Objective: To identify barriers to healthcare access, to assess the health literacy levels of the foreign-born Arabic speaking population in Iowa, USA and to measure their prevalence of seeking preventive healthcare services. Methods: A cross-sectional study of native Arabic speaking adults involved a focus group and an anonymous paper-based survey. The focus group and the Andersen Model were used to develop the survey questionnaire. The survey participants were customers at Arabic grocery stores, worshippers at the city mosque and patients at free University Clinic. Chi-square test was used to measure the relationship between the characteristics of survey participants and preventive healthcare services. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the focus group transcript. Results: We received 196 completed surveys. Only half of the participants were considered to have good health literacy. More than one-third of the participants had no health insurance and less than half of them visit clinics regularly for preventive measures. Two participant enabling factors (health insurance and residency years) and one need factor (having chronic disease(s)) were found to significantly influence preventive physician visits. Conclusions: This theory-based study provides a tool that can be used in different Western countries where Arabic minority lives. Both the survey and the focus group agreed that lacking health insurance is the main barrier facing their access to healthcare services. The availability of an interpreter in the hospital is essential to help those with inadequate health literacy, particularly new arriving individuals. More free healthcare settings are needed in the county to take care of the increasing number of uninsured Arabic speaking patients.
Abstract:
The research aims to improve the insurance service through the marketing commission as a tool that enables the insurance companies to achieve a competitive advantage. The researcher, by observing the challenges faced by insurance companies, insurance agents and brokers, raised the main question of the research: Is there an effect of the marketing commission on the competitive advantage of insurance companies? The data was obtained through the financial statements and annual reports of the research sample companies (the National General Insurance Company, the Iraqi General Insurance Company, Al-Hamra Private
... Show MoreClimate change in recent years has greatly affected the distribution of ground covers. Monitoring these changes has become very easy due to the development of remote sensitivity science and the use of satellites to monitor these changes. The aim of this research is to monitor changes in the spectral reflectivity of the Baghdad governorate center for the month (March, June, September, December) of the year 2021 using remote sensing and satellite images Sentinel 2 and knowing the climate imact on them. Fifty-one samples were selected for four types of ground cover (agricultural land, water, buildings and open space) and their spectral reflectivity was calculated using satellite images.
The evolution of thought, planning for Urban Communities in the second half of the twentieth century, through several successive stages. He was thought of planning urban communities depends on identifying the general plan for land uses of the project area as a basis for drawing charts the physical, social, economic, and put the general plan for land uses based on the terms of reference set by the number of experts in the ministries and agencies. I have lived cities in the Arab-Muslim region, during the transition period the natural and historic environment, urban, sophisticated balanced ways mentioned in the cultural, social, inspired by the teachings of Islam and the customs and traditions of the Arab social, put forth a set of
... Show MoreBackground: Thymus vulgaris is a plant rich in essential oils acclaimed for the management of oxidative stress and inflammation in the organs. Meanwhile, the heavy metal lead is widely distributed in nature and continued exposure to lead acetate causes reduced fertility.Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of T. vulgaris on ovarian and uterine structural and functional characteristics in female rats exposed to lead acetate. Methods: Three groups of 18 mature Wistar albino female rats (Rattus norvegicus), 15 weeks old and weighing between 200 and 210 g, were established and handled for 60 days as follows: Group A (control group) received 0.5 mL of distilled water (DW) daily; group B received 5 mg/kg body weight (BW
... Show MorePolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent condition in women of reproductive age. It is characterized by androgen excess and chronic anovulation. Some trace elements, macroelements, and heavy metals have been linked to pathophysiological mechanisms of PCOS .
To study the alterations in the serum levels of the trace element manganese (Mn), some macroelements, magnesium(Mg) and calcium (Ca), and the heavy metals cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), in obese and non-obese PCOS patients; and the association of these alterations with some of the hormonal changes occurring in PCOS.
The study was carried out at Kamal Al-Samarrai Hospital (Center for Infertility treatment and in vitro Fertilization "IVF") Baghdad- Iraq. Eig
... Show MoreThe impact of exposure to different sizes of particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM7, and PM10) was evaluated in Babylon concrete plant workers who had been exposed to concrete dust for at least 10 years. The effects of these particles on the hematological parameters, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and antioxidant enzymes (catalase and glutathione peroxidase ) were examined. The results exhibited that the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 were higher than the acceptable limits approved by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The blood parameters, namely white blood cells (WBC), red blood cell (RBC) and platelets counts, demonstrated non-significant differences between workers exposed to the PM as compared to the control gro
... Show MoreThe main objective of this study was to evaluate the adsorption efficiency of two adsorbent materials, Iraqi chicken eggshells (ESh) and activated carbon (AC) derived from ESh powder for the removal of a cationic dye (Janus green B; JGD) from aqueous solution. Activated carbon was synthesised from ESh using a simple chemical activation method using phosphoric acid as the activating agent. The physicochemical properties of the adsorbents were characterised by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and point of zero charge (pHpzc). The results of BET analysis confirmed th
... Show MoreThe main objective of this study was to evaluate the adsorptionefficiency of two adsorbent materials, Iraqi chicken eggshells (ESh)and activated carbon (AC) derived from ESh powder for theremoval of a cationic dye (Janus green B; JGD) from aqueoussolution. Activated carbon was synthesised from ESh usinga simple chemical activation method using phosphoric acid asthe activating agent. The physicochemical properties of the adsor-bents were characterised by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET)method, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), inductivelycoupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), andpoint of zero charge (pHpzc). The results of BET analysis confirmedthat AC has
... Show MoreArid and semi-arid climates are critical for water security in sustainable river systems. The Euphrates River in western Iraq has been increasingly stressed by both geogenic and anthropogenic factors. This study analyzed hydro-geochemical processes, recharge dynamics, and groundwater flow modeling in western Iraq. Additionally, stable isotope tracing (δ¹⁸O, Cl⁻) integrated with hydro-chemical parameters was used to assess water quality and river-aquifer connectivity in both Syria and western Iraq. A total of 144 groundwater samples were collected annually across 12 stations in western Iraq. Surface water and groundwater data were collected from previous studies at 13 stations in Syria. Results revealed slightly alkaline freshwater con
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