The impact of health beliefs and trust in health information sources on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine uptake.

Background: Health beliefs may mediate the relationship between trust and vaccination decisions, as confidence in online health information has expanded quickly. However, little is known about how health attitudes and trust in health information affect COVID-19 vaccine intention. This study aimed to assess the effect of health beliefs and trust in information sources on the willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine among the general public in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study was designed and carried out at the Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Selected items were extracted from the Saudi Residents' Intention to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19 (SRIGVAC) survey. They were categorized and validated into constructs of a health belief model (the perceived threat of COVID-19, vaccine-related benefits, barriers, and safety concerns) and trust in health information (from online platforms and health authorities/providers). Regression analysis and parallel mediation were used to assess the predictors of vaccination intentions. Results: Based on the responses of 3,091 participants, vaccine-related barriers and safety concerns negatively influenced vaccination intention, whereas vaccine benefits and the perceived threat of COVID-19 were positively correlated with vaccination intention. Trust in online health information had a direct relationship with intentions (ß = 0.09, p < 0.0001) as well as indirect relationships through the perceived benefits (ß = 0.095), the perceived barriers (ß = -0.029), and the perceived safety concerns toward the vaccine (ß = -0.010). The relationship between the willingness to vaccinate and trust in authentic information was fully mediated by all domains of health beliefs, with indirect coefficients of 0.004, 0.310, -0.134, and -0.031 for the perceived threat, vaccine benefits, barriers, and safety concerns, respectively. Conclusion: The relationship between the willingness to vaccinate and trust in authentic information was fully mediated by all domains of health beliefs. Vaccine coverage in Saudi Arabia can be optimized by targeting the health beliefs of the general public.

Determinants of Vitamin D deficiency among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: A retrospective study.

Recent studies have shown an association between vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (T2DM), but the precise relationship between these conditions has yet to be clarified. In this study, we aimed to estimate the incidence of VDD among diabetic patients and identify any relationship between diabetes and the determinants of VDD among T2DM individuals. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Patients of either gender were selected from electronic records and checked for vitamin D levels, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and other parameters. A total of 864 subjects were enrolled. Subjects were grouped according to HbA1c levels, with < 5.7%, 5.7% to 6.49%, and > 6.5% considered normal, impaired, and diabetic, respectively. VDD was common, with an incidence of 723 (83.7%) subjects. A significantly lower vitamin D level was found in diabetic subjects than in nondiabetic subjects (29.1 ±â€…12.0 vs 44.0 ±â€…28.3, P < .001). A total of 207/209 (99%) subjects with impaired HbA1c and 179/183 (97.8%) people with diabetes had VDD. Interestingly, none of the diabetic or impaired HbA1c subjects had normal vitamin D levels. A significant association was found between VDD and being > 50 years old, overweight, or obese, as well as HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, calcium, and total cholesterol (TC) levels. A high rate of VDD and significantly lower vitamin D levels were found in diabetic subjects. Age, being overweight, obesity, HbA1c, and fasting plasma glucose were the few determinants of VDD among T2DM patients. These findings highlight the importance of addressing vitamin D status in managing and preventing T2DM, particularly in those over the age of 50, those who have higher body weight, and those with raised HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose levels.

Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research Productivity on Vitamin D and Bone Metabolism (2001-2020): Learn from the Past to Plan Future.

Vitamin D has long been known for preserving bone and non-skeletal health. Despite its magnitude of impact, scarce literature has explored the evolution of the relevant published literature. This study aimed at evaluating the trends and performance of Vitamin D and bone metabolism-related publications (2001−2020). All pertinent English language 16,887 articles were searched and extracted from the Web of Science (WoS) database and "R-Bibliometrix" was used for comprehensive analysis. Around 60,149 authors contributed from 114 countries, showing the USA on top with >1/4th of all articles, followed by Japan, China, and the United Kingdom. For authors, Cooper C, Dawson-Hughes B, and Holick MF were found to have written the most articles, citations and highest h-index, respectively. Corresponding authors from the top 20 countries collectively were responsible for around 84% of the articles. Among 2735 sources, Osteoporosis International (632), Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (569), and Bone (448) were foremost. Most prominent sources showed recent declining contributions. The increasing trend of publications with a higher spike from 2008 to 2014, followed by a gradual increase till 2017, was observed. Leading countries, affiliations, and authors showed collaborative publications and were mostly from developed countries with limited contributions, particularly from low- and middle-income countries.

Medical Students' perceptions and attitudes toward Medical Leadership and Management.

OBJECTIVES: To find out medical students' perceptions and attitudes toward medical leadership and management (MLM). METHODS: A total of 336 medical students from the 2nd to 6th academic years from King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), were included in this cross-sectional study. This study was conducted in January-February 2020. The students were asked about their perceptions, attitudes, and interests in the leadership of medical care and clinicians. A four-part questionnaire was used for collecting data. SPSS-21 was used for analysis. RESULTS: The participants included 172 (51.2%) males and 164 (48.8%) females. In total, 105 (31.3%) participants agreed that they had been very well educated about their perception, behavior, and interest in the field of medical leadership and clinic management, and 175 (52.1%) students agreed that clinicians should influence management decisions in a healthcare setting. Overall, 167 (49.7%) students agreed that management/leadership skills are important for clinicians. In total, 145 students (43.2%) desired to have more leadership training in medical school, and 129 (38.4%) students agreed to seek additional leadership/management training in their postgraduate research studies. When asked about their self-perception of good leadership skills, the students indicated that good leadership skills included integrity (47.9%), conflict resolution (46.7%), organization (44.4%), confidence (41.9%), communication (40.5%), self-reflection (40.2%), time management (33.6%), the ability to motivate others (36.9%), and the ability to keep calm under stress (33.3%). CONCLUSION: Many students were well aware of the MLM concepts. However, students agreed that management/leadership skills are important for clinicians, and there should be more leadership training in medical schools.

Prevalence of alexithymia and associated factors among medical students at King Abdulaziz University: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Medical students are at higher risk of developing alexithymia due to the nature of their studies. OBJECTIVES: Determine the prevalence of alexithymia and potential risk factors among medical students in Saudi Arabia. DESIGN: A cross-sectional analytic study. SETTINGS: University medical school. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An institutional cross-sectional survey of medical students was conducted using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) to assess the prevalence of alexithymia and potentially associated factors (gender, parental marital status, grade point average, status of accommodations, smoking status, year of study, childhood abuse, a history of mental illness, and physical activity). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gender, parental marital status, grade point average, status of accommodations, smoking status, year of study, childhood abuse, a history of mental illness, and physical activity. SAMPLE SIZE: 347. RESULTS: The prevalence of alexithymia among medical students was 49% (95% confidence interval [43.8-54.2]). A binary logistic regression model showed significant associations between alexithymia and academic year of study (lower risk of alexithymia in the clerkship (5th, 6th years); odds ratio [OR]: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.26-0.72), smoking (OR: 3.52, 95% CI: 1.60-3.34), grade point average (lowest; OR: 10.44, 95% CI: 4.24-25.77), history of childhood abuse (OR: 2, 95% CI: 1.20-8.77), and history of psychiatric illness (OR: 14.40, 95% CI: 4.76-21.06). CONCLUSION: Almost half of the medical students suffer from alexithymia. Increasing the awareness about alexithymia among students and directing them where to seek help would facilitate the management of these problems. LIMITATIONS: Limited only to medical students from the second year to the sixth year in a single medical college, which affects generalizability. The cross-sectional design might have also limited generalizability. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

Association between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at a tertiary care hospital: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the association between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at a tertiary care hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (SA). METHODS: The present retrospective cross-sectional study was accomplished at the Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, SA, between April and July 2018. There were 206 T2DM patients selected for the study (141 females and 65 males), and the data were collected through a review of the electronic profiles of patients by using the medical electronic file system used at the KAU Hospital. Biochemical data such as fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c and lipid profile, along with the patient's age, BMI and gender, were also taken from the electronic file system. The inclusion criteria allowed for only patients who were regularly seeing their physician and whose electronic file was up to date. RESULTS: The participants' data were analyzed gender-wise. The females had significantly higher values for BMI (p=0.002), HbA1c (p=0.009), triglycerides (TGs) (p<0.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p=0.002) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p<0.001) compared to the males. The study subjects were grouped according to their level of HbA1c (good glycemic index <7%, and poor glycemic index >7%). In both groups, no significant differences were found in any of the parameters other than TGs (p=0.020) and HbA1c (p<0.001). An analysis of the correlation between HbA1c and other parameters exhibited a significant correlation with TG (r=0.16, p=0.020), while no significant relationship was observed with the other variables. The linear regression results indicated that HbA1c values were associated with TGs (p=0.020) and were independent of age, BMI, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and FPG levels. CONCLUSION: The glycated Hb was associated with TGs, and no significant association was found with age, BMI, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and FPG levels.

Five-year epidemiological trends for chemical poisoning in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Poisoning is a significant global public health challenge in terms of morbidity and mortality. We conducted this study because of the lack of large population-based studies on chemical poisoning in Saudi Arabia. OBJECTIVE: Describe epidemiological trends, associated factors, and outcomes of chemical poisoning cases reported to the Jeddah Health Affairs Directorate, Saudi Arabia. DESIGN: Descriptive, retrospective medical record review. SETTING: Population database for the Jeddah Governorate. METHODS: For chemical poisoning cases reported from January 2011 to December 2015, data was collection using a standardized, validated data collection sheet. Data was collected on personal characteristics, type of chemical poisoning and outcome. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Descriptive epidemiological data and statistical comparisons. RESULTS: For 994 chemical poisoning cases, an increasing trend was observed from 2011 to 2013 followed by some reduction during 2014 and 2015. The highest percentage of cases occurred during July followed by March for the cumulative total cases by month for all years. More than half of the cases involved males (55%), and children aged less than 5 years (56.6%). About three-fourths of the cases occurred accidentally and through ingestion. The most common poisonous agents were detergents (36.0%). Poisoning with addictive drugs occurred in 13 cases (1.3%). Only 1.1% of cases received a poisoning specific antidote, and the same percentage died because of poisoning. Gender, age, nationality, the route and the circumstances of the exposure were significantly associated with the type of poisoning (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Most of chemical poisoning cases were accidental, occurred during summer, were caused by detergents, affected children < 5 years of age, and occurred via ingestion. Educational programs are needed to raise public awareness about poisoning, and to minimize the access of children to poisonous agents, especially detergents. Such measures could contribute toward a further reduction of the chemical poisoning burden. LIMITATIONS: Some key statistics not reported. Information bias may have affected results.

Prevalence and factors associated with geriatric malnutrition in an outpatient clinic of a teaching hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is highly prevalent among the elderly and is associated with poor clinical prognosis, decreased functional status, and increased morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of geriatric malnutrition among outpatients of a geriatric clinic and to determine factors associated with malnutrition. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Geriatric outpatient clinic of the King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients older than 60 years of age who attended the clinic during January 2016 were eligible for inclusion. Nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric data and by hemoglobin and albumin levels and lymphocyte count. The MNA was used to define malnutrition. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Anthropometric measures, biochemical tests, and the scores on the short version of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). RESULTS: According to the MNA results, 8 (5.3%) of 152 elderly patients suffered overt malnutrition and 50 (32.9%) were at risk of malnutrition (71 males and 41 females; aged 72.4 [8.6] years). The prevalence of malnutrition was significantly higher among females (44.6%; 95% CI, 1.01-4.08; P=.044) than in males (28.3%). Malnourished patients were older than patients with normal nutritional status (mean 72.4 [8.6] years), and more common in patients who lived alone (62.5%). The malnourished patients had significantly smaller calf circumferences (63.4; 95% CI, 1.51-3.20; P=.001), and lower albumin and hemoglobin levels (P=.001). A significantly higher percentage of the malnourished patients compared with normal patients had experienced weight loss (37.9%; P < .001) and decreased food intake (56.9%; P < .001) during the previous three months. Binary logistic regression revealed that being female and living alone were significant predictors for being categorized as malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of malnutrition is high among geriatric outpatients. Routine screening for malnutrition among geriatric patients would allow early diagnosis and prompt intervention. LIMITATIONS: The heterogeneity of the study group (different diseases at different stages) could influence the generalizability of our findings. The relatively small number of patients (P=.002) is a potential limitation.