An-Najah Staff

Students' ideas of the nature of science (NOS) influence their learning processes and understanding of science. This influence has attracted researchers' attention to this area for decades. What mainly differentiates the current study from previous studies is the comparison that it makes between ideas about NOS that university students hold vs. those held by high school students, in addition to comparisons between NOS ideas related to other background variables: gender, specialty, and scientific ability. 
The participants were 421 secondary and university students: 226 high school students and 195 university students. The students were asked to complete a questionnaire developed by McComas and Olson and which examines four aspects of NOS ideas: philosophical insights, sociological insights, psychological insights and historical statements and assumptions. Computing t-test and f-test values, we found significant differences between students' NOS ideas that could be attributed to the class in the philosophical and sociological insights, where university students had higher averages in NOS ideas than high school students. The current study also found significant differences between students' NOS ideas attributed to their specialty in three of the four aspects of the NOS: the philosophic, the psychological, and the sociological, whereas the difference was not significant in the historical aspect. Further, the results indicated a significant difference between students' NOS ideas that could be attributed to their reported ability in science in the philosophical aspect and the whole NOS ideas.

This study was conducted to investigate the pattern of calorie and protein consumption by Hebron University students. A sample size of 238 students (males and females) of ages ranged from 18 to 23 years was the target of this study. A food frequency questionnaire and 3 days food record were designed and used, and a pilot survey was carried out among university students to identify the food items commonly eaten by them. Nutrient intakes were estimated by using WinDiets software with values based mainly on the food-composition tables. Results were expressed as mean and standard deviation (SD). ANOVA and Student’s paired t-test were used for data analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
The study showed that fathers of all students investigated were of secondary education or higher. However, mothers were of lower levels of education. The majority of students were village residents (55 %) while only 8 % were refugee camps residence. About 63 % of students consumed less than 3 meals per day. Regarding the physical activity level (PAL), most of students had low to moderate activities (88 %) compared to only 12 % of them who had high activity. Calorie and protein intake was not affected by gender. However, the intake of calories was lower than that of the WHO recommendations. Family income had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on both calories and protein consumption. Similar significant trends were observed in the effects of family size and number of sibling. The consumption of all nutrients concerned was higher in Fridays compared to the consumption in Saturdays and Mondays. However, this increase in consumption is not statistically significant. In conclusion, university students have bad eating patterns when considering numbers of daily meals and fat and total calorie intakes and protein and calcium intakes were comparable with the dietary recommendations of the WHO. More studies are needed to follow up the pattern of food consumption in more detail considering more universities in the country.

BACKGROUND:  Herbal self-therapy is a common practice among Palestinians. However, no published data are available on herbal self-therapy in the Middle East in general, and in Palestine in particular.
OBJECTIVE:  This study was conducted to (1) determine the extent of herbal self-therapy among university students, (2) investigate the different types of herbal remedies used and (3) investigate the correlates and reasons associated with such practices.
METHODOLOGY:  This cross-sectional, descriptive study was carried out using a structured questionnaire that contained five sections: (1) demographics; (2) medication knowledge and self-care orientation; (3) types of herbal remedies used; (4) clinical conditions treated; and finally, (5) the reasons reported by students for herbal self-therapy practice. Pearson chi(2), multiple logistic regression and one-way ANOVA were performed using SPSS 13 program.
RESULTS:  33.9% of the respondents reported using herbal remedies in self-therapy. Female gender, students at medical colleges and those with high self-care orientation were significant predictive model for herbal use. Sage (Salvia fruticosa L.), chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile L.), anise (Pimpinella anisum L.), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) were the most commonly utilized herbal remedies. The types of herbal remedies selected were significantly influenced by gender, but not by the level of medication knowledge or self-care orientation. Herbal remedies were used primarily for the treatment of headache, flu, menstrual pain and sore throat. The main motivating factor for using herbal remedies reported for using herbal remedies was simplicity of symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS:  Herbal self-therapy was a common practice among university students. Health care providers need to be aware of the students' self-therapy practices and need to have sufficient knowledge regarding herbs not simply because of the widespread use, but also because of significant reported side effects. Academics need to consider offering courses about herbal remedies to students in both the medical and non-medical faculties to broaden their treatment capabilities during this time of increased unregulated medical interventions such as herbal therapy.

Headache is one of the most common complaints in clinical practice. Few studies regarding headache in university students have been conducted in the Middle East. The objective of this study was to explore the prevalence, clinical characteristics, triggering factors and treatment options of headaches in university undergraduate students in Palestine/Middle East. Data were collected by interviewing a sample of 1900 students. The Headache Assessment Quiz was used to measure quality and severity of headache and to collect data on triggering factors and symptom management. A total of 1808 (95.2%) reported having at least one headache episode in the previous year. A positive family history of headache was found in 40% of students. The prevalence rate of frequent headache (tow or more episodes/month) was found in 1096 (60.9%) students; 613 women (55.9%). Of those having frequent headaches, 228 (20.8%) experienced moderate to severe episodes, 341 (31.2%) had pulsating, throbbing and pounding pain, and 274 (25%) had unilateral pain. The most common triggering factors among students with frequent headaches were: tension/stress (78.2%) and sleep deprivation (75.4%). Less than 5% of students sought medical assistance during headache episodes. Most students (79.1%) reported self-therapy with a single analgesic (53.4%), herbs (10.2%) or combination (15.5%), while 20.9% reported using no medication of any type to decrease pain. Paracetamol (48.5%) followed by ibuprofen (4.9%) were the most commonly used non-prescription analgesic drugs. Headache is a prevalent symptom in the college age population. Further research is needed to determine the prevalence of specific types of headaches. Healthcare providers are required to educate this population as well as to assist students in properly diagnosing and treating headache types.

Headache is one of the most common complaints in clinical practice. Few studies regarding headache in university students have been conducted in the Middle East. The objective of this study was to explore the prevalence, clinical characteristics, triggering factors and treatment options of headaches in university undergraduate students in Palestine/Middle East. Data were collected by interviewing a sample of 1900 students. The Headache Assessment Quiz was used to measure quality and severity of headache and to collect data on triggering factors and symptom management. A total of 1808 (95.2%) reported having at least one headache episode in the previous year. A positive family history of headache was found in 40% of students. The prevalence rate of frequent headache (tow or more episodes/month) was found in 1096 (60.9%) students; 613 women (55.9%). Of those having frequent headaches, 228 (20.8%) experienced moderate to severe episodes, 341 (31.2%) had pulsating, throbbing and pounding pain, and 274 (25%) had unilateral pain. The most common triggering factors among students with frequent headaches were: tension/stress (78.2%) and sleep deprivation (75.4%). Less than 5% of students sought medical assistance during headache episodes. Most students (79.1%) reported self-therapy with a single analgesic (53.4%), herbs (10.2%) or combination (15.5%), while 20.9% reported using no medication of any type to decrease pain. Paracetamol (48.5%) followed by ibuprofen (4.9%) were the most commonly used non-prescription analgesic drugs. Headache is a prevalent symptom in the college age population. Further research is needed to determine the prevalence of specific types of headaches. Healthcare providers are required to educate this population as well as to assist students in properly diagnosing and treating headache types.