Abdallah Mohamed Elsafti1, Gerlant van Berlaer2, Mohammad Al Safadi3, Michel Debacker2, Ronald Buyl4, Atef Redwan5, Ives Hubloue2. 1. 1Department of Emergency Medicine,Hamad Medical Corporation,Doha,Qatar. 2. 3Department of Emergency Medicine,Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, and Research Group on Emergency and Disaster Medicine,Vrije Universiteit Brussel,Brussels,Belgium. 3. 4Qatar Red Crescent,Turkey Mission,Gaziantep,Turkey. 4. 5Department of Public Health,Biostatistics and Medical Informatics Research Group,Vrije Universiteit Brussel,Brussels,Belgium. 5. 2Faculty of Arab Diploma of Disaster Medicine,Arab Institute of Continuing Professional Development,Arab Medical Union,Cairo,Egypt.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The Syrian civil war since 2011 has led to one of the most complex humanitarian emergencies in history. The objective of this study was to document the impact of the conflict on the familial, educational, and public health state of Syrian children. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in May 2015. Health care workers visited families with a prospectively designed data sheet in 4 Northern Syrian governorates. RESULTS: The 1001 children included in this study originated from Aleppo (41%), Idleb (36%), Hamah (15%), and Lattakia (8%). The children's median age was 6 years (range, 0-15 years; interquartile range, 3-11 years), and 61% were boys. Almost 20% of the children were internally displaced, and 5% had deceased or missing parents. Children lacked access to safe drinking water (15%), appropriate sanitation (23%), healthy nutrition (16%), and pediatric health care providers (64%). Vaccination was inadequate in 72%. More than half of school-aged children had no access to education. Children in Idleb and Lattakia were at greater risk of having unmet public health needs. Younger children were at greater risk of having an incomplete vaccination state. CONCLUSIONS: After 4 years of civil war in Syria, children have lost parents, live in substandard life quality circumstances, and are at risk for outbreaks because of worsening vaccination states and insufficient availability of health care providers. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:874-882).
OBJECTIVE: The Syrian civil war since 2011 has led to one of the most complex humanitarian emergencies in history. The objective of this study was to document the impact of the conflict on the familial, educational, and public health state of Syrian children. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in May 2015. Health care workers visited families with a prospectively designed data sheet in 4 Northern Syrian governorates. RESULTS: The 1001 children included in this study originated from Aleppo (41%), Idleb (36%), Hamah (15%), and Lattakia (8%). The children's median age was 6 years (range, 0-15 years; interquartile range, 3-11 years), and 61% were boys. Almost 20% of the children were internally displaced, and 5% had deceased or missing parents. Children lacked access to safe drinking water (15%), appropriate sanitation (23%), healthy nutrition (16%), and pediatric health care providers (64%). Vaccination was inadequate in 72%. More than half of school-aged children had no access to education. Children in Idleb and Lattakia were at greater risk of having unmet public health needs. Younger children were at greater risk of having an incomplete vaccination state. CONCLUSIONS: After 4 years of civil war in Syria, children have lost parents, live in substandard life quality circumstances, and are at risk for outbreaks because of worsening vaccination states and insufficient availability of health care providers. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:874-882).
Entities:
Keywords:
Syria; children; civil war; education; public health
Authors: Nadia Akseer; James Wright; Hana Tasic; Karl Everett; Elaine Scudder; Ribka Amsalu; Ties Boerma; Eran Bendavid; Mahdis Kamali; Aluisio J D Barros; Inácio Crochemore Mohnsam da Silva; Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta Journal: BMJ Glob Health Date: 2020-01-26
Authors: Julia Brandenberger; Christian Pohl; Florian Vogt; Thorkild Tylleskär; Nicole Ritz Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2021-01-07 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Gerlant van Berlaer; Abdallah Mohamed Elsafti; Mohammad Al Safadi; Saad Souhil Saeed; Ronald Buyl; Michel Debacker; Atef Redwan; Ives Hubloue Journal: PLoS One Date: 2017-09-08 Impact factor: 3.240