Background: ChatGPT is a conversational large language model that has the potential to revolutionize knowledge acquisition. However, the impact of this technology on the quality of education is still unknown considering the risks and concerns surrounding ChatGPT use. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the usability and acceptability of this promising tool. As an innovative technology, the intention to use ChatGPT can be studied in the context of the technology acceptance model (TAM). Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a TAM-based survey instrument called TAME-ChatGPT (Technology Acceptance Model Edited to Assess ChatGPT Adoption) that could be employed to examine the successful integration and use of ChatGPT in health care education. Methods: The survey tool was created based on the TAM framework. It comprised 13 items for participants who heard of ChatGPT but did not use it and 23 items for participants who used ChatGPT. Using a convenient sampling approach, the survey link was circulated electronically among university students between February and March 2023. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to assess the construct validity of the survey instrument. Results: The final sample comprised 458 respondents, the majority among them undergraduate students (n=442, 96.5%). Only 109 (23.8%) respondents had heard of ChatGPT prior to participation and only 55 (11.3%) self-reported ChatGPT use before the study. EFA analysis on the attitude and usage scales showed significant Bartlett tests of sphericity scores (P<.001) and adequate Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measures (0.823 for the attitude scale and 0.702 for the usage scale), confirming the factorability of the correlation matrices. The EFA showed that 3 constructs explained a cumulative total of 69.3% variance in the attitude scale, and these subscales represented perceived risks, attitude to technology/social influence, and anxiety. For the ChatGPT usage scale, EFA showed that 4 constructs explained a cumulative total of 72% variance in the data and comprised the perceived usefulness, perceived risks, perceived ease of use, and behavior/cognitive factors. All the ChatGPT attitude and usage subscales showed good reliability with Cronbach α values >.78 for all the deduced subscales. Conclusions: The TAME-ChatGPT demonstrated good reliability, validity, and usefulness in assessing health care students’ attitudes toward ChatGPT. The findings highlighted the importance of considering risk perceptions, usefulness, ease of use, attitudes toward technology, and behavioral factors when adopting ChatGPT as a tool in health care education. This information can aid the stakeholders in creating strategies to support the optimal and ethical use of ChatGPT and to identify the potential challenges hindering its successful implementation. Future research is recommended to guide the effective adoption of ChatGPT in health care education.

The emergence of a monkeypox (MPOX) outbreak in 2022 represented the most recent recognizable public health emergency at a global level. Improving knowledge and attitude towards MPOX, particularly among healthcare workers (HCWs), can be a valuable approach in public health preventive efforts aiming to halt MPOX virus spread. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of HCWs in Lebanon towards MPOX and to assess their conspiratorial attitude towards emerging virus infections (EVIs). The current study was based on a cross-sectional online survey distributed via Google Forms during September–December 2022 implementing a convenience sampling approach. The final study sample comprised a total of 646 HCWs: physicians (n = 171, 26.5%), pharmacists (n = 283, 43.8%), and nurses (n = 168, 26.0%), among others (n = 24, 3.7%). Variable defects in MPOX knowledge were detected, with a third of the participants having MPOX knowledge above the 75th percentile (n = 218, 33.7%). Satisfactory attitude towards MPOX (>75th percentile) was observed in less than a third of the participants (n = 198, 30.7%), while a quarter of the study sample endorsed conspiracy beliefs towards EVIs at a high level (>75th percentile, n = 164, 25.4%). Slightly more than two thirds of the participants agreed that MPOX vaccination should be used in disease prevention (n = 440, 68.1%). Better levels of MPOX knowledge and attitude were significantly associated with postgraduate education and older age. Physicians had significantly higher MPOX knowledge compared to other occupational categories. Less endorsement of conspiracies towards EVIs was significantly associated with male sex, occupation as a physician, and postgraduate education. Higher MPOX knowledge was associated with better attitude towards the disease. The current study showed unsatisfactory MPOX knowledge among Lebanese HCWs. Educational efforts can be valuable to improve the attitude towards the disease. Despite the relatively low level of embracing conspiracy beliefs regarding EVIs among HCWs in this study compared to previous studies, this area should be considered based on its potential impact on health-seeking behavior.

Previous research suggests that restrained eating is problematic in Lebanon and is associated with the occurrence of clinically diagnosed eating disorders. Because of the alarming prevalence and severity of these disorders, the aim of this study is to investigate factors that may contribute to restrained eating in adults among a representative sample of the Lebanese population. This is a cross-sectional study conducted between January and May 2018; 811 adult participants were enrolled from all Lebanese districts. The Dutch Restrained Eating scale was used to measure body disturbance. The factors that were assessed in the questionnaire were body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, emotion regulation, emotional eating and adult attachment styles. The mean age of the participants was 27.59 ± 11.76 years, and included 66.5% females. In the absence of a cutoff value for the Dutch Restrained Eating scale, we took the median (2.6) as the cutoff value. The results showed that 391 (48.3%) had restrained eating. The Dutch Restrained Eating scale items converged over a solution of one factor that had an Eigenvalue over 1, explaining a total of 60.69% of the variance (Cronbach’s alpha was high =0.928). The linear regression results, taking the Dutch restrained eating scale as the dependent variable, showed that being a female (Beta = 0.31), increased age (Beta = 0.01), higher body mass index (Beta = 0.01), an intermediate monthly income (Beta = 0.25), higher body dissatisfaction scores (Beta = 0.03), higher adult anxiety attachment style (Beta = 0.008), higher emotion regulation cognitive reappraisal facet (Beta = 0.01), feeling pressure from TV/magazine to lose weight (Beta = 0.45) and practicing sport activities (Beta = 0.41) were associated with higher restrained eating scores. Our findings show that numerous factors are associated with restrained eating in the Lebanese community. They include body dissatisfaction, cognitive reappraisal, female gender, eating attitudes, social media pressure and adult attachment. Therefore, the development of prevention strategies directed at an improved body image perception and increasing knowledge about factors that might influence this body image and critical thinking regarding media images is warranted, with the ultimate goal of promoting healthier choices in the Lebanese population.

Background: Eating disorders are quite common around the world, disabling, and potentially lethal; but they remain so far under-captured and subject to substantial delays in treatment. We propose through this study to develop and validate a shortened version of the Eating Attitude Test (EAT) in the Arabic language among non-clinical Arabic-speaking Lebanese participants from the general population. Methods: 1175 participants enrolled in this cross-sectional study, based on an online survey. The Eating Attitude Test-26 items, Drunkorexia Motives and Behaviors Scales and Lebanese Anxiety Scale were used to answer our objectives. Results: Our results confirmed validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Exploratory Factor Analyses showed that all items converged over a one-factor solution, with an excellent Cronbach’s alpha (> 0.9). Confirmatory Factor Analyses found that the 7-item-version yielded excellent model fit. The instrument also revealed strong evidence of divergent validity, being highly correlated with measures of anxiety and drunkorexia motives and behaviors. Discussion: Findings provided evidence supporting that the Arabic seven-item one-factor structure of the scale (EAT-7) is valid, reliable, and can be used in clinical practice, preventive interventions and future eating disorders research in Arab settings.

The objectives of the study were to identify the prevalence of insomnia among a representative sample of the Lebanese population and to assess potential factors associated with insomnia among this group. A cross-sectional study was done in the Lebanese population from August 2017 to April 2018 enrolling 789 participants using a proportionate random sample from all five Lebanese governorates. Participants filled a self-administered Arabic questionnaire. The Athens Insomnia Scale was used to diagnose insomnia. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale were used to measure depression and anxiety, respectively. The prevalence of insomnia was 47.1% in the population sampled. The mean age of the participants was 37 years (64% females). Death in the family [adjusted odds ratio (aORa) = 1.59], drinking caffeine before sleep more than 2 days per week compared to none (aORa = 1.57), increased stress (aORa = 1.03), increased depression (aORa = 1.14), and anxiety scores (aORa = 1.07) were associated with higher odds of insomnia. The prevalence of insomnia was very high in the Lebanese population, and it was mainly associated with modifiable, treatable risk factors. Improved knowledge and adequate screening for insomnia are needed to promote better sleep quality.