Burden and Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression in Southwest Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: The burden of postpartum depression (PPD) is significant because it remains unrecognized, and it not only affects the mother adversely but also has a negative consequence on the family life and the development of the infant. The aim of the study was to measure the prevalence of PPD and identify the risk factors of PPD among mothers attending the well-baby clinic of six Primary Health Care centers in Abha city, Southwest Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 228 Saudi women having a child aged between two weeks to one year were recruited in the study by using a consecutive sampling technique. The Arabic version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used as a screening tool to measure the prevalence of PPD. The mothers were also inquired about their socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of postpartum depression was 43.4%. Family conflict, and lack of support by spouse and family during pregnancy were found to be the strongest predictors of developing PPD. Women who had reported family conflict were at six times higher risk for developing PPD compared to those who did not have a family conflict (aOR = 6.5, 95% CI = 2.3-18.4). Women who reported a lack of spousal support during pregnancy encountered 2.3 fold increased risk for PPD (aOR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.0-4.8) and women who had not received family support during pregnancy period were more than three times (aOR = 3.5, 95 % CI 1.6-7.7) likely to experience PPD. CONCLUSION: The risk of PPD among Saudi postnatal women was high. PPD screening should be an integral part of postnatal care. Awareness of women, spouses and families about potential risk factors can be a preventive strategy. The early identification of high-risk women during the antenatal and post-natal period could help to prevent this condition.

Food Safety Knowledge and Attitudes: A Cross-Sectional Study among Saudi Consumers from Food Trucks Owned by Productive Families.

Food businesses, such as food trucks (FTs) and family producers have grown rapidly and become popular with people in Saudi Arabia. As foodborne diseases are still a public health concern in the country, consumers should be aware of the safety of foods sold by food trucks. Since there is a dearth of literature, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of consumers of food from FTs owned by family producers regarding food safety and foodborne disease. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 921 consumers of food from FTs from two cities in the southern region of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using an online questionnaire from September to November 2021. Finally, multiple linear regression and a logistic regression model were used to identify the predictors of knowledge and attitude regarding food safety and foodborne illness, respectively. Overall, respondents had moderate knowledge and higher positive attitudes regarding food safety and foodborne illness. Respondents' knowledge about the potential harm and attitudes towards the safety of foods sold by FTs were significantly associated with marital status, education level, and monthly family income. The findings of this study highlight the need to improve the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes of Saudi consumers of food from FTs owned by family producers on food safety and foodborne illness through intervention programs, particularly targeting consumers with lower educational attainments and income status, to control foodborne diseases.

Factors Affecting Glycemic Control among Saudi Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Aseer Region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is affected by many factors that may be influenced by their lives and community. To identify the factors associated with glycemic control among children with T1DM in Aseer Region, southwestern Saudi Arabia, a cross-sectional interview study was conducted between 1 July and 30 September 2021, with a representative sample of Saudi children aged between 6 months and 15 years with T1DM or their caregivers visiting the diabetes center at Aseer Region. Newly diagnosed cases (<12 months) were excluded from the study. The study included 171 T1DM pediatric patients aged between 18 months and 15 years. The glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level ranged between 6.10% and 15.10% (mean HbA1c = 10.39% ± 1.86%). High HbA1c levels (≥7.5%) were observed in most patients (94.7%). Only two significant factors were found: (1) use of carbohydrate counting; 81.8% of children using carbohydrate counts had high HbA1c levels, compared to 96.6% of children not using carbohydrate counts (p = 0.017), and (2) duration of the disease; 91.5% of children with disease duration of ≤3 years had high levels of HbA1c, compared to 98.7% of children with disease duration exceeding 3 years (p = 0.035). Most children with T1DM in Aseer Region had poor glycemic control. Only two factors were associated with better glycemic control: shorter disease duration and use of carbohydrate counting. Therefore, advising diabetic patients to be on a carbohydrate counting program might improve DM control.

Study of Stroke Incidence in the Aseer Region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Recent data regarding first-stroke incidence in Saudi Arabia in general and in the Aseer region in particular are scarce and even lacking. The aim of this work was to study the first-time stroke incidence in the Aseer region, southwestern Saudi Arabia. All first-stroke patients admitted to all hospitals in the Aseer region over a one-year period (January through December 2016) were included. Stroke patients outside the Aseer region were excluded from the study. The incidence per 100,000 patients and the concomitant 95% CI (Confidence Intervals) were computed. The present study included 1249 first-time stroke patients and calculated an overall minimal incidence rate of hospitalized first-time stroke of 57.64 per 100,000 persons per year (95% CI: 57.57-57.70). A steady increase was noticed depending on the patients' age, reaching a figure of 851.81 (95% CI: 849.2-854.5) for those patients aged 70 years and more. Overall, the incidence rate for females (48.14; 95% CI: 48.04-48.24) was lower compared to males (65.52; 95% CI: 65.1-66.0). Taking into consideration the expected rise of the elderly because of the prominent medical services provided by the Saudi government, leading to a subsequent change in the horizontal and vertical age distribution structure of the population, an increase in the number of stroke patients is expected. It is suggested to establish a nationwide stroke surveillance system in the Kingdom, with the objective to report, analyze, and maintain an updated overview of the stroke status in Saudi Arabia.

In Hospital Stroke Mortality: Rates and Determinants in Southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: The present study analyzed in-hospital first-time stroke mortality in southwestern Saudi Arabia over one-year to assess the in-hospital stroke case fatality rate, mortality rate and explore the factors associated with in-hospital stroke mortality. Study Design: Hospital based follow-up study. Methods: First-time stroke patients admitted to all hospitals in Asser region over one-year period (January through December 2016) were included in the study. Data about personal characteristics, pre-stroke history and clinical criteria, on admission clinical criteria, in-hospital complications and survival status were collected. The last reported Aseer region population was used to calculate age and sex stroke mortality rate per 100,000 population/year. Hazard ratios (HR) and concomitant 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were computed using multivariate Cox regression survival analysis. Kaplan-Meier curve survival analysis for stroke patients were plotted. Results: A total of 121 in-hospital deaths out of 1249 first-time stroke patients giving an overall case fatality rate (CFR) of 9.7%. Non-significant difference with gender and age were observed in CFR. Overall, in-hospital stroke mortality rate was 5.58 per 100,000/year. Males and elders showed a significantly higher mortality rates. Multivariable Cox regression analyses revealed pre-stroke smoking (HR = 2.36), pre-stroke hypertension (HR = 1.77), post-stroke disturbed consciousness (HR = 6.86), poor mobility (HR = 2.60) and developing pulmonary embolism (HR = 2.63) as significant predictors of in-hospital stroke mortality. Conclusions: In Southwestern Saudi Arabia, the in-hospital stroke mortality rate is higher in men and increases with aging. The prognosis of acute stroke could be improved by smoking cessation, better control of hypertension and prevention of in hospital complication particularly pulmonary embolism.

Knowledge about composite restorations repair vs replacement- a survey among a subpopulation of saudi dental students / Conhecimento sobre reparo e substituição de restaurações de resina - uma pesquisa entre uma subpopulação de estudantes sauditas de odontologia

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge among dental students at King Khalid University, Jazan University, and Najran University in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia about when to repair or replace defective direct composite restoration. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was formulated, pursuing the information about management (repair/replacement) of defective composite restorations and distributed among 200 dental students of three universities in the southern region of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The data were collected with the help of an online questionnaire. Data entry and the analysis were done using the statistical software package SPSS version 20.0. It was presented using descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies and percentages for qualitative variables, and range means and standard deviations for age, quantitative variable. Analytic statistics were done using Chi-Square tests (χ2) to test the significant difference between categorical variables. The level of significance, the p-value was 0.01(p<0.01). Results: The decision to choose between composite repair or replacement was influenced by whether this topic was taught to them at various undergraduate levels during Bachelor of Dental Surgery. The reason associated with the decision to repair defective composite restorations, 76% reported as cost-effective followed by Increased longevity (71%), the permanent filling (70%), patient's preference for repair (65%), and least time consuming (50%). 67% participants preferred significantly (p<0.001) repair due to secondary caries in the previously restored tooth with composite, followed by the small surface defect in a composite restoration (65%), risk of pulpal damage significantly (p<0.001) in a defective composite restoration (62.5%) and more invasive and destructive treatment option (35%). More than half of respondents 123 (61.5%) reported that they were not taught about composite repair during the Bachelor of Dental Surgery. Conclusion: It is suggested with the help of our study that didactic and clinical training components regarding composite repair should be seriously included in the teaching curriculum of dental institutions as it is in the best interest of the patient. Dental students should be provided with clinical training on this topic so that they can follow proper decision-making protocols available during repair or replacement of defective resin composite restorations. Other researches in the future can be carried out for refining the guidelines and techniques utilized for composite repair. (AU)

Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o conhecimento entre estudantes de odontologia da King Khalid University, Jazan University e Najran University, no reino da Arábia Saudita, sobre quando reparar ou substituir restaurações de resina composta direta defeituosas. Material e Métodos: Foi formulada uma pesquisa baseada em questionário, buscando informações sobre o manejo (reparo / substituição) de restaurações de resina composta e distribuída entre 200 estudantes de odontologia de três universidades da região sul do reino da Arábia Saudita. Os dados foram coletados com o auxílio de um questionário online. A entrada e análise dos dados foram feitas com o software estatístico SPSS versão 20.0. Foi apresentado por meio de estatística descritiva na forma de frequências e percentuais para as variáveis qualitativas, e amplitude de médias e desvios-padrão para a idade, variável quantitativa. A estatística analítica foi feita usando testes de qui-quadrado (χ2) para testar a diferença significativa entre as variáveis categóricas. Ao nível de significância, o valor de p foi de 0,01 (p <0,01). Resultados: A decisão de escolher entre o reparo ou substituição do compósito foi influenciada pelo fato de este tópico ter sido ensinado a eles em vários níveis de graduação durante o Bacharelado em Odontologia. O motivo associado à decisão de reparar restaurações de resina composta defeituosas, 76% relataram como custo-benefício seguido por maior longevidade (71%), restauração definitva (70%), preferência do paciente para reparo (65%) e menos demorado ( 50%). Sessenta e sete por cento dos participantes preferiram o reparo significativamente (p <0,001) devido a cárie secundária no dente previamente restaurado com resina composta, seguido pelo pequeno defeito de superfície em uma restauração composta (65%), risco de dano pulpar significativamente (p <0,001) em um restauração de resina composta com defeito (62,5%) e opção de tratamento mais invasiva e destrutiva (35%). Mais da metade dos entrevistados, 123 (61,5%) relataram que não foram ensinados sobre reparo de resina composta durante o Bacharelado em Odonotlogia. Conclusão: É sugerido com a ajuda de nosso estudo que os componentes do treinamento didático e clínico sobre reparo de resina composta devem ser seriamente incluídos no currículo de ensino de instituições odontológicas, pois é do interesse do paciente. Os estudantes de odontologia devem receber treinamento clínico sobre este tópico para que possam seguir os protocolos de tomada de decisão adequados disponíveis durante o reparo ou substituição de restaurações de resina composta com defeito. Outras pesquisas no futuro podem ser realizadas para refinar as diretrizes e técnicas utilizadas para reparo de resina (AU)