Hoda Jradi

Cigarette and waterpipe smoking associated knowledge and behaviour among medical students in Lebanon.

As future physicians capable of controlling tobacco dependence in the population, medical students are considered a main target for tobacco control interventions. This cross-sectional study reported on the prevalence of tobacco use (cigarettes and waterpipes) and associated knowledge and behaviour among 6th-year medical students in 2009-2010 from 6 medical schools in Lebanon. The self-administered questionnaire based on the Global Health Professional Survey (GHPSS) core questions also enquired about training in tobacco cessation approaches. All enrolled students were asked to participate; the response rate was 191/354 (54.3%). The prevalence of tobacco use was 26.3% for cigarettes and 29.5% for waterpipes. Smoking waterpipes was the only significant predictor for cigarette smoking and there was no difference by sex and socioeconomic status. A minority reported ever receiving any formal training in treatment approaches for tobacco dependence. Medical schools should include tobacco dependence treatment training programmes in their curriculum and discourage tobacco use.

Public health nursing education in Saudi Arabia

Public health nurses are key personnel in promoting and protecting the health of populations using knowledge from the nursing, social, and public health sciences. In Saudi Arabia, the nursing profession requires the integration of public health education and associated competencies in the nursing curriculum. In this paper, we aim to highlight the importance of public health nursing in overcoming the challenges associated with epidemiological transitions and responding to the health needs of rising populations, describe the development of the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia, and recommend public health teaching and training objectives for nursing education. The future Saudi public health nurse should be competent in addressing the determinants of health and illness that are salient to a culturally distinct group. This newly outlined role for public health nurses will maximize the use of the educated Saudi nursing workforce and will fill the gap in population public health needs in an efficient and effective way.

Knowledge about Tobacco Smoking among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia: Findings from Three Medical Schools

Introduction: Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Educating and training medical students about tobacco dependence prevention and treatment will prepare them for the task of helping smokers quit. In Saudi Arabia, little is known about medical students’ knowledge on this topic. Methods: This study was conducted among 237 medical students (89% response rate) from three medical schools in Saudi Arabia. Students were asked to complete a 55-item questionnaire about the knowledge of smoking epidemiology, smoking cessation practice and benefits, and treatment of tobacco dependence. Results: The majority of the students (91.4%) do not have adequate knowledge about the epidemiology of smoking. Students demonstrated a low knowledge of the health risks associated with tobacco use (average score 53%; SD = 11.6), a fair understanding of the benefits of smoking cessation, and insufficient information about treatment of tobacco dependence. Respondents thought they were adequately prepared to counsel their patients to quit smoking. Conclusions: Medical students in Saudi Arabia are not well informed and trained in tobacco dependence and treatment. It is necessary to address this deficit by prioritizing these topics in medical education curricula.

Patients? Satisfaction with Health Education Services at Primary Health Care Centers in Riyadh, KSA

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to assess different aspects of patients’ satisfaction in relation to the health education services provided in Primary Health Care centers at a Major Medical Center in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Research design and methods: This is a cross-sectional survey targeting attendees of PHC centers at Prince Sultan Military Medical City in Riyadh. A total number of 400 participants were enrolled in this study. Data was collected over a 5 months period (Dec 2012 to April 2013). Results: The overall satisfaction reported with health education services was 68%. One to one education clinic was the most preferred method for delivery of health education. The majority of participants preferred the physician as a health education provider. Conclusions: Findings from this study showed that our participants expressed a positive evaluation of the distinct dimensions of the health education services provided. However, services of health education were poorly attended in this institution. Barriers causing poor attendance were attributed to the shortage of trained health education staff, lack of time for the providers, cost, and misunderstanding for the role of the health educator.

Lebanese medical students’ intention to deliver smoking cessation advice

Objectives: Objectives of this study were to examine the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior and determine how they predict Lebanese medical students’ behavioral intention to advise patients to quit smoking. Study design: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 191 medical students from six medical schools in Lebanon. Methods: The instrument contained scales that measured attitudes toward the behavior, behavioral beliefs, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Psychometric properties of the scale were examined. Item to total scale score correlations were determined and linear regression was conducted to predict the intention to advise smokers to quit. Results: Respondents had a positive, but not very high, intention to deliver smoking cessation advice. Students reported a positive attitude toward advising patients to quit cigarette smoking and a strong belief in the physician’s obligations in smoking cessation advising. The majority reported lack of time to provide smoking cessation advice, insufficient knowledge of pharmacological aids, and the lack of openness of the patient to receive the advice. The attitude scale was the only variable that yielded a significant prediction of the intended behavior. Conclusions: The construct of attitude toward the behavior appeared to be the most predictive of the intention to deliver advice to quit smoking among Lebanese medical students. Focusing training efforts on this construct could improve the rate of delivery of brief cessation counseling.

Patterns of childhood cancer incidence in Saudi Arabia (1999- 2008).

BACKGROUND Although childhood cancer is a rare disease, 100,000 children younger than 15 years of age die from cancer each year, the majority of them in developing countries. More data need to be gathered and published particularly in developing countries to better understand the scale of the problem. AIMS This study aimed to describe the patterns of childhood cancers in Saudi Arabia over a period of ten years (1999-2008). MATERIALS AND METHODS This descriptive retrospective study was based on secondary data from the Saudi Cancer Registry from 1999 to 2008. All Saudi cases (both genders), under the age of 15 years, who were diagnosed with cancer during the study period, were included in this study. RESULTS Childhood cancer in Saudi Arabia, in the period between 1999 and 2008, accounted for about 8% of total cancer cases. The most common encountered cancers were leukemia (34.1%), followed by lymphoma (15.2%), brain (12.4%), and kidney cancers (5.3%). The overall incidence of childhood cancers increased from 8.8 per 100,000 in 1999 to 9.8 per 100,000 in 2008. The incidence rates of cancers per 100,000 in the years 1999 and 2008 were generally higher among males, (9.4 and 11.5 in males vs. 8.3 and 8.1 in females). The highest incidence rate in the surveyed years was apparent in the birth to age 4 years group. CONCLUSIONS Cancer is an important public health problem in Saudi Arabia and a major ascending contributor to mortality and morbidity in children. More studies are required to describe the patterns of childhood cancers and related risk factors in Saudi Arabia.

MERS-CoV infection: Mind the public knowledge gap

Abstract In August 2015, the Corona outbreak caused by Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was the 9th episode since June 2012 in Saudi Arabia. Little is known about the public awareness toward the nature or prevention of the disease. The aim of this work was to assess the knowledge of the adult population in Riyadh toward the MERS-CoV. In this cross-sectional survey, a self-administrated questionnaire was distributed to randomly selected participants visiting malls in Riyadh. The questionnaire contained measurable epidemiological and clinical MERS-CoV knowledge level variables and relevant source of information. The study included 676 participants. Mean age was 32.5 (±SD 8.6) years and 353 (47.8%) were males. Almost all participants heard about the corona disease and causative agent. The study showed a fair overall knowledge (66.0%), less knowledge on epidemiological features of the disease (58.3%), and good knowledge (90.7%) on the clinical manifestation of the MERS-CoV. Internet was the major (89.0%) source of disease information, and other sources including health care providers, SMS, television, magazines and books were low rated (all <25%). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis age ≤30 years (Odds Ratio (OR)=1.647, 95%CI 1.048–2.584, P =0.030), male gender (OR=1.536, 95%CI 1.105–2.134, P =0.01), and no tertiary education (OR=1.957, 95%CI 1.264–3.030, P =0.003) were independent significant predictors of poor epidemiological knowledge. This study concludes that there was inadequate epidemiological knowledge received by the public and the reliance mostly on the clinical manifestations to recognizing the MERS-CoV disease. Comprehensive public health education programs is important to increase awareness of simple epidemiological determinants of the disease is warranted.

Level of Sedentary Behavior and Its Associated Factors among Saudi Women Working in Office-Based Jobs in Saudi Arabia

Research in Saudi Arabia has revealed a shocking level of insufficiently physically active adults, particularly women. The risk of sedentary behavior will likely increase as the number of women with office-based jobs increases. The aim of this study is to determine the level of sedentary behavior, and its associated factors, among Saudi women working office-based jobs in the city of Riyadh. A cross-sectional study of 420 Saudi female employees at 8 office-based worksites were measured to determine body mass index and were given a self-administered survey to evaluate their level of physical activity and sedentary behavior. Median sitting time on work days was 690 min per day (interquartile range, IQR 541–870), with nearly half accumulated during work hours, and 575 min per day (IQR 360–780) on non-work days. Predictors of work day sitting time were level of education, number of children, and working in the private sector. Number of children, whether they were single, and whether they lived in a small home were found to predict non-work day sitting time. This study identifies Saudi women in office-based jobs as a high-risk group for sedentary behavior. There is a need to promote physical activity at worksites and reduce prolonged sitting.

Antenatal Education: An Assessment of Pregnant Women Knowledge and Preferences in Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Antenatal educational programs are delivered during the childbearing years to expecting mothers. These interventions are considered preparatory strategies for physiological and psychological changes during pregnancy. Aim: To assess the antenatal knowledge and describe the learning needs and preferred information seeking behavior of expecting and/or new Saudi mothers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at multiple primary health care centers in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was used to assess levels of antenatal knowledge, educational preferences, and information Results: The mean antenatal knowledge score was low (34.8/100). Educational material in written format was preferred by 39.8% of the sample, followed by a preference for one to one education (18.8%). Physicians were the preferred source of information by 2/3 of the participants. Preferred educational strategies were motivation and support, guidance, problem solving, and dos and don’ts. Selected content ranged from identifying pregnancy symptoms, to post-partum care. Conclusion: Antenatal knowledge scores were low with no variation with age or educational level among this population. Reform in antenatal educational content, channels, and formats should be adapted according to the preferences of the target population. Further research is recommended on the evaluation of the content of antenatal education and its cultural relevance.

Factors associated with late arrival of acute stroke patients to emergency department in Saudi Arabia

Background: Tissue plasminogen activator within 4.5 h of onset is effective for acute ischemic stroke. However, only small proportion of patients is treated due to delayed presentation. We aimed to examine the factors associated with delays of stroke patients in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during a 6-month period. An interviewer administered structured questionnaire addressed to the acute stroke patients or their relatives was used to explore the factors associated with delayed arrival. Results: A total of 227 patients attending the emergency department were interviewed. The mean age was 60.4 ± 15.6 years. Approximately 56.4% presented after 4.5 h of stroke onset. Factors associated with late arrival were being alone during the onset of stroke, not being transported in an ambulance, not knowing that they were experiencing a stroke, and residing outside the city of Riyadh. Conclusion: More than half of patients missed the golden hours for thrombolysis due to delayed presentation. Reasons include lack of knowledge, underuse of ambulance and difficult access to care. Urgent community-based interventions are needed to address these factors.