There is increasing concern about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown’s social and economic consequences on gender-based violence. This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender-based violence by comparing the prevalence of spousal violence against women before and during the COVID-19 related lockdown periods. This study was conducted in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq using a self-administered online questionnaire survey after the COVID-19 lockdown period in June 2020. Data were collected from a sample of 346 married women about the occurrence, frequency, and forms of spousal violence before and during the lockdown period. Significant increases in violence were observed from the pre-lockdown period to the lockdown period for any violence (32.1% to 38.7%, p = .001), emotional abuse (29.5% to 35.0%, p = .005), and physical violence (12.7% to 17.6%, p = .002). Regarding emotional abuse, humiliation (24.6% to 28.3%, p = .041) and scaring or intimidation (14.2% to 21.4%, p < .001) significantly increased during the lockdown. For physical violence, twisting the arm or pulling hair (9.0% to 13.0%, p = .004) and hitting (5.2% to 9.2%, p = .003) significantly increased during the lockdown. Forcing to have sexual intercourse also significantly increased during lockdown (6.6% to 9.5%., p = .021). The concerned authorities and women’s rights organizations should collaborate to enhance the prevention of violence against women. An effective prevention strategy should emphasize recognizing and acknowledging the extent of the problem, raising awareness about the problem and the available resources to address it, and ensuring social and economic stability. Lessons learned about the increased prevalence of spousal violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to adopt appropriate strategies to prevent and address it will be valuable for similar future crises.

Background Female genital mutilation (FGM) is prevalent in Iraqi Kurdistan Region, but there is a lack of adequate knowledge about how the practice is perceived by the women population who are the direct victims of the practice. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, beliefs, and attitude of a sample of Kurdish women of FGM and identify the main enabling factors for performing this practice and the barriers to ending it. Methods This qualitative study was based on six focus groups involving a sample of 51 women. We used a topic guide to lead discussions, which included questions on women’s perspectives of different aspects of FGM such as the reasons for practicing it, the positive and negative consequences, the continuation of the practice and tackling this problem in the community. Content analysis was used for the qualitative analysis of the data. Results The women had poor knowledge about different aspects of FGM particularly concerning the procedure and the consequences. The mutilated participants revealed the devastating experience of the pain and the psychological effects they have experienced. Reducing sexual desire, having halal (permissible by Allah ) hands, and religious requirement were the main reasons for practicing FGM. Reduction in women’s sexual desire and the related social problems with the husband were the main problems identified to be associated with FGM. Most women did not support the continuation of FGM practice, but some women still think that FGM should be left to the people’s preference. The participants identified raising people’s awareness, active involvement of religious leaders in prevention efforts and the issuance and enforcement of legislation against FGM as the primary measures to reduce FGM practice. Conclusion Passing through FGM at childhood is an overwhelming experience with long-term effects for women. There is still a significant segment among the women population that do not oppose the continuations of FGM and need religious and scientific evidence against FGM. Some reasons for practicing FGM are deeply embedded in the culture and traditions, and there is a need for extensive efforts to raise the awareness of the population and change their thoughts and behavior about FGM. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12905-019-0765-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction Overweight and obesity involve abnormal or excessive fat accumulation and are considered a risk to health. A common measure of obesity is the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is obtained from dividing the weight of the individual (in kilograms) on the square of his or her height (in meters). A BMI equal or more than 25 is considered overweight, while a BMI of 30 and above is considered obese. A weight that is higher than what is regarded as a healthy weight for a given height is considered overweight or obese. 1 Globally, overweight and obesity are considered to be the 5th leading risk for deaths, 2 with an estimation of 2.8 million annual deaths among adults. 3 Overweight and obesity are wellrecognized risk factors for increasing the prevalence of different chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. The estimated number of overweight adults in the world, according to a recent report, was 2.1 billion in 2013, compared to 857 million in 1980. 4 According to WHO, the prevalence of obesity worldwide has nearly tripled since 1975. In 2016, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults aging eighteen years and over was 39% and 13% respectively. Overweight and obesity are responsible for more deaths than underweight in countries where most of the overweight and obese people live. 5 Background and objective: Overweight and obesity are important risk factors for the development of some important chronic diseases and are, thus, considered leading risks for deaths. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of overweight and obesity with their associated risk factors in the adult population. Methods: A household cross-sectional survey was carried out in Erbil city, Iraq from April to June 2017. The study involved 1480 adults selected through a multi-stage sampling method. A specially designed questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and other relevant data from the participants through direct interview. The height and weight were measured for all participants. Results: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 74.3% (33.4% overweight and 40.9% obese). There was a statistically significant association between being overweight and obese and older age groups, female gender, being married, low level of education, unemployment, not smoking, and not performing physical exercises. Following a multivariate analysis age (OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.60-3.49), female gender (OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.53-3.08), and married status (OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.20-2.90) were found to be statistically significant factors associated with overweight and obesity. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the adult population in Erbil city is very high. This alarming epidemic requires serious consideration of the health policymakers and public health specialists to plan effective and preventive and control measures. Health education is one way through which people's awareness of this important health issue could be raised.

Background Understanding how people perceive the risk of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and its impact on undertaking protective behavior can guide the public health policymakers in taking the required measures to limit the magnitude of this outbreak. This study aimed to understand the risk perception and the behavioral response of the university academics and students towards the COVID-19. Methods A self-administered online survey was conducted among the academic staff and university students in Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The survey questionnaire included eight main questions about the main aspects of personal risk perception and behavioral response to COVID-19 based on a five or nine-point ordinal scale. The eight questions included the number of contacts, the perceived threat level of COVID-19, personal risk perception, ability to avoid infection, frequency of undertaking the protective measures, adherence to the curfew, the negative impact of COVID-19 on life, and sources of obtaining information. Results A total of 976 individuals participated in the study with a mean age ± SD of 25.8±9.7 years. The respondents had the highest perceived threat level towards COVID-19 (mean score = 2.79) in comparison to other medical threats. Around 62% of respondents had no contacts outside their homes. A high percentage of the respondents perceived their risk of getting infection, serious illness, and death as highly unlikely (26.9%, 29.7%, and 41.7%, respectively). The percentage of the respondents who applied these measures frequently or always was high for most of the behaviors, except for wearing masks, wearing gloves, and avoiding touching face. There was a significant ( P <0.001) weak positive correlation between risk perception with protective behaviors; overall risk (beta = 0.080, r=0.189), risk of getting infection (beta=0.066, r=0.179), risk of getting serious illness (beta=0.070, r=0.176) and risk of death (beta=0.058, r=0.154). Conclusion The perceived risk of getting infection with COVID-19 is relatively low. The respondents follow protective behavior measures reasonably. However, the frequency of undertaking some important protective behaviors is relatively low. The risk perception of COVID-19 has a weakly positive impact on following protective behavior. Changing behavior remains a challenge even for the well educated and well aware people.

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