Background There are limited studies about optimal duration and benefits of breastfeeding-and in particular, exclusive breastfeeding-on infant health and growth in the occupied Palestinian territory. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of exclusive breastfeeding on the health of infants in the Gaza Strip (at age 9 months), in terms of anthropometric measurements, growth, and morbidity. Methods This study targeted mothers with infants attending primary health centres for vaccination at 9 months of age. Eight primary health centres were randomly selected from United Nation for Relief and Work Agency and Ministry of Health primary health centres in four regions of the Gaza Strip. Of 343 mother-infant pairs, in the first 6 months of life 251 infants received mixed feeding and 92 were exclusively breastfed.
The study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of students' at a university in Gaza regarding HIV/AIDS and identified differences in knowledge about HIV, and attitudes by gender, locality, and social and economic status. Methods: This descriptive study targeted 492 students of Al-Azhar University-Gaza. The participants completed self-administered questionnaires that included the following dimensions: sociodemographic, measurements of student's knowledge level and measurement of student's attitudes towards HIV/AIDS. Results: Findings showed moderate level of knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS although there was a very low of perception regarding the acceptance and sharing of HIV/AIDS persons. It means that only one third of the study respondents are willingness to be in close touch with people living with HIV or even communication with them, and less than fifty percent thought that it is their right to be engaged in a public or governmental job, stigma and discriminatory attitudes toward HIV/AIDS persons is high only 48% of the students thought it right to employ people living with HIV (PLHIV) and 35.5% refused to work in the same place with PLHIV. Conclusion: This study indicates the need for improving the level of knowledge as well as promoting the students' towards positive attitude.
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