Karwan Hawez Sulaiman’s research while affiliated with Hawler Medical University and other places

Background: Vaccination is probably the most effective approach to prevent and control COVID-19. Studies assessing acceptance towards vaccination showed huge regional variations. Objective: To find out the rate of acceptance of Covid 19 vaccine and its associated factors as well as to explore out both the most frequent reasons behind acceptance or refusal of this vaccine and the most received and preferred type Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 1000 visitors to primary health care centers (PHCCs) in Erbil/Iraq, aged 18 years and older, were collected from December 2021 to December 2022. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection through a direct interview. Results: The study showed that 43.9% of the participants accepted the vaccine. The main reason behind refusal (53.8%) was not trusting its development, while the main reasons for receiving were to protect themselves (44.2%), majority of those vaccinated (76.5%) received Pfizer, which was the most preferred type (67.4%), 10.3% of them were not completing the recommended dose and the most common reasons behind this were neglect and shortage of time (31%), and afraid from side effects (31%). A significant association found between vaccination practice with gender, education, occupation, family income and socioeconomic status. Vaccinated persons were less likely to be infected with COVID19 (20.7%) than nonvaccinated ones (62.7%). Conclusion: Less than half of the participants were accepted the vaccine and the acceptance rate significantly associated with male gender, education, occupation, family income, and socioeconomic status.

Background: Vaccination is probably the most effective approach to prevent and control COVID-19. Studies assessing acceptance towards vaccination showed huge regional variations. Objective: To find out the rate of acceptance of Covid 19 vaccine and its associated factors as well as to explore out both the most frequent reasons behind acceptance or refusal of this vaccine and the most received and preferred type. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 1000 visitors to primary health care centers (PHCCs) in Erbil/Iraq, aged 18 years and older, were collected from December 2021 to December 2022. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection through a direct interview. Results: The study showed that 43.9% of the participants accepted the vaccine. The main reason behind refusal (53.8%) was not trusting its development, while the main reasons for receiving were to protect themselves (44.2%), majority of those vaccinated (76.5%) received Pfizer, which was the most preferred type (67.4%), 10.3% of them were not completing the recommended dose and the most common reasons behind this were neglect and shortage of time (31%), and afraid from side effects (31%). A significant association found between vaccination practice with gender, education, occupation, family income and socioeconomic status. Vaccinated persons were less likely to be infected with COVID19 (20.7%) than nonvaccinated ones (62.7%). Conclusion: Less than half of the participants were accepted the vaccine and the acceptance rate significantly associated with male gender, education, occupation, family income, and socioeconomic status. Keywords: COVID-19 vaccination acceptance, vaccine, primary health care centers .

Background: Any pandemic is not only considered as a medical phenomenon; it has an impact on one’s life and its society. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental health is a common issue and up to the researcher’s knowledge, no previous study has been carried out among patients attending primary health care centers in Erbil City. Objective: To assess physical and mental health problems associated with Covid-19 pandemic among a Kurdish sample of patients. Patients and Methods: A cross sectional study using a convenience sample was conducted on 300 patients attending six primary health care centers in Erbil city. The study started from 1st of April 2021 to 31st of March 2022. The data were collected using a questionnaire after reviewing relevant literature. Results: The mean age (± S.D) of participants was 42.16 (±14.64) years, more than half (52.7%) of them were female, 65% of them were married. The majority (72.7%) of them were not smokers and 32.7% of them had chronic disease. More than half (61.7%) of participants stated that their physical activities were reduced and 38.3% of them gained weight. More than half (55.3%) of participants were infected with the Covid-19 while the rest (44.7%) were PCR negative with the disease. Thirty nine percent of participants suffered from sleep disturbance. There was significant statistical association between COVID-19 infection and gender, and marital status. There was non-significant statistical association between COVID-19 infection and sleep disturbance. Conclusion: Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the participants’ wellbeing physically and mentally. Impact on physical health included decreased physical activities and weight gain and impact on mental health included psychological symptoms such as sleep disturbance, irritability, worry, feeling depressed, and insecurity about self and future.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome and obesity are two prevalent conditions in our community which may be associated with each other according to some literature. Both have significant impact on the community.Objective: To find the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome, its association with general and central obesity, as well as to find its sociodemographic characteristics, and effect of some personal health habits on it.Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 248 subjects, 105 males and 143 females, who attended two primary health care centers was taken (included healthy looking subjects and patients with irritable bowel syndrome according to Rome IV criteria). Subjects were aged between 18-65 years. Sociodemographic characteristics, personal health habits, central obesity index and body mass index also recorded in the survey. Results: Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome was 33.5%, male to female ratio was 0.73:1. No significant association was found between irritable bowel syndrome and general or central obesity. Bad sleep pattern was found to have a significant association with the disorder. Conclusion: The study do not find significant association between obesity and irritable bowel syndrome. Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome, central obesity, Rome IV criteria

Background and objective: Worldwide, cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death in both genders. Good knowledge about cardiovascular disease symptoms, risk factors, and protective measures can improve the public’s preventive practice and overall future health outcomes. This study aimed to assess women's awareness of cardiovascular diseases and preventive measures. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Erbil city, Iraq. The data were collected from 674 women aged 18 years and above, using convenience sampling method, who attended 12 primary health care centers in six municipalities in Erbil City. The study period was from the 1st of October 2019 to the end of February 2020. An interview questionnaire was used to collect the study data from the participants to assess the women's knowledge of cardiovascular diseases, their attitudes and challenges. Results: The mean age ± standard deviation of the women was 37.6 ± 13 years. Only 15.3% of women could recognize cardiovascular diseases as the number one leading cause of death. More than 90% of them had poor cardiovascular disease knowledge scores. Recognition of coronary artery disease symptoms, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and preventive measures was made by less than 50% of them. The multiple regression analysis showed that age, body mass index, socioeconomic status, employment, and educational level independently predicted cardiovascular disease knowledge. Conclusion: Awareness of cardiovascular diseases among women was poor. Thus, proper institutional foundations, mass media campaigns, other media, and community programs can prompt public discussion of health issues to change women’s health behavior and reduce future health consequences from cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Any pandemic is not only considered as a medical phenomenon; it has an impact on one’s life and its society. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental health is a common issue and up to the researcher’s knowledge, no previous study has been carried out among patients attending primary health care centers in Erbil City. Objective: To assess physical and mental health problems associated with Covid-19 pandemic among a Kurdish sample of patients. Patients and Methods: A cross sectional study using a convenience sample was conducted on 300 patients attending six primary health care centers in Erbil city. The study started from 1st of April 2021 to 31st of March 2022. The data were collected using a questionnaire after reviewing relevant literature. Results: The mean age (± S.D) of participants was 42.16 (±14.64) years, more than half (52.7%) of them were female, 65% of them were married. The majority (72.7%) of them were not smokers and 32.7% of them had chronic disease. More than half (61.7%) of participants stated that their physical activities were reduced and 38.3% of them gained weight. More than half (55.3%) of participants were infected with the Covid-19 while the rest (44.7%) were PCR negative with the disease. Thirty nine percent of participants suffered from sleep disturbance. There was significant statistical association between COVID-19 infection and gender, and marital status. There was non-significant statistical association between COVID-19 infection and sleep disturbance. Conclusion: Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the participants’ wellbeing physically and mentally. Impact on physical health included decreased physical activities and weight gain and impact on mental health included psychological symptoms such as sleep disturbance, irritability, worry, feeling depressed, and insecurity about self and future.

Background and objective: Anabolic-androgenic steroids are synthetic testosterone derivatives with a longer duration of action than physiological androgens. They are abused by bodybuilders because of their potential to enhance muscle strength. Serious medical and psychological complications may be associated with their non-medical use. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anabolic androgenic steroids among bodybuilders and their awareness of health-related risks. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from the 1st of January 2019 to the end of July 2019 in 18 randomly selected gym centers in Erbil city, Iraq using stratified random sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 400 bodybuilders to assess the prevalence and knowledge of using Anabolic-androgenic steroids. Results: The study showed a high prevalence of Anabolic-androgenic steroid consumption (26.3%) among gym users in Erbil city. Anabolic-androgenic steroid use was significantly higher among participants with a longer duration of bodybuilding practice ≥4 years (P = 0.001). Anabolic-androgenic steroid abuse was significantly associated with drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and using growth hormones. Trainers were the commonest source of recommendation. Conclusion: The prevalence of anabolic androgenic steroids abuse is high among bodybuilders in Erbil city. Public health awareness is essential and may help avoid the propagation of the problem.