Background: University students in Iraq face rising obesity risk linked to physical inactivity, prolonged sedentary behavior, insufficient sleep, and academic stress. Longitudinal evidence examining the combined influence of these behaviors on weight status in Iraqi universities remains limited. Objective: This study examined six-month longitudinal associations of physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep duration, and perceived stress with body mass index and percentage body fat among Iraqi university students. Methods: A prospective multi-behavioral study was conducted at six public universities in Iraq. Six hundred undergraduate students aged 18–25 years were followed monthly during one academic semester. Validated questionnaires and smartphone-based applications assessed health behaviors, while standardized procedures measured body mass index and body fat. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, regression models, and repeated-measures analysis. Results: Overweight and obesity prevalence reached 63.7%. Most students met minimum physical activity recommendations, yet sedentary time was high and sleep duration was suboptimal. Sleep duration showed a small inverse association with body mass index and body fat and was the only behavior differing significantly across body mass index categories. Males exhibited higher body mass index, whereas females had higher body fat percentage. Conclusions: Integrated context-sensitive health strategies addressing sleep habits, sedentary behavior, and academic lifestyle factors may support obesity prevention.
The present research aims at identifying the effect of the cognitive discrepancy strategy on the fourth-stage students’ achievement in literature and texts. The researcher adopted the null hypothesis: there is no statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) between the average grades of the experimental group who study literature and texts following the discrepancies strategy, and those who follow the traditional method. A post-achievement test of (60) paragraphs was administered to (6) students as the study sample. The results showed that the experimental group who studied literature and texts with the strategy of cognitive achieved better than the control group who followed the traditional method in the post-achievement t
... Show MoreThe aim of the research is to identify the effectiveness of the educational pillars strategy based on Vygotsky's theory in mathematical achievement and information processing of first-grade intermediate students. In pursuit of the research objectives, the experimental method was used, and the quasi-experimental design was used for two equivalent groups, one control group taught traditionally and the other experi-mental taught according to the educational pillars strategy. The research sample consisted of (66) female students from the first intermediate grade, who were inten-tionally chosen after ensuring their equivalence, taking into account several factors, most notably chronological age and their level of mathematics, and they we
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The aim of the research is to identify the level of awareness and emotional experience among university students and to identify the effect of the educational program based on (Guttmann) model for developing awareness and emotional experience among university students by verifying the validity of the following zero hypotheses: 1) There are no statistically significant differences in the development of awareness and emotional experience among university students at the level of (0.05) between the mean scores of the experimental group in the pre and post-tests. 2) There are no statistically significant differences in the development of awareness and emotional experience among university students at the lev
... Show MorePregnancy and delivery are physiological conditions that are marked by abrupt alterations to hormones, immunological and molecular characters. The current study aimed to evaluate oxytocin (OT), prolactin (PRL), cortisol and insulin growth factor-2 (IGF-2) levels as physiological biomarkers; programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1), programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1),interleukin-6 (IL-6) as immunological biomarkers, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs53576 and rs2254298) of oxytocin receptor gene OXTR as molecular factors in samples of Iraqi women undergoing caesarean section (CS) and normal delivery (ND). Blood samples were collected from 96 pregnant women at term with ages ranging between 16-43 years. Regarding
... Show MoreBackground: This study aimed to determine whether there is a relationship among the bite force with facial dimensions and dental arches in a sample of Iraqi adults with Class I skeletal and dental relations. Materials and methods: Forty dental students (20 males and 20 females) were selected under certain criteria. For those individuals, dental impressions, frontal facial photographs and maximum bite force at molar and incisor regions were taken. The dental arches widths and facial dimensions were measured using the AutoCAD program 2007, while the bite force was determined using special device. Descriptive statistics for the measured variables were performed and gender difference was determined using independent sample t-test, while the rel
... Show MoreBackground: Pregnancy is considered a major risk factor for development and progression of periodontal disease. There are hormonal changes in both estrogen and progesterone hormones in addition to bacterial effect and poor oral hygiene that will enhance development of periodontal disease in pregnant women. Materials and methods: Seventy subjects were enrolled in the study, the subjects with an age range (20-35) years old without any history of systemic disease. The subjects were divided into 20 non-pregnant women they represent the control group (G I), 30 pregnant women with gingivitis (GII) and 20 pregnant women with periodontitis (GIII).All periodontal parameters (plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth an
... Show MoreThe techniques of contemporary Iraqi painting and their reflection on the productions of students of art education is an important subject in the field of painting at the theoretical and practical levels in academic study, whether theoretical or practical. Al-Iraqi is one of the arts with historical roots and a distinguished position among other artistic genres. Painting has received a sufficient level of development through the use of various contemporary techniques to advance it for the better.
The methodological framework included the problem of research and the need for it, and then the importance of research came in shedding light on the techniques of contemporary Iraqi painting, and the impact of these techniques on the producti
Staphylococcus aureus is one of the common causative agents of infections, from asymptomatic carriers to healthy individuals. It can colonize anterior nares of carriers with a high capability to resist different antibiotics. Students are susceptible to bacterial infection due to some factors, including poor health habits and surrounding school conditions. This study screened the rate of vancomycin- and methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus nose carriers among secondary students in rural and urban schools and its association with some sociodemographic factors. The study sample included 300 male/female students aged 15-20 years from 12 schools of rural and urban areas during the period from November 2020 till May 2021. It was fo
... Show MoreThis study dealt with IL-13 1024 (C/T) gene genotyping among patients with Thyroid goiter in Iraq. Forty blood samples from patients with Thyroid goiter were collected and compared with 30 healthy persons as controls. The genotyping results of IL-13 1024 (C/T) gene using ARMS-PCR revealed presence TT, CC and CT genotypes beside T and C alleles. The T allele and TT genotype frequency were higher in Thyroid goiter patients compared to the same genotype and allele in healthy persons (P = 0.060). These increasing results were related with increasing risk factor of Thyroid goiter (odds ratio [OR] 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99–71.4). No significant differences between genotypes for Thyroid goiter patients and controls were revealed by
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