This survey investigation examines the association between religious identity and smoking behavior in a sample of older adolescents entering the university in Beirut, Lebanon. A culturally appropriate item of religiosity was developed for data collection. Results suggest that religious identity is inversely associated with regular smoking among male and female adolescents, after adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral, personal, and environmental risk factors. The pattern of associations between weak religious identity, other risk factors, and smoking suggests that risk mechanisms may be gender-differentiated. Overall, findings suggest functional religiosity in late adolescence may assist in promoting the health and decreasing the morbidity of both men and women. Implications for future research are discussed.

In this article, we aim to contextualize gynecological problems within a broader health and social context, expanding the lens beyond reproductive health. Questionnaires were administered to 1,869 ever-married women aged 15 to 59 that included questions on living, general health, and gynecological problems. These questions were open-ended, allowing women to respond in their own words. Women reported a multitude of health problems, indicating competing priorities. Musculoskeletal complaints emerged as the most prevalent and most important health problem. One in four women reported a gynecological problem, mainly reproductive tract infections (RTIs), when asked directly. Selected quotes provide clues about the complex relationship between women's lives and health.

This study extends the debate on self-rated health by using different sources of data in the same study to explore the meanings of self-rated health among women who live in socio-economically disadvantaged communities in Beirut, Lebanon. Using data from the Urban Health Study, a cross-sectional household survey of 1,869 women between 15 and 59 years of age, multiple logistic regression models were developed to assess factors associated with self-rated health. Also, open-ended data was used to analyze women's explanations of their self-rated health ratings. Self-rated health was found to be a complex concept, associated not only with physical health but also with a combination of social, psychological, and behavioral factors. This open-ended analysis revealed new meanings of self-rated health that are often not included in self-rated health epidemiologic research, such as women's experiences with pain and fatigue, as well as exposure to financial stressors and the legacy of wars. We argue that triangulating survey and open-ended data provides a better understanding of the context-specific social and cultural meanings of self-rated health.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of psychological distress (PD)