Background: Eating disorders (EDs) are a complex group of disorders that affect mental and physical health and pose a challenge for medical professionals to diagnose. This study aims to screen for eating disorders among Syrian university undergraduates. Methods and materials: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Syrian university students using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: socio-demographic characteristics, dietary habits and barriers to healthy eating, and the Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food (SCOFF) score. The chi-square test was used to evaluate the factors related to eating disorders. Results: Of 728 students, 45.3% were males and 54.7% females. The majority of participants studied medicine 32.3%, followed by pharmacy 25.7% and dentistry 17.6%. Overweight and obese participants represented 21.4% and 6.8% respectively. Merely 36% of students reported adopting a healthy diet, a greater percentage of females 58.8% reported having snacks compared to males 48.5% (P = 0.006), a higher percentage of females 38.8% reported consuming fast food compared to males 26.6% (P < 0.001). Most of the students' eating habits worsened during exams 55.7%, females 60.6% markedly reported worse eating habits during exams compared to males 50% (P = 0.017). Lack of time 72.7%, not accessible 38.3%, and unenjoyable 31.6% were frequent barriers to healthy food. About 20.3% of students screened positive for probable eating disorders. Factors that elevate the likelihood of acquiring an ED encompass being female, having a lower or higher BMI, eating worse during exams, and psychological behaviors. Conclusions: Probable EDs were prevalent among Syrian undergraduates. The addressed socio-demographic and psychological factors were significantly affecting students’ eating behaviors. These findings can be used to provide targeted lifestyle modification advice via health promotion programs for these specific groups.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) has become vastly conceded in the last decade as a possible reason for significant morbidity in childhood. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of OSAS among school children and to assess the interrelationship between OSAS and daytime sleepiness. Methods and materials: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 1029 children and adolescents aged 6–15 years attending elementary and secondary schools in Damascus, Syria. The questions involved 19 sleep problems items using the children sleep habits questionnaire, and 4 sleep disorder items (loud snoring, having snorts or gasps, breathing pauses, daytime sleepiness). Total sleep time (TST) was determined by sleep habits. Severe possible OSAS (p-OSAS) was addressed as having all OSA symptoms “frequently”, and mild p-OSAS was defined as having any of the symptoms “sometimes”. Severe and mild daytime sleepiness were rated as being very sleepy during the day “frequently”, and “sometimes”, respectively. Logistic regression was applied to predict risk factors of severe and mild daytime sleepiness. Results: The prevalence of p-OSAS was 22.2%, of them 15.8% were mild, and 6.3% were severe. p-OSAS was more recognized in males 15.2% children (P<0.05). Most p-OSAS children sleep less than 6 h of TST; however; the mean TST was significantly lower at the secondary school level (P≤0.001). Predicted risk factors for severe and mild daytime sleepiness were students’ grade level (P<0.05), severe and mild p-OSAS (P≤0.001), and TST less than 6 h (P≤0.001). Conclusions: A significant number of children have p-OSAS, affecting daytime sleepiness in school age. Physicians should consider loud snoring, and breathing pauses as marked symptoms of severe daytime sleepiness. Moreover, raising parents awareness about OSAS and daytime sleepiness is essential to ensure early access to primary care.