Background: In the public sector in Qatar, the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) is the major provider of primary healthcare services to families. Therefore, the PHCC conducted the first epidemiological health assessment to understand the burden of diseases and their subsequent risk factors impacting its registered population, to design better services, implement it and allocate resources to respond to the population health needs. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was adopted among all PHCC registered populations between September 1, 2018, and August 31, 2019. The study target population was all persons residing in Qatar aged 0+ years and registered at the 27 health centers affiliated with the PHCC; excluding patients with an expired residence permit on August 31, 2019, and craft male workers were provided their primary healthcare services at the Qatar Red Crescent health facilities. The data were extracted from patients’ electronic medical records (EMR). Results: The burden of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were the highest among the population of the central region at 13.9%, 15.7%, and 11.1%, respectively. Tobacco consumption among males was higher than females and ranged from 25.4% to 27.8%, with the highest rate in the northern region. Obesity rates ranged between 34.7% and 37.0% among the total population registered with the lowest rate in the central region, while 39.9% of females in the northern region had a body mass index above 30 kg/m2. Exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months was significantly lower than that at 4 months across all regions. Children in the northern region had the highest rate of overweight/obesity based on Z-scores. The western region population had the highest number of communicable diseases notifications. Conclusion: Understanding the patterns of disease in the local population will enable the PHCC to plan a clear set of services that meet the population's health needs, which include tailored health education and promotion components.

Objective This study is a part of the Primary Health Care Corporation’s (PHCC) Health Needs Assessment (HNA) Initiative. It focuses on identifying perceptions of Arabic speaking primary care clients regarding community’s major health issues, their experiences in utilizing health services, and the barriers that limit their access to health care in the State of Qatar. Study Setting and Design A total of 10 focus groups sessions were conducted at different PHCC’s health centers between October of 2019 and March of 2020. Sessions were distributed to cover all PHCC’s three geographical regions. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants A total of 89 adult Arabic speaking individuals were recruited. Participants included were in the age groups (18–69), native Arabic speaker, and registered at one of the PHCC’s health centers with a valid health card at time of recruitment. Results Areas investigated included perceptions of the community’s health issues, needed health services, and perceived barriers to health care. Priority health issues identified were chronic non-communicable diseases, mental health, timely access to care, cultural competency of delivered services, and integration and coordination across health care settings and sectors. Participants were able to identify socioeconomic and environmental factors such as the need for health and wellness interventions at schools that affects the health of the individual and the community. The importance of raising the community’s awareness about health-related issues and availability of health services was highlighted by study participants. Conclusion Collecting qualitative data provides an opportunity to examine people’s perceptions, and motivations and engage the whole community. This process is very important for strategic planning of health services. The study attempts to fill the knowledge gap and should be linked to health policy and the development of socially and culturally appropriate health programs.

No abstract

Objectives: The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in Qatar conducted epidemiological health assessment to understand the burden of diseases impacting the PHCC registered population Design: This is a cross-sectional study design among all PHCC registered population between the 1st of September 2018 and the 31st of August 2019 Setting: Primary Health Care Corporation health centers Participants: The target population is all persons residing in Qatar aged (0-80) years and registered at the PHCC. Excluding patients with expired Qatar residence permit by the 31st of August Results: Obesity rates ranged between 37% and 35% among the total population registered with the lowest rate in the central region at 34.7%. Burden of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia was the highest among population of the Central region at 13.9%, 15.7% and 11.1%, respectively. Tobacco consumption among males ranged from 25.4 % to 27.8%, with the highest rate in the Northern region. 39.9% of females in the Northern region had BMI above 30 kg/m2. Exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months was significantly lower than that at 4 months across all regions. Children in the Northern region had the highest rate of overweight/obesity based on Z-scores. Western region population had the highest number of communicable diseases notifications especially Chicken pox at 94.6 per 10,000 children Conclusion: Understanding the patterns of disease in the local population will enable PHCC to provide a clear set of objectives to work towards meeting population health needs Keywords: NCDs, Breastfeeding, Primary Care, Communicable Diseases, Qatar