The EMHJ was launched in 1995 as a peer-reviewed medical journal. Starting January 2010 the Journal has been given a new format and is now published monthly. The EMHJ serves as a forum for the dissemination of biomedical information through the publication of scientific research papers on a range of topics related to public health with particular relevance to the Eastern Mediterranean Region. In this month's issue: Editorial: Prevention of type 2 diabetes - where is the evidence? Editorial: Continuing progress in the priority health areas: actions for Member States and WHO; Confidentiality informed consent and children's participation in the Saudi biobank governance: a comparative study; Adjustment factors to per capita health-care indicators in countries with expatriate male-majority populations; Household food insecurity in the Islamic Republic of Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis; Determinants des delais de consultation de diagnostic et de traitement pour les nouveaux patients tuberculeux pulmonaires a microscopie positive au Maroc : etude transversale; Adverse health effects of spousal violence among women attending Saudi Arabian primary health-care clinics; Prevalence of thalassaemia iron-deficiency anaemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency among Arab migrating nomad children southern Islamic Republic of Iran; Oral health status of 12-year-old male schoolchildren in Medina Saudi Arabia; Short communication: Pattern of beverage intake and milk and dairy products sufficiency among high-school students in Kuwait.