Assessment of nationally representative dietary studies in the Gulf Cooperation Council: a scoping review

Knowledge, attitudes and behavior of Gulf medical students in relation to Food Dome dietary guidelines: a mixed-method research

This mixed-methods research is the first to explore knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in relation to the Food Dome dietary guidelines (FDDG) among Gulf medical students. Quantitative phase included the administration of Food Dome questionnaire among n = 414 students; qualitative phase used focus group discussions. The quantitative findings show that more than half the sample reported that they had heard of the FDDG (55.3%), of which 15.7% followed and 39.6% did not follow the FDDG. An average female knew more about and behaved more in line with the guidelines, Bahrainis and Saudis were more aware than Kuwaitis on average, and those aged 21 or more showed, on average, more behaviour consistency with the FDDG. The qualitative findings show that the food choices of the Gulf medical students largely depend on time, university load, availability, and taste. Suggested recommendations include educational campaigns, FDDG application examples, teaching children from an early age.

Obesity among children and adolescents in Qatar: protocol for a scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Approximately half of the school-aged children are overweight or obese in Qatar. Childhood obesity is associated with health conditions in adulthood, such as hypertension, diabetes, metabolic defects, cardiovascular risks and psychological challenges. Existing obesity studies have limitations; thus, there is a need for further research with improved quality, wider representation of population including children and adolescents and methodological diversity. As Qatar moves towards a preventive evidence-based approach in tackling obesity, this scoping review aims to support the efforts of obesity prevention among children and adolescents in Qatar by providing an up-to-date research map that systematically highlights existing knowledge, research gaps and methodological range. In addition, this will be the first scoping review that analyses how obesity research has evolved in Qatar since 2000.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This scoping review follows the guidelines of Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews for both developing the protocol and reporting the findings. It will use the System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review of Information-JBI software for synthesis. The review will include any study in Arabic or English published between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2021 on obesity/overweight among children and/or adolescents in Qatar. Studies without specific data on the concept of obesity, the population of children and adolescents or the context of Qatar will be excluded. The following databases will be searched: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, IBSS, Scopus, J-STOR, APA PsycNET and Google Scholar. In addition, Arabic literature via Dar Almanthomah, Dar Almanhal and E-Marefah will be searched. A search strategy to identify grey literature will be adopted for a wider reach. The screening process will be conducted by two independent reviewers. Extracted data will be analysed descriptively and analytically using simple frequency counts and qualitative content analysis. The results will be presented using maps, tables and diagrams.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval is not required as data will be collected from publicly available published research. The results of this review will be disseminated via a peer-reviewed publication, national and international conferences, workshops and knowledge mobilisation activities among key stakeholders.

A Scoping Review of Non-Communicable Diseases and Maternal and Child Health Needs of Venezuelan Migrants in South America

BACKGROUND

Migration of Venezuelan citizens to other South American countries has increased in recent years. While the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of infectious diseases in Venezuelan migrants across South America appears to be well described, the non-communicable disease (NCD) and maternal and child health needs in this population is less clear. A scoping review of existing peer-reviewed primary research and grey literature describing the epidemiology of NCDs and maternal and child health needs in Venezuelan migrants in major South American host countries was performed in order to highlight important gaps in knowledge.

METHODS

A scoping review was performed of peer-reviewed research and grey literature for NCD and maternal and child health needs among Venezuelan migrants living in the following host South American countries with greater than 100,000 migrants: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. A total of 47 electronic databases were searched for primary research published between 2017 and 2020 in either English or Spanish.

RESULTS

Out of 1,098 initial articles retrieved, 17 records met inclusion criteria, with the majority identified from the grey literature. Most studies were published in 2019 and most were either primary reports published by non-governmental organizations within the grey literature search or cross-sectional qualitative studies. Studies came from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, with three records offering a regional perspective. Most studies provided broad data on NCDs and maternal and child health needs but lacked granular statistics. Our analysis found the rate of chronic disease among Venezuelan migrants to range from 9-14% within countries who reported this data. Significant rates of psychiatric conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder were reported. Other conditions described were ophthalmologic diseases, diabetes, chronic pain, asthma, cough, dyslipidemia, hypertension, arthritis, malnutrition, and obstetric complications, although exact statistics were limited. Obstacles to care included lack of healthcare access and affordability.

CONCLUSIONS

Existing reports discuss important needs related to NCDs and maternal and child health in Venezuelan migrants in South American countries, but there are significant gaps in knowledge. Further research must describe in greater detail the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of NCDs and maternal and child health needs in Venezuelan migrants in this region in order to assist local governments and international humanitarian organizations with providing strategic and unified responses.