Menstrual disorders frequently affect the quality of life of adolescents and young adult women and can be indicators of serious underlying problems. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of menstrual symptoms among nursing students in Beirut, Lebanon. Of 352 students completing a written questionnaire, the most common menstrual disorders were irregular frequency of menstruation (80.7%), premenstrual syndrome (54.0%), irregular duration of menstruation (43.8%), dysmenorrhoea (38.1%), polymenorrhoea (37.5%) and oligomenorrhoea (19.3%). On logistic regression analysis, there were significant associations between irregular cycles and marital status (OR 2.18) and menarcheal age (OR 4.76); oligomenorrhoea and residency (OR 2.06) and menarcheal age (OR 3.17); abnormal blood loss and menarcheal age (OR 6.92); dysmenorrhoea and marital status (OR 8.93) and residency (OR 2.04); and premenstrual syndrome and marital status (OR 2.10). Dysmenorrhoea and premenstrual symptoms were serious enough to affect daily activities or academic attendance in many cases and this is a concern for policy-makers. 1Saad College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia (Correspondence to N. Karout: nkarout@yahoo.com).

This study was undertaken to assess the knowledge and beliefs of Saudi female nursing students towards menstruation. A cross sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 400 students, the data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The results revealed that a considerable percentage lacked the knowledge and correct beliefs regarding menstruation. Furthermore a significant relationship was found between the marital status, academic year and the score of knowledge and beliefs but not with age. Although the source of information among the majority of the participants was derived from their mother, those who had good knowledge were the participants who belonged to the above 3rd academic year. In conclusion, it is essential to emphasize the importance of compulsory reproductive health education from an early age to help adolescent girls manage menstrual symptoms and increase their awareness; this could be achieved by adding a course of reproductive health course beginning at the intermediate school level.

Background: Menstrual problems affect not only women, but also families, social and national economy as well. These problems for women in developing countries who may face life-threatening conditions are considered as minor health concern. Identification of abnormal menstrual patterns throughout adolescence may permit early identification of potential health concerns for adulthood. Nurses play a key role central to public education and prevention on menstrual hygiene among female adolescents. Methods: Analytic method based on cross sectional survey was undertaken on 342 nursing students in Al Khobar city. Taking in consideration the ethical issues the data collected by using a valid, self-administered questionnaire including close ended questions to assess the menstrual patterns and prevalence of menstrual problems among Saudi nursing students also to examine any relationship between the menstrual problems with the demographic data and menarcheal age. Results: Serious percentages of students who were suffered from many kinds of menstrual problems, some significant relationships between menstrual problems and some factors such as the academic year, marital status, menarcheal age, and mother education level found but not with age. Conclusions: The findings reported high prevalence of menstrual problems and their implication on the quality of life, this indicates the importance of the health team role especially the nurse in health education about menstrual problems targeting the community as well as teaching about female reproductive system and its function in the schools that could contribute in early detection of the menstrual dysfunctions.

Background: The Saudi Arabian healthcare system is mainly staffed by Non-Saudi health professionals who are recruited from all over the world. At times, inadequate cultural awareness by health professionals can render their caring for Saudi patients inadequate and thus more challenging for the women. When nurses and patients belong to different cultures, culture-based misunderstandings can influence their relationships and interactions adversely. The aim is to describe the experiences of women who were admitted to maternity wards gaining their perceptions and understanding of the cultural diversity exhibited by health care providers. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was utilized for the exploration of the experiences and perceptions of 37 Saudi women who admitted to a private hospital in Saudi Arabia and related to cultural diversity of health providers' team. The principal method of data collection was a semi structured, open-ended interview. Focus of enquiry was the experience of the participants during their stay in maternity wards and then depending upon the answers further discussion was subdivided into questions about gender, believes and values, religion, language and the nationality of the health providers. Findings: The findings were grouped into five themes, namely: religious diversity, linguistic diversity, gender diversity, values and beliefs diversity and nationality diversity. The themes have been discussed as representing key experiences and perceptions that can positively and negatively affect maternity services provided by nurses. Conclusion: Understanding the concept of culture and the factors related to it will enhance the quality of care provided by the health team and may also play a positive role during recruitment of the health team providers and in the provision of any continuous education programmes.

The risks posed by accumulation of solid waste are most obvious in developing countries, where waste collection and treatment is often inadequate. This study aimed to determine the impact of a health education intervention (based on lectures and focus group discussions) on community knowledge, attitudes and behaviours concerning solid waste management in Al Ghobeiry, Beirut. A randomly selected sample of 320 inhabitants were divide into intervention and control groups who completed the same questionnaire in the pre-and post-intervention phases. Compared with the control group the intervention group, who attended the health education sessions, showed: significantly better knowledge about the problems of and diseases spread by accumulation of solid waste; better attitudes to management of solid waste collection; and improved practices in terms of handling and recycling of household waste. There was an observed increased participation by people in cleaning campaigns and voluntary work in all the municipality activities. Nursing and Allied Sciences, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia (Correspondence to N. Karout: nkarout@yahoo.com RÉSUMÉ Les risques posés par l'accumulation de déchets solides sont criants dans les pays en développement où le ramassage des déchets et leur traitement sont fréquemment inadéquats. La présente étude visait à déterminer l'impact d'une intervention d'éducation sanitaire (composée de conférences et de groupes de discussions thématiques) sur les connaissances de la communauté en termes de gestion des déchets solides, ainsi que sur leurs attitudes et comportements en la matière à Al Ghobeiry (Beyrouth). Un échantillon de 320 habitants a été sélectionné aléatoirement puis réparti soit dans un groupe bénéficiant d'une intervention, soit dans un groupe témoin. Les deux groupes ont rempli le même questionnaire au cours des phases précédant et suivant l'intervention. Par rapport au groupe témoin, le groupe ayant bénéficié d'une intervention sous la forme de sessions d'éducation sanitaire a présenté les caractéristiques suivantes : des connaissances nettement supérieures sur les problèmes causés par l'accumulation de déchets solides et notamment les maladies qu'ils propagent ; des attitudes plus positives à l'égard du ramassage des déchets solides ; et des pratiques améliorées en termes de stockage et de recyclage des déchets ménagers. La participation des habitants aux campagnes de nettoyage et aux travaux volontaires proposés par les municipalités s'est accrue. Saad College of