Background: Depression is considered one of the significant pressing public health problems globally. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale is valuable for assessing subthreshold depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate various aspects of the CES-D scale's validity and reliability in the Afghan population. Method: This methodological study was conducted between 6th June 2021 and 12th July 2021 among the general population in the Herat province of Afghanistan. A total of 424 participants filled out the questionnaires provided to them. The forward-backward translation method translated the CES-D scale into the Dari language. The data was statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.0 and AMOS version 24.0 software for Windows. Exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis were used to assess the factor structure (CFA). The reliability was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha, inter-item correlation, and total item correlation. Result: The exploratory factor analysis resulted in three factors (Depressed affect & Somatic complaints factor, the Interpersonal factor, and the Positive affect factor). The CFA result suggested that the resulted model of the Dari version of the CES-D scale with 19 items was the best fit for our data. The Cronbach’s alpha for the 19 items scale was 0.874. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the Dari version of the CES-D scale is valid and reliable to use among the general population of Herat province of Afghanistan. The scale can assess depression and its symptoms among the population mentioned above with confidence.

Background Eye diseases are a major global health concern but are often neglected. This study aims to assess the sociodemographic determinants of knowledge on common eye diseases among the adult population in Afghanistan. Methods A cross-sectional survey was designed and conducted between August and October, 2021, including 509 adult population in the Herat province of Afghanistan. Participants' sociodemographics and knowledge of common eye diseases were recorded through an in-person interview. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to investigate factors associated with understanding common eye diseases among study participants. Result The mean age of the study participant was 34.96 years, with males making up nearly 53.4% of the total sample. Of the 509 respondents, 76.8% of them did not have enough information on common eye diseases; 79% of the participants did not know the definition of glaucoma disease. Only 47.3% of the participants of this study knew the meaning of cataract disease. The adjusted odds ratios (AOR) revealed that participants over 35 years of age had significantly higher odds of knowledge of eye disease [AOR: 3.629; 95%CI:1.770, 7.442] compared to the relatively younger age group of 18-34 years. A significant association was found between awareness about eye diseases and higher levels of education. Participants receiving higher education were found to have higher odds of being aware of the knowledge of eye disease. Conclusions Results showed low awareness about common eye disease among the younger adult population. The study, therefore, consolidates the need for promoting health literacy regarding common eye diseases in Herat province of Afghanistan. Keywords: Knowledge, awareness, common eye diseases, Herat-Afghanistan.

N/A

Background According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the world faces numerous challenges, including disparities in the availability and quality of eyecare services for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. No previous study in Afghanistan has ever examined both mental and physical component of quality of life among patients with eye diseases. Therefore, present study examined the quality of life and its relationship with socio-demographic characteristics among this vulnerable group. Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered from January 2022 to April 2022. Data were collected from participants with eye diseases (N = 617) in the Herat province of Afghanistan. Results Of the 617 participants, 63.4% had poor physical quality of life and 14.9% had poor mental quality of life. Among participants, the main variables associated with physical and mental quality of life were age, gender, marital status, education level, monthly income, occupation, using social media, and a traumatic event occurring during the past month. Multiple regression analysis indicated that poor physical quality of life was significantly associated with with being above 54 years old (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.15, p = .0048), being female (AOR = 3.58. p < 0.01), being illiterate (AOR = 3.31, p = 0.01), being unemployed (AOR = 1.93, p = 0.04), and experiencing a traumatic event during the past month (AOR = 2.06, p = 0.02). Poor mental quality of life was associated occupational status (being unemployed) (AOR = 3.62, p = 0.05), and experiencing a traumatic event in the past month (AOR = 3.49, p < 0.01). Conclusion The present study provides a novel contribution to the field eye diseases and quality of life especially in relation to Afghanistan where there has been very little research in this area. The results indicate that public health authorities in Afghanistan should implement policies to raise awareness regarding the quality of life of patients with eye diseases as well as formulating strategies to help improve it.