The impact of COVID-19 and the economic crisis on Lebanese public health: Food insecurity and healthcare disintegration

Corriero, Anna Chiara; Aborode, Abdullahi Tunde; Reggio, M; Shatila, N

doi:10.1016/j.jemep.2022.100802

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Anemia as a severe public health problem must be more decisively accounted for when designing mother and child health and nutrition programs in countries affected by multiple crises. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the exacerbating financial crisis, the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion in August 2020 whereby the national grain stocks were destroyed, as well as of the Ukrainian crisis impact the food availability and food prices in Lebanon and a worsening of the food security and nutritional status of especially the young children is to be expected calling for immediate emergency interventions [ 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 ]. Yet, at the same time, long-term measures such as the implementation of national policies that protect good infant and young child feeding practices need to be facilitated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anemia among Syrian Refugee Children Aged 6 to 23 Months Living in Greater Beirut, Lebanon, including the Voices of Mothers’ and Local Healthcare Staff: A Mixed-Methods Study

et al. 2023

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Globally, the prevalence of anemia among children during the period of complementary feeding is high. A cross-sectional, mixed-methods study was conducted to examine the main determinants of anemia among Syrian refugee children aged 6 to 23 months (n = 215) and to illuminate the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of their mothers and Lebanese healthcare staff on its causes and available treatment options. 42% of the children and 20% of their mothers were anemic. Determinants of child anemia were the mother having anemia or not knowing that fish/seafood is a source of iron; the child having been acutely ill the last two weeks or receiving cow’s milk, but not consuming iron-rich infant formula, added fats/oils, or fruits in the previous 24 hours. Several Syrian mothers knew some causes of anemia and named dizziness as a leading symptom but did not mention flesh foods as a key source of heme iron. They reported financial constraints in accessing iron-rich foods and supplements. Lebanese doctors largely gave appropriate dietary advice and prescribed iron supplements as treatment. Multisectoral interventions are needed that combine medical and financial support with nutrition counseling for mothers to reduce the high burden of anemia among young children living in a multiple crises situation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anemia among Syrian Refugee Children Aged 6 to 23 Months Living in Greater Beirut, Lebanon, including the Voices of Mothers’ and Local Healthcare Staff: A Mixed-Methods Study

et al. 2023

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“…Hence, the present study is the first cross-sectional study done in Lebanon to assess the occurrence of vitamin B 12 deficiency and the severity of the resulting neurological symptoms in a sample of Lebanese adults, as well as to compare these symptoms to the ones seen in the vegan/vegetarian population. Of particular interest, this study comes handy during these times, since it took over in Lebanon at a time when the country was facing one of the worst economic crises since 1850, leading to significant inflation and a great decline in the purchasing power [ 15 ]. This has resulted in considerable dietary modifications, particularly, less consumption of animal-derived products among the Lebanese population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vitamin B12 deficiency and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Lebanon: A cross-sectional study of vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores

Al Jassem,

Kheir,

Ismail

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Background Vitamin B12 deficiency is responsible for a variety of complications, particularly neurological/neuropsychiatric complications, including depression, irritability, paresthesia and insomnia. Since vitamin B12 is found in animal-derived products, vegans/vegetarians are at a greater risk for developing vitamin B12 deficiency. Aims This study aims to investigate the occurrence of vitamin B12 deficiency among a sample of adult Lebanese population, with a particular emphasis on assessing the severity of its neurological/neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms, especially among vegans/vegetarians. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of 483 Lebanese adults. Data was collected through a standardized questionnaire that included socio-demographic characteristics, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized anxiety disorders-7 (GAD-7), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scales. Results Among the participants, 11.4% were in the vegan/vegetarian group, and about 43.1% had vitamin B12 deficiency. After analyzing the PHQ-9, GAD-7 and ISI total scores, higher scores were reported in participants with vitamin B12 deficiency, compared to individuals with normal vitamin B12 serum levels (p < 0.001). Regarding the diet type, vegans/vegetarians were more susceptible to developing depression compared to omnivores (mean scores of 11.92 vs 8.02 on the PHQ-9 scale, respectively, with p < 0.001). Of the patients with vitamin B12 deficiency, 81.1% reported having paresthesia compared to 43.7% of individuals with no vitamin B12 deficiency (p < 0.001). Conclusion Vitamin B12 deficiency in Lebanon is notably high and is linked to an increased risk of developing depression, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and paresthesia. Vegans/vegetarians exhibit a higher susceptibility to developing depression compared to omnivores, whereas the risk of developing insomnia, generalized anxiety disorder and paresthesia was statistically insignificant when comparing vegans/vegetarians to omnivores.

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“…A cholera outbreak was o cially declared by the Minister of Public Health on the 6th of October 2022. With the decline of the purchasing power of the Lebanese citizen and the breakdown of an already substandard public infrastructure and healthcare, there is considerable risk of the situation getting out of hand as cases and deaths climb 12 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lebanese Population Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Regarding Cholera Disease and their Knowledge and Attitude Regarding the Cholera Vaccine Following an Outbreak in Lebanon

Jamaleddine

Tashjian

Mahmoud

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The objective was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the Lebanese population towards cholera and its vaccination. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire among a sample of Lebanese residents. The questionnaire consisted of questions about the participants' demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and practice towards cholera and vaccination. The final sample size was 691 respondents. The proportion of female and male participants was 68.7% and 31.3%, respectively. The results showed that the majority had a good knowledge of cholera, with 97.4% identifying severe diarrhea as the main symptom. Young age, different governorate of residence, and higher education were associated with better knowledge. Most participants had positive attitude, which was correlated with being female and having children under the age of 5 in the same household. Regarding practices, the majority reported engaging in some form of cholera prevention, such as always cooking (90.8%) and washing (88.3%) food. Being older, female, and homemaker was associated with better practice. Most participants expressed good knowledge and a positive attitude towards the vaccine, with 55.5% indicating that they would surely be willing to be vaccinated if freely available. However, 14.2% participants rejected and expressed concerns about the vaccine. Higher cholera knowledge was significantly predictive of vaccination willingness (B = 0.091). In conclusion, this study has provided insights into the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the Lebanese population towards cholera and its vaccination. The findings can be used to inform the development of public health interventions aimed at improving cholera prevention and control in Lebanon.

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The impact of COVID-19 and the economic crisis on Lebanese public health: Food insecurity and healthcare disintegration

Cited by 9 publications

References 6 publications

Anemia among Syrian Refugee Children Aged 6 to 23 Months Living in Greater Beirut, Lebanon, including the Voices of Mothers’ and Local Healthcare Staff: A Mixed-Methods Study

Anemia among Syrian Refugee Children Aged 6 to 23 Months Living in Greater Beirut, Lebanon, including the Voices of Mothers’ and Local Healthcare Staff: A Mixed-Methods Study

Vitamin B12 deficiency and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Lebanon: A cross-sectional study of vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores

Lebanese Population Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Regarding Cholera Disease and their Knowledge and Attitude Regarding the Cholera Vaccine Following an Outbreak in Lebanon

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