding disease prevention and health promotion. Design and methods A qualitative descriptive design was used to select a sample of Jordanian mothers (n = 20) of children aged 6 to12 years. Semi-structure...

Young people in Jordan are caught between the rapid social change that has encompassed the Middle East and the pressure to adhere to the strict norms and values that have defined previous generations, especially with regard to sexual and reproductive health. This study seeks to understand how Jordanian and Syrian adolescents conceptualise their con...

Introduction Bullying victimization among adolescents is a major public health concern. Supportive relationships from family and friends can decrease the risk of bullying victimization. The study aims To examine differences in perceived social support and to determine predictors of bullying victimization among Jordanian adolescents. Methods This...

Introduction Youth in Jordan constitute 20.4% of the population, and many face considerable challenges in addressing their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs, such as those related to the prevention of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, early marriage and sexual coercion and violence. The findings of previous studies...

Background The determinants of adolescent sexual and reproductive health originate in childhood and may stem from prepubescent experiences. There has been limited research on adolescent sexual and reproductive health from a life-course perspective globally, especially in the Middle East. Youth in Jordan are exposed to rigid social expectations and...

Background Youths in Jordan lack knowledge related to reproductive health (RH). Interactive teaching methods showed positive results in enhancing health awareness and adopting healthy practices among students. Objectives The objective of this study was to examine the usefulness of interactive teaching in promoting health awareness of RH among nonm...

Disclosure of health information is a sensitive matter, particularly in the context of serious illness. In conservative societies—those which predominate in the developing world—direct truth disclosure undoubtedly presents an ethical conundrum to the modern physician. The aim of this study is to explore the truth disclosure practices of physicians...

Objectives: The goal of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and perceived barriers among community pharmacists towards breast cancer health promotion. Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered to 1000 registered community pharmacists in northern, central and southern regions in Jordan. Key findings: Mean score for knowledge o...

Abstract Enhancing breast cancer screening in developing countries is pivotal in improving women health. We aimed at describing knowledge about and perceived reasons for performing breast cancer screening. We interviewed 1,549 population based randomly selected women. We found that women share limited knowledge about breast cancer screening. Few wo...

Background: Women's perception of lower barriers to mammography is the most significant predictor of adherence to mammography screening. Notably, barriers are defined within women's cultural context. Little is known about barriers toward mammography among women in Jordan Aim: to identify perceived barriers towards performing mammography screening a...

Background: Globally, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women; it is also the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Health information seeking is a health promoting behavior that empowers individuals; besides evidence suggests a link to preventive health behavior. The purpose of this paper was to investigate Jo...

Understanding of public health/cancer information-seeking behaviour could play key role in promoting health behaviour and reducing cancer burden. In the current study, data from 'Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices toward Cancer Prevention and Care Survey in Jordan' were used. A total of 3196 participants (18 years and older) were included in the st...

A diversity of public participation in biobanking is a highlight for the success of biobanks. It was previously reported that only two-thirds of Jordanians expressed interest in biobanking. To promote public involvement in a biobank, it is imperative to determine the aspects that influence the decision-making to participate. On the basis of a natio...

Ethnic differences in disease susceptibility and drug response necessitate the participation of the community in biomedical research. Public involvement includes the donation of biospecimens for basic and translational research with a focus on understanding the molecular make-up of individuals. A growing strategy that fosters public involvement is...

The success of any biobank depends on a number of factors including public's view of research and the extent to which it is willing to participate in research. As a prototype of surrounding countries, public interest in research and biobanking in addition to the influence and type of informed consent for biobanking were investigated in Jordan. Data...

Ethnic differences in disease susceptibility and drug response necessitate the participation of the community in biomedical research. Public involvement includes the donation of biospecimens for basic and translational research with a focus on understanding the molecular make-up of individuals. A growing strategy that fosters public involvement is...

Data about family planning among women in rural and remote areas of Jordan are lacking. This study explored the prevalence of use and knowledge and attitudes towards family planning among rural Jordanian women. A descriptive study was conducted with 807 ever-married women aged 15-49 years in a household survey of 29 villages in the southern region...

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of demographic characteristics, breast cancer knowledge, fatalistic beliefs, health beliefs, and subjective norms on Jordanian women's intention to participate in mammography screening. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data at 14 comprehensive healthcare centers in Amman and Zarqa...

Due to the critical role of family caregivers in cancer pain management, this systematic review was undertaken to examine what is known about of their experiences and needs. Searches were conducted using electronic databases, and research reports from 1991 to 2007 were analyzed using a matrix method. Family caregivers were actively engaged in assis...

The implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has proven life-saving, yet it is important to understand its psychological effects on recipients. This study examined longitudinal changes in patterns of quality-of-life (QOL) scores in the first 3 months after an implant, and determined what variables tested as predictors of patterns. This longitud...

Aims: The implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has proven life-saving, yet it is important to understand the psychological effects on the recipients. The study purpose was to longitudinally examine changes in the patterns of quality of life scores in the first three months post-implant and determine what variables tested as predictors of pa...