Parental vaccine hesitancy (VH) remains a barrier to full population inoculation, hence herd immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We aimed to determine parental VH rate, subgroups and influencing factors related to the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine among their young adolescents (12–15 years old) in Qatar. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted from 17 May to 3 June using vaccination booking records of 4023 young adolescents. Sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., age, sex, and nationality), health status and BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination booking status were analysed. Among respondents, the VH rate was 17.9%. Parents of 12-years adolescents were more hesitant (21.6%) as compared to the 13- (16.0%) and 15- (15.2%) years groups (p < 0.05). Parents of adolescents belonging to Gulf Countries (97% Qatari) were more hesitant (35.2%) as compared to the four remaining groups of nationalities (Asiatic; excluding Gulf Countries), North-African, African (excluding North-African), and European/American/Oceanian, 13.3–20.4%, (p < 0.001). Parental VH rates were higher when adolescents suffered from chronic disease as compared to those without the chronic disease (21.3% vs. 17.4%, p < 0.05) or who previously were COVID-19 infected as compared to non-previously COVID-19 infected (24.1 vs. 17.5%, p < 0.01). Results of logistic regression revealed that age groups, nationalities, and recovery from COVID-19 were the main predictors of VH level. Precisely, parents of 12 years old adolescents were 38% more likely to be hesitant as compared to the parents of the 15 years old adolescents (OR = 1.38; 95%CI: 1.12–1.70). Compared with the Gulf countries, parents of adolescents belonging to the other nationality categories; namely North-African, African, Asiatic and European/American/Oceanian were 48% (95%CI: 0.36–0.65), 41% (95% CI: 0.27–0.62), 38% (95%CI: 0.29–0.50) and 34% (95% CI 0.21–0.56) less likely to be hesitant, respectively. Furthermore, parents of young adolescents being previously COVID-19 infected were 37% more likely to be hesitant as compared to those with no previous COVID-19 infection (OR = 1.37; 95%CI: 1.02–1.84). Effective communication strategies specifically targeting Gulf Country populations, parents of younger children aged 12 years and of those with chronic disease or have been previously infected with COVID-19 are crucial to build community trust and vaccine confidence, thereby increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

In Qataris, a population characterized by a small size and a high rate of consanguinity, between two-thirds to three-quarters of adults are overweight or obese. We investigated the relevance of 23 obesity-related loci in the Qatari population. Eight-hundred-four individuals assessed to be third generation Qataris were included in the study and assigned to 3 groups according to their body mass index (BMI): 190 lean (BMI < 25 kg/m2); 131 overweight (25 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2) and 483 obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood and genotyped by TaqMan. Two loci significantly associated with obesity in Qataris: the TFAP2B variation (rs987237) (A allele versus G allele: chi-square = 10.3; P = 0.0013) and GNPDA2 variation (rs10938397) (A allele versus G allele: chi-square = 6.15; P = 0.013). The TFAP2B GG genotype negatively associated with obesity (OR = 0.21; P = 0.0031). Conversely, the GNDPA2 GG homozygous genotype associated with higher risk of obesity in subjects of age < 32 years (P = 0.0358). We showed a different genetic profile associated with obesity in the Qatari population compared to Western populations. Studying the genetic background of Qataris is of primary importance as the etiology of a given disease might be population-specific.

Excessive Postpartum Weight Retention (PWR) is postulated to increase the risk of adverse health outcomes for mothers and offspring. Using data from the Mother and Infant Nutritional Assessment (MINA) cohort in Lebanon and Qatar, this study aimed to examine PWR and its determinants at 6 months after delivery. Pregnant women (n = 183) were recruited during their first trimester and were followed up through pregnancy and after delivery. During this period, face-to-face interviews as well as extraction from medical charts were conducted to collect data regarding the socioeconomic, anthropometric and dietary intake of participants. The mean PWR (kg) among participants was 3.1 ± 5.6 at delivery, and 3.3 ± 5.3 and 2.7 ± 4.7 at 4 and 6 months after delivery, respectively. Results of the multiple logistic regression analyses showed that a Qatari nationality and excessive GWG were associated with higher odds of a high PWR (above median) while an insufficient GWG had lower odds. After adjustment for energy, participants with a high PWR reported a greater intake of proteins, Trans fat, cholesterol, sodium and lower intakes of mono and polyunsaturated fat as compared to those with a low PWR (below median). These findings suggested priority areas for interventions to prevent excessive PWR amongst women of childbearing age in Lebanon and Qatar.

The healthcare system in Qatar has acknowledged the need for patient-centered care (PCC) in its strategic intentions. The primary care system in Qatar consists of 31 health centers located throughout the country, managed by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC). PHCC sought accreditation through Accreditation Canada, which in 2018 included a priority for PCC, including engaging patients in all aspects of the organization. A formal patient engagement (PE) framework was developed and fully implemented in the primary health care system. The framework involved patients in strategic and operational aspects of all organizational activities at national and health center levels, including participating in committees and activities such as quality improvement projects. Engaging patients in their own direct care was seen as part of the clinical process by our healthcare professional staff. Development of our patient engagement framework included recruiting a significant number of patients, outlining governance for implementation and oversight, documenting all the processes involved, and then implementing the PE framework. The outcomes of implementation of the PE framework include evidence of benefits for the organization, staff, and patient advisors. Although more patients responded to requests to provide feedback on their care, the patient experience data has not shown significant improvement in patients’ perceptions of their care experiences in our health centers as a result of engaging patient at service design level. Our experience demonstrates the intricacy of engaging patients in a healthcare system. Implementation of patient engagement in the clinical care process needs to be given equivalent weight in a patient engagement framework. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://theberylinstitute.org/experience-framework/). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens.

Introduction: In March 2020, Qatar started reporting increased numbers of COVID-19 positive cases. The Ministry of Public Health in Qatar has developed an emergency action plan to respond to the outbreak with the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) as a main component of that response. Aim: The aim of this review is to understand and document the Impact of COVID 19 on PHCC in Qatar in terms of response, modifications of services and introduction of new alternatives Methodology: A retrospective data analysis was conducted for all the COVID-19 swabbing activities and for all the utilization services volume across the PHCC health centers between January 2018 and May 2020. Results: PHCC allocated testing sites for COVID-19 resulted in conducting 54824 swabs with 11455 positive cases and positivity rate of 20.8% between 14th of March and 15th of June 2020. The overall PHCC services utilization declined with overall reduction of 50% in April 2020. Alternative virtual and remote services were provided, telemedicine was introduced, and it made up 50% of the consultation volumes for April 2020. Home refill delivery medications managed to provide a total of 20920 delivered prescriptions by end of May 2020. Conclusion and recommendations: To decrease the risk of infection to the patients and health care workers, PHCC in Qatar cancelled the appointments for some high-risk population. However, PHCC introduced virtual remote services that managed to make up for the in-person utilization volume and reflected acceptance in patients’ behaviours. PHCC continued in detecting positive COVID-19 cases among its targeted communities.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers globally. Recent reductions in mortality rates have been primarily attributed to screening programs. The State of Qatar established a national bowel cancer screening program in 2016. Methodology: Fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) was used for average-risk individuals aged 50 to 74 years. Fecal immunochemical testing -positive participants were referred for total colonoscopy to detect polyps and cancers. Results: Among 32,751 FIT invitees, 11,130 took the test, and 758 (6%) of those were FIT positive. Of these, 375 (56.13%) participants underwent a colonoscopy, and polyps were detected in 198 (52.8%) and cancers in 19 (5.1%) participants. The adenoma detection rate exceeded 40%. Discussion and conclusion: The high yield of polyps and cancers in the screening program justifies an active, resource-intensive, and organized bowel cancer screening effort. The high adenoma detection rate in a FIT-based program warrants recalibration of target adenoma detection rates in screening programs.