Browsing by Author "Ghach, Wissam"
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Item Analysis of the United Arab Emirates' contribution to the sustainable development goals with a focus on global health and climate change(Emerald Publishing, 2023) Alkhaldi, Mohammed; Moonesar, Immanuel Azaad; Issa, Sahar T.; Ghach, Wissam; Okasha, Ahmad; Albada, Marina; Chelli, Sabrina; Takshe, Aseel A.Purpose: The world is confronted by various current development challenges, including global health security and climate change. The rapid growth of these challenges warned all nations regardless of their development or geographical position. As an emerging international power, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was among these nations and is viewed as a proactive key actor. Design/methodology/approach: This review was conducted as a thematic synthesis from 27 studies, reports and publications along with authors' insights. Using MS Word and Excel programs, three stages of data exploration, extraction and synthesis and analysis were applied. Data gathering, analysis and thematization and compilation. Findings: The UAE is giving significant attention to global health and climate change. Over the past 20 years, multipolicies, strategies and bodies were developed to lead the national, regional and global SDGs. Global health and climate change became the most two notable priorities on the government agenda and its strategic thinking is that both priorities can no longer be overlooked. Nationally, the UAE has made significant economic, scientific, social and health growth. Building a resilient and world-class healthcare system was one of six national priorities of the achieved UAE National Agenda 2021. Globally, UAE has proved its global health leadership by ensuring lasting and collective multilateral partnerships and collaborations that led to remarkable achievements in global health and climate change. Examples on the global scale: partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) to target billions of people of the world's population and ensure they get Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) without financial hardship, the partnership between UAE and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) to fight diseases and put an end to polio. Additionally, the state's role in the COVID-19 global efforts such as vaccine development, supply chain and distribution targeted low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The UAE has shown a constant commitment to climate change mitigation and building a sustainable ecosystem by hosting global organizations, leading initiatives, supporting countries and is now organizing the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) this year. Great opportunities can be exploited to promote the country's contributions through further investment in cooperation, research and technology for better knowledge, sound policies, and innovative solutions for all regional and global health and climate change challenges. Originality/value: This review is a fresh evidence-synthesizing attempt to document the role of the UAE. This role is well placed to play an additional major role with all partners to address these pressing challenges by boosting its role, especially in the Middle East region and advancing a new regional-oriented revolutionary expanded developmental plan that centered on low-resource countries empowerment, multilateralism, intersectionality and lasting collaborations. © 2023, Mohammed Alkhaldi, Immanuel Azaad Moonesar, Sahar T. Issa, Wissam Ghach, Ahmad Okasha, Marina Albada, Sabrina Chelli and Aseel A. Takshe.Item Community Awareness and Performance regarding the Safe Use of Disinfectants and Household Cleaners during the Spread of COVID-19 in Lebanon(Horizon Research Publishing, 2023-12) Ghach, Wissam; Ibrahim, Sara Abou; Merhi, Areej; Buhamdan, Vanessa; Ghannam, Nermeen Bou; Salhab, RinaTo reduce the spread and transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the application of disinfectants and household cleaning products became a common practice worldwide during the pandemic. However, the literature revealed that these practices were associated with limited knowledge of chemical safety and resulted in several health hazards. This pilot study aims to assess the awareness and the performance of the Lebanese community regarding the safe use of household disinfectants and cleaners during the COVID-19 spread. This cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the extent, to which the public community in Lebanon safely handles disinfectants and household cleaning products. An Awareness-Performance questionnaire was adapted from the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and Arabic-translated [1]. 922 respondents (aged ≥ 18 years old) participated electronically, and their data was analyzed using SPSS descriptive analysis and the Chi-Square test for significant differences (p < 0.05) among the studied variables. The study population showed lower percentages of awareness than performance regarding the safe usage of disinfectants and household cleaners. The highest percentages with significant differences (p < 0.05) were detected among females, university graduates, younger people, and participants who had not been previously diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus. Consequently, the study recommends additional investigations and awareness initiatives to be implemented in Lebanon. © The Author(s) 2023.Item Development and Validation of the Soft Skills Questionnaire for Nurses(SAGE Publications Inc., 2023) Aridi, Mona; Ahmad, Manal; Ghach, Wissam; Charifeh, Samiha; Alwan, NisreenIntroduction: Skills challenge has been given great attention for its impact on employees’ performance. Various approaches have been put forward to design professional development programs that help in preparing nurses to work in the field and ongoing training programs to keep them up to each new method and technique at the interpersonal improvement level. Objective: To develop and validate a questionnaire that tests the communication and management skills, emotional intelligence, and confidentiality of nurses in Lebanon. Methods: The questionnaire, consisting of 25 statements, was generated and developed by experts in the field of nursing, soft skills, and questionnaire development. The items of the questionnaire were assessed using face, content, and construct validity and data validation was examined through psychometric properties at the final stage of the validation. Internal consistency and reliability were assessed through Cronbach alpha ((Formula presented.)). Further analyses were carried out to decide on the number of factors to be extracted using Oblimin Rotation method. All statistical tests were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0). Results: Nineteen items of the 25-item scale had an I-CVI of 1.00 and the remaining six items had an I-CVI of 0.87. The S-CVI/UA was 0.76 and the S-CVI/Ave was 0.97, which meant that the items were good for the underlying construct. For the psychometric measures, the results were quite accepted and satisfactory. The Kaiser–Meyer–Oklin measure of sampling adequacy and the significance for the Bartlett's test for the whole questionnaire were quite acceptable with 0.680 and 0.000, respectively. Furthermore, the Cronbach alpha (α) value was 0.824 indicating a high internal consistency between the items of the questionnaire. While obtaining exploratory factor analysis for each section, results showed that Oblimin Rotation method should be applied to the last section in which three items were eliminated to maintain a simple factor structure. Conclusion: This study shows that the 25-item Soft Skills Questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating the level of communication of nurses, their emotional intelligence, confidentiality, and management. © The Author(s) 2023.Item Effectiveness of pesticide labels (pictograms and color codes): a cross-sectional study of farmers’ understanding and practices in Lebanon(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2023) Abou Ibrahim, Sara; Naji, Reem; Zeineldeen, Hanaa; Ghach, WissamThis study aims to assess the effectiveness of the pesticide labels (pictograms and color codes) and the technical sign-related practices among the farming community in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2021 and October 2022 among 104 farmers from three Lebanese provinces. An Arabic survey (score-based questionnaire) was conducted to evaluate the farmers’ levels of understanding the pesticide labels (pictograms and color codes) and relevant practices to pesticide labels. Spearman correlation and One-Way ANOVA were applied to determine the statistical correlation between farmers’ understanding and practice levels and their significant differences in gender, age, provinces, educational level, and attendance of training programs. Results: It was found that the majority of the participants showed moderate levels of understanding (71.2%) and practices (75%). Spearman’s correlation analysis concluded a weak correlation between the understanding and performance levels (p < 0.05). Comparative analyses showed higher levels of label pictograms’ understanding and label-related practices with a significant difference (p < 0.05) among younger and well-educational farmers. However, training programs significantly enhanced the farmers’ practices only. Incidence of irritations-to-poisoning symptoms was self-reported as consequences of misinterpretations and misuse of pesticides. Conclusion: The study findings highlighted the limited effectiveness of pictograms and color codes in Lebanon and thereby highlighted the necessity of training programs addressing the knowledge of technical signs among farmers. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Evaluation of awareness and performance towards COVID-related disinfectant use among the university communities in Lebanon(BioMed Central Ltd, 2023-12) Ghach, Wissam; Safwan, Jihan; Kerek, Racha; Alwan, NisreenBackground: The fast spread of COVID-19 reinforced the daily use of disinfectants around the world. However, the awareness gap of disinfectant use could lead to health risks during the prevention of the pandemic. This study aims to assess the level of awareness and performance towards COVID-related disinfectant use among various university communities (student, staff, and faculty) in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2021 and June 2022 among 925 participants (males and females aged between 18 and 64 years old) from academic settings in Lebanese universities using convenience sampling. An online validated survey (score-based questionnaire) of personal disinfectants’ utilization was conducted to evaluate the awareness and performance levels using SPSS (version 21). Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to check significant differences in awareness and performance levels among gender, age, provinces, educational level, university status, and field of study. Friedman test was used to test for significant differences in performance level questions pre-and post-COVID-19. The Spearman correlation test was used to determine the correlation between the awareness and performance of the respondents regarding the use of disinfectants. Results: It was found that the majority of the respondents showed a weak level of awareness (70.8%) while their performance (61.9%) was moderate. Spearman’s correlation analysis concluded a weak correlation between the awareness and performance levels (p < 0.01). The Mann–Whitney test indicated that there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in awareness and performance levels between males and females. Another notable variable was the educational level of the respondents (p < 0.05) with postgraduate degrees holders recording higher mean scores of awareness than the ones with undergraduate and high school degrees as per Kruskal–Wallis test. Significant differences were shown in awareness scores among the age groups and in performance scores among the field of study (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The study findings highlighted the necessity of awareness campaigns and training programs addressing the technical handling of disinfectants among the communities in Lebanon. Lebanese governmental authorities (Ministry of Public Health, MoPH, and Ministry of Education and Higher Education, MEHE), and the healthcare professionals and public health researchers in Lebanon may utilize this new evidence to initiate public health interventions as a part of the United Nations (UN) sustainability goal of wellbeing (Sustainable Development Goal 3, SDG 3). © 2023, BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.Item Evaluation of public awareness and performance toward the safe use of household disinfectants-cleaners to prevent COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi(Frontiers Media SA, 2023) Alwan, Nisreen; Almazrouei, Shatha; Almazrouei, Mariam; Aldhaheri, Jawaher; Alismaili, Fahad; Ghach, WissamIntroduction: Disinfection is one of the most effective hygienic practices that would limit the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) through deactivating the coronavirus on contaminated skin, supplies, and surfaces. However, the type and concentration of disinfectants should be carefully selected to avoid damaging surfaces and to limit the side effects of these chemicals on household members and users. The aim of this study is to assess the public levels of awareness and performance concerning the safe use of household cleaning products and disinfectants during the spread of COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2021 among 750 residents of Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafrah, and Al-Ain regions. A google survey was distributed electronically for the online recruitment of the general population. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine whether significant differences exist in the levels of awareness and performance with regard to gender, region, education level, and diagnosis with COVID-19. Spearman correlation was used to test if any correlation existed between levels of awareness and performance. Kruskal-Wallis test was also used to check if significant differences exist in the mean score of performance with respect to irritation-to-poisoning symptoms. Results: The study population recorded a lower mean score of awareness (5.37 out of 12) than performance (11.75 out of 16). The majority of the study population claimed a minimum of one irritation-to-poisoning symptom during the handling of household cleaners and disinfectants. Significant differences exist in the awareness and performance mean scores among various educational levels (P < 0.001). The level of awareness was statistically significant with regard to infection with SARS-CoV-2 (P < 0.05). Also, the level of performance was significantly different between males and females (P < 0.001). Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the mean score of performance is statistically significant with all the studied irritation-to poisoning symptoms (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Awareness campaigns and training programs are recommended to address the safe use of household cleaning products and disinfectants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Copyright © 2023 Alwan, Almazrouei, Almazrouei, Aldhaheri, Alismaili and Ghach.Item Hand hygiene during the spread of COVID-19: a cross-sectional study of awareness and practices among academic institutions in Lebanon(Frontiers Media SA, 2023) Alwan, Nisreen; Safwan, Jihan; Kerek, Racha; Ghach, WissamIntroduction: During the pandemic, the World Health Organization has recommended hand hygiene as one of the effective preventive measures to limit the global spread of COVID-19. However, the awareness gap of hand hygiene protocols could increase the spread of COVID-19 and consequently increase the absenteeism rate among academic institutions. This study aims to assess hand hygiene awareness and practices levels among various university communities in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2021 and June 2022 among 1,291 participants from academic settings in Lebanese universities. An online survey (score-based questionnaire) of hand hygiene was conducted to evaluate the awareness and practices among university communities (faculty, staff, and students). Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine whether significant differences exist in the levels of awareness with regard to gender, age, provinces, educational level, and university status. Pearson’s chi-squared test was applied to assess differences among the sample characteristics and participants’ practice of hand hygiene. Results: It was found that most of the participants showed a moderate level of awareness (76.4%) with a mean score of 7.59 out of 12 (SD = 1.68). The Mann-Whitney test indicated that females recorded higher levels of awareness than males with a significant difference of 102, 104: p < 0.05. Another notable variable was the educational level of the participants with university degrees holders recording higher scores of awareness than the ones with high school degrees as per the Kruskal-Wallis test (p < 0.05). Significant differences were also shown in awareness scores among the age groups and the university status (p < 0.05). The Pearson’s chi-squared test results showed that females used alcohol-based hand rubs or soap and water more frequently than males (p < 0.05). However, males significantly preferred the frequent use of water alone compared to females (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study findings highlighted the necessity of awareness campaigns and health educational programs addressing the technical skills of hand hygiene among both genders (especially males) of the academic communities in Lebanon. Copyright © 2024 Alwan, Safwan, Kerek and Ghach.Item Prevalence and Behavioral-Based Risk Factors (Eye Cosmetic and Tobacco Use) of Symptomatic Dry Eye Disease in Four Middle Eastern Countries: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine(Dove Medical Press Ltd, 2022) Ghach, Wissam; Bakkar, May M.; Aridi, Mona; Beshtawi, Ithar; Doughaily, Rita; Al-Fayoumi, NohaPurpose: To estimate the prevalence of symptomatic dry eye disease (DED) in four Middle Eastern Countries and investigate the association between behavioral-based risk factors and severity of DED. Patients and Methods: Population-based cross-sectional study of 1463 participants from 4 Mediterranean countries (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine). The Arabic version of the Ocular Surface Disease Index (ARB-OSDI) questionnaire was used to estimate the prevalence and severity of symptomatic DED using an online format survey. The survey also included demographic questions and possible behavioral risk factors (tobacco and cosmetic use). One-Way ANOVA and multivariate regression analyses were used to investigate the association between OSDI mean scores and behavioral-based risk factors. Results: The prevalence of symptomatic DED (OSDI score ≥ 13) among the overall population (332 males and 1132 females) reached 70.2%. Tobacco and cosmetic users reported a higher significant prevalence and severity of symptomatic DED than non-users (p < 0.0001). Smoking habits (eg, smoking cigarettes or Ajami, smoking in closed areas, and daily smoking) were more likely to report symptomatic DED. Bad hygiene process during the use of any cosmetic product was behind the high prevalence and severity of symptomatic DED among the females of the study population. Conclusion: Symptomatic DED is substantial in Middle Eastern countries. It is statistically associated with cosmetic and tobacco use. © 2022 Ghach et al.