scholarly journals Assessment of Physicians’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Smoking Cessation Management in the Gaza Strip

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Smoking Habit ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Palestinian Territories ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
The Impact

Background: Despite its negative effects, approximately 23% of Palestinians (≥ 18 years) smoke cigarettes. Studies have shown physicians to be an important channel for smoking cessation intervention. This investigation examines physicians’ smoking-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in the Gaza strip (Palestinian Territories). Methods and Findings: A convenience sample of 154 physicians in medical and surgical units took part in this investigation (87.7% response rate). The data show that 37.8% of physicians in Gaza smoke, and most of them about 72% smoke in the hospital’s public spaces, thereby implicitly giving public approval for smoking. While 82.4% reported that they advise patients who smoke to stop, the majority (59%) also believe that their own smoking habits negatively influence the impact of that advice. Unfortunately, our survey showed that physicians’ knowledge levels towards smoking addiction and management were lower than expected (e.g. only 34% knew that nicotine dependence is a psychiatric disorder that necessitates treatment). The physicians in this study believed that the primary barriers to failure of their patients’ smoking cessation were the perceived lack of will (81.3%), and the strength of patients’ addiction (67.9%). Moreover, (61%) of physicians did not spend enough time to convince their patients to quit smoking. Conclusion: Smoking is common among Gaza-strip physicians, and unfortunately, most of them smoke in the hospital’s public spaces. Many obstacles face the smoking cessation program that some physicians linked it to patients, and others linked it to the health-care system. Furthermore, smokers in Gaza receive poor care regarding assessment, referral, and management of their smoking habit.

scholarly journals Assessment of physicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding smoking cessation management in the Gaza Strip

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 001-005
Author(s):  
Alkhodari Khaled Hani ◽  
Abo Jarad Bakr Khadr ◽  
Al-Bahbhani Ahmed Ismail ◽  
Nkhala Sadi Yehia ◽  
Al-Buhisi Ali Naim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

scholarly journals Reviewing the Interactions between Conflict and Demographic Trends in the Occupied Palestinian Territories: The Case of The Gaza Strip

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 212
Author(s):  
Ghassan Elkahlout
Keyword(s):  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Past Century ◽  
High Fertility ◽  
Demographic Trends ◽  
Palestinian Territories ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Palestinian Society ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Contemporary Context

This paper reviews the interactions between conflict and demographic trends in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), and provides an analysis of The Gaza Strip. Palestinian society has experienced momentous demographic transition over the past century, as well as recurrent waves of displacement and outbreaks of conflict and violence over the last decade. The enclave has witnessed demographic changes, with the emergence and rule of Hamas, repeated wars, and, since 2007, the unlawful blockade of The Gaza Strip. The United Nations (UN) has warned that, living conditions in Gaza are deteriorating faster than forecast, and are predicted to become dire by 2020. This paper provides a brief review of theories linking conflict and demography, followed by an introduction to the historical and contemporary context of The Gaza Strip. An in-depth analysis of the impact that conflict has on the demographic structure of Palestinian society in The Gaza Strip, focusing on the factors behind high fertility rates, population growth trends, and the drivers of migration. The analysis offered builds upon interviews with Palestinian experts, and Palestinian asylum-seekers in Greece, Poland, U.K. and Sweden, in addition to data published by the Palestinian Statistics Bureau Centre and research articles focusing on The Gaza Strip. The paper concludes that, the Palestinian reconciliation agreement should take priority over the population and the economy.

Urban Development Strategies of City Centers: The Case of Rafah City, Palestinian Territories

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Omar S. Asfour ◽  
Samar Abu Ghali
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Development Strategies ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
City Center ◽  
Palestinian Territories ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
The City ◽  
Commercial Center

City centers worldwide are perceived as essential parts of the city, where city memories are preserved and its identity is expressed. They are planned to satisfy the functional requirements and pleasurable qualities of the city. Under the accelerating urbanization of the modern city, several challenges face these centers including demographic, economic, and environmental challenges. This requires a continuous and incremental urban development process based on clear strategy and action plans. Thus, this study focuses on urban development strategies of city centers, with a focus on Rafah city located in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories. The geographic location of this city near the Palestinian-Egyptian borders makes it a promising commercial city at local and regional levels. Thus, the current situation of Rafah city center has been analyzed, and several development strategies have been proposed. This has been done through a field survey based on observation and a questionnaire directed to city center users. It has been found that there is a great potential of Rafah city center to be developed as a commercial center. In this regard, several strategies and required actions have been proposed in the fields of transportation, environmental quality, shopping activities, investment opportunities, and visual perception.

scholarly journals Challenges Hindering the Resourcing for Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction in Gaza

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-210
Author(s):  
Nour Saleh ◽  
Adnan Enshassi ◽  
Matthias Sundermeier
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Signed Rank Test ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
Housing Reconstruction ◽  
Post Disaster ◽  
Implementing Agencies

Resourcing post-disaster housing reconstruction (PDHR) entails many drawbacks creating bottlenecks to reconstruction projects. Understanding these vulnerable issues is of utmost to identify the appropriate interventions to mitigate their effects. The devastating aggression in 2014 in Gaza Strip served as a typical example of resources hampers. Based on the quantitative approach, the research employed a self-administrated questionnaire survey to identify the most significant challenges hindering the resourcing for post-2014 aggression housing reconstruction. The questionnaire targeted 55 of the key people in the implementing agencies of post-2014 aggression housing reconstruction. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics, through frequency distribution and effect index (EI); and using inferential statistics through one sample Wilcoxon signed rank test. Findings indicated that the challenges related to political issues have the most significant effect on resourcing the PDHR. The main key challenges are: (1) Difficulties to obtain permits from the Israeli side to flow the reconstruction materials into the Gaza Strip, (2) Insufficient funds for reconstruction efforts and (3) Refusal of the international community to contact the local de facto government. This research fills the knowledge gap relating to Gaza and provides the basis for more research on resourcing problems. This research has also extended, updated and confirmed the current knowledge regarding challenges hindering the resourcing for PDHR. The results draw attention of the implementing agencies in Gaza to the factors that creating bottlenecks to resource the reconstruction projects in order to overcome them and to mitigate their negative effects.

scholarly journals Trust and prosocial behaviour in a process of state capacity building: the case of the Palestinian territories

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 823-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUCA ANDRIANI ◽  
FABIO SABATINI
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Institutional Trust ◽  
Prosocial Behaviour ◽  
Generalized Trust ◽  
Palestinian Territories ◽  
The Gaza Strip

AbstractThis paper contributes to the literature by conducting the first empirical investigation into the determinants of prosocial behaviour in the Palestinian Territories, with a focus on the role of trust and institutions. Drawing on a unique dataset collected through the administration of a questionnaire to a representative sample of the population of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, we have found that institutional trust is the strongest predictor of prosociality. This result suggests that, in collectivist societies with low levels of generalized trust, the lack of citizens’ confidence in the fairness and efficiency of public institutions may compromise social order. The strengthening of institutional trust may also reinforce prosocial behaviour in individualist societies, where a decline in generalized trust has been documented by empirical studies.

Climate change and its impact on domestic water consumption in Sub-urban regions in the Gaza Strip

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdy Jarboo ◽  
Husam Al-Najar
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Suburban Areas ◽  
Domestic Water Consumption ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the priorities on water sector planning. The priorities are identified by comparing the climate change impact on water consumption and the impact of using domestic water illegally to irrigate the urban agricultural holdings in suburban areas. Design/methodology/approach – Metered water consumption in summer and winter in both urban and suburban areas was studied in Rafah city. A backward chronological linear model of climate change (precipitation and temperature) influence on water consumption was developed using software STATISTICA 10. The developed statistical relation was used to predict the impact of various climate change scenarios for domestic water consumption. Hence, four climate change scenarios were hypothesized – an increase in temperature by 1 and 20°C and a reduction in the rainfall by 10 and 20 per cent, respectively. Findings – The most influential climate change scenario was the increase of temperature by 20°C, which caused an increase of 1.4 per cent on the average domestic water consumption compared to the current value. The hypothesized reduction of 20 per cent in precipitation caused a negligible increase in water consumption by 0.1 per cent from the current value. Urban agriculture and current practice of using municipal water to irrigate cultivated urban holdings have a significant negative influence on domestic water consumption. The aforementioned practice led to a high percentage of unaccounted for water (UFW) of 33, 38 and 45 per cent for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. Practical implications – The concerned decision-makers should consider the right track in prioritizing dilemmas for planning water sector in suburban areas. Originality/value – This research could be considered the first of its kind because impacts of urban agriculture and climate change on domestic water consumption have never been previously considered in the Gaza Strip.

scholarly journals Conflict and cooperation in the age of COVID-19: the Israeli–Palestinian case

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lior Lehrs
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Politics ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Palestinian Authority ◽  
Government Relations ◽  
Conflict And Cooperation ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
Disaster Event ◽  
The Impact

Abstract How do disasters influence conflict and diplomacy in conflict areas? The scholarship shows that while they can provide opportunities for cooperation and ‘disaster diplomacy’ between parties to a conflict, they can also intensify tension and hostility. This article uses the Israeli–Palestinian conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, exploring the impact of the crisis on relations between the rival parties and examining the conditions under which an ongoing pandemic might lead to either conflict or cooperation in a conflict area. The research is based on within-case analysis, comparing three conflict arenas: Israel–Palestinian Authority relations in the West Bank; relations between Israel and the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem; and Israel–Hamas government relations in the Gaza strip. The article outlines the possibilities and limitations of ‘disaster diplomacy’ in intractable conflicts and contributes to the literature by identifying how different contexts, relations and actors in each conflict arena affect the development of patterns of conflict and cooperation with regard to the pandemic. The study analyses the factors that shape how the pandemic affects the conflict, and the COVID-19-related diplomacy, in each sub-case, with attention to three main variables: the structure of the conflict arena, domestic politics and the developments in the pandemic. The analysis addresses the unique conditions of an ongoing global pandemic, as opposed to an isolated disaster event, and traces the changing impact of the pandemic on the conflict and on disaster-related cooperation at various stages.

scholarly journals The role of midwives in improving breastfeeding practices in protracted crises: The Gaza Strip example

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Iellamo ◽  
Emily Monaghan ◽  
Samar AL Moghany ◽  
Jonathan Latham ◽  
Nihal Nassereddin
Keyword(s):  
Breast Milk ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Security Officers ◽  
Breastfeeding Practices ◽  
Service Training ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: The protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding is the most effective intervention to prevent child morbidity and mortality in all contexts. During the Palestine-Israel conflict that started in the middle of the 20th century, healthcare services are understaffed and lack basic resources, with frequent power cuts and stock-outs of essential drugs and equipment. This case study seeks to answer the questions: (1) How does the protracted crisis in Gaza affect the breastfeeding practices of the most vulnerable population; and (2) What is the role that midwives can play in improving breastfeeding practices?A mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) study was used to collect data. A total of 1044 respondents had a child less than 24 months at the time of the study. A total of 62.75 percent practice early initiation of breastfeeding and 42 percent confirmed that their new-borns were given liquids other than breast milk during the first three days of life. Fifty percent of mothers addressed breast milk insufficiency by drinking additional fluids and 40 percent by using infant formula. Discussion:This study confirms the need to a) implement the IYCF-E operational guidance in the Gaza strip and b) review the pre-service and in-service training for midwives. For vulnerable populations in humanitarian contexts, the impact of this cannot be underestimated. Conducting research in humanitarian settings is particularly challenging. Our experience included integration and linkage with international organizations security officers on the ground, co-ordination of activities with authorities and communities, regular supportive supervision during data collection, allocation of buffer days and geographical areas and in-country and remote assistance to data collection teams Conclusions:This research focuses on a protracted emergency in insecure populated areas. The unpredictable security situation meant that the team adopted a flexible approach during data collection. Lessons learned throughout this process include the importance of a) allocating additional research time, to account for potential interruption b) daily coordination with security officers to ensure safe access to localities c) identification of extra sites, in case escalation of conflict d) training of additional enumerators in case conflict escalation e) negotiation with authorities to ensure compliance with requirements.

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