Background: Substance use among adolescents, especially smoking and alcohol consumption, has become a public health concern in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, in the past 10 years. Aims: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of substance use and certain associated factors among high school students in Erbil City, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a multistage cluster sampling technique to collect a sample of 3000 students. A modified version of the School Survey on Drug Use from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime was used for data collection. Binary logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for substance use. Results: The lifetime prevalence rates of cigarettes smoking, waterpipe smoking and alcohol consumption were 27.6%, 23.6% and 3.7%, respectively. Male gender, age 17-19 years, smoker in the family, and easy accessibility of cigarettes were significantly associated with cigarette smoking. Factors significantly associated with waterpipe smoking were male gender, age 17-19 years, waterpipe smoker in the family, waterpipe smoker friend, and easy accessibility. Male gender, alcohol dependent in the family, alcohol-dependent friend, easy accessibility of alcohol, and low family income were significant predictors of alcohol consumption. Conclusions: The prevalence of cigarette smoking and waterpipe use was high in the studied sample. Possible explanations for this finding might be the use of flavoured tobacco associated with aromatic smell, and the misconception that waterpipe smoking is less toxic and addictive than cigarette smoking.

Background and aimsSubstance use among adolescents especially smoking, is becoming a public health problem in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. School-based health education is an appropriate approach for improving students’ knowledge regarding substance use in an attempt to prevent or reduce such problem The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of an educational intervention for high school students to improve their knowledge for substance use and its negative consequences, which will, in turn, motivate students to take protective measures against substance use.MethodsThis quasi-experimental (one group; pre, and post-test) design was carried out in Erbil city from January 2017 to June 2017. A random sampling technique was employed to collect a sample of 280 students amongst four high schools in Erbil city which is the capital of Kurdistan Region-Iraq. A self- administered questionnaire on knowledge assessment regarding substance use was developed and validated by the experts regarding the relevance of the items. A structured teaching program for imparting knowledge on various aspects of substance use was developed based on extensive review of literature and experts’ opinion. The intervention program consisted of a series of 4 education modules. These modules were mainly taught by “Rabers” over a period of four weeks (one session per week). SPSS version 21 was used for data entry and analysis. Data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics (McNemar tests, paired t-test, and Chi-square test).ResultsOut of 280 students, a total of 270 students completed a pre and post-intervention survey. Of the 270 students, 124 (45.9%) were males and 146 (54.1%) were females. The mean age ± SD of the participants was 16.59 ± 0.784 years, ranging from 15–18 years. The study reveals a statistically significant improvement in the mean score of knowledge of students following the implementation of a health education program from 15.959 ± 3.25 to 20.633 ± 3.26 (p < 0.001). Moreover, no one of the students remained with poor knowledge, and relatively more than half (50.2%) of the students have upgraded to good knowledge level.ConclusionImplementing a health education program about substance use on high school students in Erbil city had improved the knowledge of students about this topic.

Background: Preoperative anxiety is a common reaction experienced by patients who are admitted to the hospital for surgery. It can be described as an unpleasant state of tension or uneasiness that results from a patient's doubts or fears before an operation. Aim: Examine the effect of an educational intervention for patients who are scheduled for a surgical operation on reducing their anxiety prior to the surgery. Methods: This quasi-experimental/Static-group comparison design was used to on a purposive sample of 150 patients attending operation waiting room in Shahidan Qaladze Teaching Hospital from May 28 to July 27, 2022. Data were collected by direct interview. The patients were divided into two groups; the control and the educational group. Results: 150 participants were selectedpurposively, (75 control; 75 educational) group. Participants who received a preoperative education program experienced a greater decrease (30.906±6.959) in anxiety scores (Mean difference =14.146, 95% confidence interval 11.54 to 16.75; P-value < 0.001) compared with those who did not (45.053±9.043). More than half (65.3%) of the control group participants experienced severe preoperative anxiety while the majority (88%) of the intervention group who received the education program experienced mild anxiety as suggested by the S-STAI score. Conclusions: The verbal education before surgery has a significant effect on reducing patients' anxiety before they transfer to the operating room.

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