Objective: Linear growth is controlled by several factors, malnutrition is one of the leading causes of stunted child growth. The objective of this study was to determine the dietary intakes associated with stunting among preschool children in rural Upper Egypt. Design: Community-based cross-sectional study Setting: Data were collected by interviewing the children’s caregivers in the rural household setting. Participants: The study included 497 pre-school children 2-5 years old in rural Upper Egypt. Food intake data were estimated using 24-hour recall method. Anthropometric measurements of children were taken then converted to z scores for WAZ, HAZ and WHZ. Results: The study included 497 children of which 19.1% were stunted, 76.3% did not meet recommended caloric intake and 13.7% did not meet recommended protein intake and this was significantly higher than non-stunted children. Children that were stunted significantly consumed poultry, eggs and fruits less often than non-stunted children, by regression; male sex (aOR=1.91), mother’s age (0.93), lower socioeconomic status (SES); and not meeting recommended protein intake (aOR= 2.26) were found to be associated with stunting. Conclusion: Male sex, younger mothers, lower socioeconomic status and not meeting recommended calories and protein were statistically associated with stunting. Nutrition education messages encouraging adequate and healthy eating are recommended.

Background: Food insecurity leads to disturbed eating patterns, hunger or poor nutrition and is strongly correlated with poor mental health. Aims: To determine the impact of household food insecurity on maternal mental health in a rural population in Egypt. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Qulubba Village in Minia Governorate. We interviewed 497 mothers with at least one child, using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and Hopkins Symptom Check List-25. Results: Nearly 70% of women resided in food-insecure households. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were significantly more common among food-insecure mothers. By logistic regression analysis, household food insecurity, socioeconomic status, husband working abroad and number of children were significant predictors of maternal distress. Mothers with severe food insecurity were approximately 13 times more likely to experience mental distress than were food secure-mothers. Conclusions: Household food insecurity was associated with an increased likelihood of poor maternal mental health. The study highlights the need for policies to decrease poverty and programmes for screening and addressing food insecurity. Integrating mental health into programmes addressing food insecurity and providing counselling are recommended.

COVID-19 vaccine recipients are more likely to experience post-vaccination adverse events, which are considered the source of concerns about vaccine safety. This study aims to describe the utilization of COVID-19 vaccines and the associated adverse events and their possible predictors among adult Egyptians. An online cross-sectional study was designed to collect data through a Google Form questionnaire in November 2021. Adults who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine were asked to report their experience with vaccination and associated adverse events. A total of 853 participants were included in the study after receiving Sinopharm/Sinovac (63%), AstraZeneca (27%), Pfizer-BioNTech (4.8%), and other vaccines (5.2%). Around 50% of participants thought that COVID-19 vaccines were safe, 30.8% advised others with vaccination, and 68.3% reported post-vaccination adverse events. The most commonly encountered adverse symptoms were injection site pain (82.5%), fatigue (67.4%), flu-like symptoms (59.6%), and bone and muscle pains (59.6%). Most adverse events were less likely reported by Sinopharm/Sinovac recipients than recipients of other vaccines. The significant predictors for reporting adverse events were female gender, the first dose of vaccination, and vaccine type (AstraZeneca versus Sinopharm/Sinovac) with multivariable-adjusted OR (95% CI) = 1.85 (1.34-2.54); 2.01 (1.24–3.25), and 3.86 (2.54–5.86). Findings revealed that adverse events of COVID-19 vaccines are common. Sinopharm/Sinovac recipients were reported to have lesser adverse events than other recipients. However, serious reactions were rare which ensures the safety of all vaccine types among the adult Egyptian population.