Mental Health Consequences among Sudanese Due to the Armed Conflicts and Civil Unrest of 2023: One Year Later

Aim: To investigate depression, anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia levels among Sudanese citizens after a year has passed since the start of Armed Forces conflict in Sudan. Methods: An online survey was distributed. It is composed of five parts, covering the following areas: 1) sociodemographic data;2) depression assessment;3) generalized anxiety disorder assessment;4) post-traumatic stress disorder assessment;and 5) insomnia assessment. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 27 was used for data analysis;frequency and percentage were used to describe the qualitative variables. Spearman’s correlation analysis and Chi-square test were used for correlation and association analysis;a P-value equal to or less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The study included 283 participants, primarily female (76.0%), with a mean age of 35.26 ± 6.96 years. The majority of participants were married (50.5%) and had a university level of education (50.2%). At the start of the war, 70.3% of participants were inside the war zones, and at the time of data collection, 73.5% were outside Sudan. The length of stay in the war zone ranged from 1 to 300 days, with a mean of 48.59 ± 70.284 days. Additionally, 63.3% of participants stated that they did not receive any form of mental health intervention, and the remaining did not provide an answer. There was a high prevalence of moderate-severe depression (50.5%), moderate anxiety (35.3%), PTSD (56.5%), and sub-threshold insomnia (53.4%) among the participants. Correlation analyses revealed associations between demographic factors such as sex, age, marital status, and education and mental health issues. Notably, female participants showed a higher prevalence of PTSD (53.0%) compared to male participants (67.6%). Conclusions: There is a substantial impact of war-related trauma on mental health, revealing a high prevalence of moderate-severe depression, moderate anxiety, PTSD, and sub-threshold insomnia among the participants. This emphasizes the importance of tailored interventions and support systems to address the unique needs of individuals affected by war trauma.

Evaluation of ColdZyme Mouth Spray against Common Cold in Elderly Care Personnel

ColdZyme? Mouth Spray (ColdZyme) is a mouth spray intended to reduce the probability of catching a cold and/or can help shorten the duration of a cold if used at an early stage of the infection, by forming a barrier on the pharyngeal mucous membrane. This study evaluated the preventative effect of ColdZyme on common cold infections in personnel at elderly care facilities, and assessed the level of reduction in corresponding sick leave. The number of sick-leave days for the personnel decreased from an average of 5.2 days to 3.7 days (29%) when using ColdZyme compared to control period (p = 0.054). 63% of those who had a cold reported the symptoms to be milder than previous colds. Conclusion: Using ColdZyme? Mouth Spray to apply a barrier to the oropharynx may be an easy and practical way to prevent or reduce infections of the common cold virus and corresponding sick leave in personnel working in elderly care.

Investigation of Leisure Time,Life and Sleep Quality in University Students

Objective:This study aimed to determine the physical activity level of university students,to compare them according to gender and to investigate the effect of physical activity level on sleep and quality of life.Materials and Methods:The research is of an analytical-cross-sectional type.In total,288(181 F,107 M)university students with a mean age of 19.59±2.00 years participated in the study.Height,weight and waist circumference measurements were taken.Participants were asked a questionnaire to determine their socio-demographic characteristics and exercise,the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)for assessing sleep quality,Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire to measure 1-week total physical activity level and SF-36(Brief)to assess the quality of life.Quality of Life Questionnaires were applied by face-to-face questionnaire method.Results:39% of the students were active,18% were moderately active,and 43% were not active enough.When the data of girls and boys were compared,only the height,body weight,waist circumference,Body Mass Index(BMI)and Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire,SF 36 had a significant difference in emotional role difficulty results in favor of men(p<0.00).Social functioning and general health perception(r=0.116;r=0.119)of the SF-36 quality of life questionnaire were found to be positively correlated with the energy/vitality component of Godin leisure time questionnaire and SF-36 quality of life questionnaire(r=0.121).There was a low positive correlation between sleep quality and all components of the SF-36 quality of life questionnaire(0.168<r<0.333).Conclusion:As a result,only 39% of university students are active and spend more time on computers and phones.Boys had a physically more active lifestyle than girls.In the young population,physical activity did not affect sleep quality,but sleep quality affected quality of life.For health and quality life,the participation of individuals in regular exercise should be encouraged,physical activity programs should be organized and motivated in universities.