The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Academic Stress among Medical Students of King Khalid University: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study.

Medical students are the category of academic population with the highest levels of stress. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of academic stress among medical students in Saudi Arabia and to identify its associated factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine at King Khalid University, Abha. The Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) was used to evaluate the stress caused by different factors. A total of 422 medical students participated in this study. Among the participants, 115 (27.3%) were male and 307 (72.7%) were female. The highest percentage of students were perceiving moderate to severe stress due to academic-related stressors (97.1%), followed by teaching- and learning-related stressors (93.9%) and group activities-related stressors (88.3%). The lowest domain in which students perceived moderate to severe stress was drive and desire-related stressors (65.8%). The mean percentage of students who perceived moderate-to-severe stress in all domains of stressors was 85.5%. We can conclude that medical students have a high degree of stress, and we emphasize the importance of implementing stress management programs to teach students how to handle stress in order to avoid negative effects on their health and academic performance.

A challenging case of suspected solanine toxicity in an eleven-year-old Saudi boy.

Potatoes are commonly consumed food item that contributes key nutrients to the diet including vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber. Despite their nutritional value, potato tuber may harm human health by virtue of their toxic glycoalkaloids (solanine). Acute solanine poisoning can happen from ingesting green or sprouted potatoes. The toxicity of Gas in humans causes mainly gastrointestinal disturbances such as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. However, at higher doses, the toxicity of Gas in humans produces more severe symptoms, including fever, rapid pulse, low blood pressure, rapid respiration, and neurological disorders. Though potatoes are widely consumed, their toxicity is relatively rare. We came across a suspected case of poisoning by raw potato ingestion in an 11 years old Saudi boy who suffered cardiovascular complications, and was managed conservatively in pediatric ICU. The diagnosis was made based on history and clinical presentation. The patient recovered completely and was discharged with counseling.

Prevalence and Correlates of Vitamin D Deficiency in Children Aged Less than Two Years: A Cross-Sectional Study from Aseer Region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Background: Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for bone growth, mineralization, and other metabolic processes in the human body. Hence, insufficiency or deficiency of this vitamin can have long-term effects, particularly for children. Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in children up to 2 years of age and investigate the independent predictors of vitamin D deficiency. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 484 children aged up to two years who were admitted to the hospital for the treatment of any acute condition from January to November 2021. Serum 25(OH)D was used to determine the level of vitamin D. The serum 25(OH)D was categorized into 3 groups: Sufficiency (>30 ng/mL), insufficiency (20−30 ng/mL), and the deficiency (<20 ng/mL). Results: Overall, vitamin D deficiency was observed in 70.5% of the children, of whom 45.9% had insufficient levels, and one-fourth (24.6%) showed deficiency. The children aged 2−12 months (infants) were more likely to be vitamin deficient compared to children aged 12 months and above. The children who lived in urban areas had a threefold increased risk of vitamin D deficiency (aOR = 3.0, 95% CI 1.78−5.08). The children who were exposed to sunlight for less than 3 days per week experienced a higher risk of developing vitamin D deficiency (aOR = 4.17, 95% CI 2.04−10.88). Children who had received only breast milk were more than two times more likely to experience vitamin D deficiency (aOR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.12−5.23) compared to their counterparts. Conclusion: Our study reveals a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among children aged up to two years. Infants, urban dwellers, only breastfed, and exposure to sunlight for less than three days per week were identified to be the independent risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. The results of this work call for enhancing awareness to ensure adequate levels of vitamin D for better health of the children in this region of Saudi Arabia.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Food Poisoning among Parents in Aseer Region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Background: Food poisoning is caused by eating contaminated food. Improper food safety knowledge, poor food handling, and inadequate personal hygiene may allow microbes to grow in sufficient numbers to cause a food-borne illness. The aim of this paper was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding food poisoning and its determinants of parents in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on 3011 parents in the Aseer region in the southwest region of Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was used to collect the data. The level of knowledge of the participants was scored as a percentage and further classified as "good" or "poor". Attitudes were classified as "positive", "neutral", or "negative" based on a calculated composite mean score. The participants were asked about standard food hygiene practices, and the practices were recorded based on how often they were performed, with the results recorded as "usually", "sometimes", or "never". Results: The age range of the parents was between 18 and 65 years old, with a mean age of 28.9 ± 10.4 years. Among the participants, 96.2% were Saudi, and 81.8% were female. Almost 53% of the fathers and 41% of the mothers were university graduates. About 55% of the mothers were housewives. Almost equal proportions of the parents had "good" and "poor" levels of knowledge on food poisoning. Around 41% of the parents had positive attitudes towards safe food consumption. Older parents (defined as above 30 years of age), males, university graduates, and urban residents had significantly higher levels of knowledge regarding food poisoning. Conclusions: This study provided much needed information on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to food poisoning among parents in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia. Although most respondents reported satisfactory practices, gaps were identified in knowledge and attitudes. This suggests a need for further investigation focused on the observed practices and strengthening health education activities for the community.

Risk factors of multiple sclerosis in Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia A case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate socio-demographic and environmental risk factors of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: This was a retrospective, record, and interview based matched case control study completed in the neurology clinics at tertiary hospitals in Aseer, KSA. It included 82 MS cases and 82 controls. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect information on key socio-demographic and environmental exposures. The main outcome measure was a statistically significant relationship of key socio-demographic and environmental risk factors with MS. RESULTS: A total of 82 registered patients, 50 were females, resulting in a female to male ratio of 1.56:1. Various risk factors were found to have a statistically significant association with MS which included female (OR=3.01, 95% CI [1.59:5.69]; p<0.001), family history of MS (OR=2.1, 95%CI [2.4:1.7] p=0.04), low exposure to sunlight (OR=2.02, 95%CI [2.53: 9.9] p<0.001), only fed breast milk in childhood (OR=0.46, 95%CI [0.55:0.39]; p<0.001), parental consanguinity (OR=2.17 95%CI [4.11:1.14] p=0.017), history of chickenpox (OR=15.59 95% CI [68.7:3.55]; p<0.01). On using multiple logistic regression, chicken pox infection (AOR=0.045, 95%CI [0.015-0.135]; p=0.001)and low sun-exposure (AOR=.271, 95%CI [.121-.609]; p<0.05) were deduced as the predictors of MS in this region. CONCLUSION: This study offers unique insights into the risk factors of MS. Low sun exposure and childhood chickenpox are significantly related to the development of MS in the Aseer region.

Awareness of stroke among patients attending primary healthcare services in Abha, Southwestern Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the awareness about major symptoms, risk factors, and response to stroke among the population in Abha, Southwestern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Improving stroke-related knowledge may advance stroke prevention and reduce pretreatment delay and disabilities. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among a representative sample of primary healthcare adult patients between January-May 2016 and used a validated Arabic questionnaire to evaluate the participants` awareness about stroke. RESULTS: The study involved 1472 adults. Only 63.6% and 43.7% of participants correctly recognized thrombosis and hemorrhage as types of stroke. Commonly identified risk factors were hypertension (55.8%), dyslipidemia (45.8%), and smoking (41.9%). Sudden severe headache (54.1%), dizziness (51.0%), and difficulty in speaking (44.3%) were the most frequently recognized symptoms. The most frequently reported correct responses to stroke were contacting a doctor (73.0%), going to the hospital (67.2%), and calling an ambulance (52.4%). Improper responses to stroke (ignoring the condition or self-prescription) were noted in 18.8% of participants. Logistic regression revealed that physicians, nurses, friends and relatives as a source of knowledge were significantly associated with a lower insufficient knowledge of stroke symptoms and risk factors. On the other hand, women, persons above 40 years old, and married persons were significantly more prone to have insufficient knowledge about a proper response to stroke. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed a notable deficit of knowledge about warning symptoms, risk factors, and proper response to stroke. Health education strategies to improve stroke awareness are required and could potentially prevent and improve the outcome of stroke.

Contraceptive use as limiters and spacers among women of reproductive age in southwestern, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence, socioeconomic, and demographic determinants of contraceptive use among women of reproductive age residing in Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The data of this study was collected through a cross sectional survey conducted on unmet need for family planning in Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between March and May 2016. Three hundred and seventy-four married women were recruited from 6 primary health care centers by a consecutive sampling technique. Data was collected via an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Chi-square test was carried out to identify the factors associated with contraceptive use. RESULTS: The prevalence of contraceptive use rate was 58.8%. Among users, 60% were spacers and 40% were limiters. Among more than two-thirds of the women, the decision to use a family planning method was a joint decision of the couple; and 25% reported it as their own decision. Oral pills and  intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD)were the most popular methods. The most significant associated factors were age, education of women, gravida, number of living children, gender, and age of the last child. Younger age was related with the spacers and older age with birth limiting. Woman's education level showed a significant positive association with birth spacing. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that a sizable percentage of women in Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are using contraceptions. This finding indicates the need of comprehensive family planning program in the region.

Demographic and disease characteristics of multiple sclerosis in the Southwest Region of Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To study the basic demographic and disease characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the Southwest Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This is a retrospective study on demographics and risk factors of 82 MS cases registered in the Armed Forces Hospital, Khamis Mushayt, and the Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted from April 2017 to April 2018. Data was gathered through interview questionnaires and review of medical records. Frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations (SD) were used for descriptive statistics. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to investigate differences between male and female patients at 95% confidence intervals (CI). Differences were considered statistically significant at p<0.05. RESULTS: Out of the total of 82 patients, 50 were female, yielding a female-to-male ratio of 1.56:1. The mean age at disease diagnosis was 30.50+/-9.29 years. As compared to females, the proportion of male patients in the younger age group at disease diagnosis was significantly higher (78.1%, p=0.003) than that in the older age group. Mean disease duration was 4.07+/-3.65 years. The most common variant of the disease was the remitting-relapsing type (64.6%). Optic symptoms (37.8%) were the most common predominant symptom at diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This study provides the baseline information about patients with MS in the Aseer region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and offers useful insights into male-female differences in the manifestation of this disease. Further prospective studies are needed.