ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Pediatric ear infections constitute a significant public health concern worldwide, adversely impacting children's health and well-being. Parents play a crucial role in prevention, ensuring timely healthcare access, and therefore minimizing potential complications. This study aims to assess parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards pediatric ear infections in Makkah region. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among Saudi parents who were ≥18 years old and lived in Makkah region. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 319 participants through social media platforms; data were collected from June to September 2023 via an online self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed sociodemographic characteristics, along with knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to pediatric ear infections. RESULTS: A total of 319 parents were included in the study. The majority of the participants were female 228 (71.5%), and 208 (65.2%) had a university education level. The most common age groups were 18-30 years and 31-40 years. More than half of the participants (167, 52.4%) demonstrated adequate knowledge regarding pediatric ear infections. Positive attitudes and practices were reported by 183 (57.4%) and 285 (89.3%) of participants, respectively. Adequate knowledge was significantly higher among participants with younger ages (p<0.05). It was found that having a younger age (18-30 years) was an independent predictor of good knowledge (OR: 1.26 (1.96-3.65), p=0.009) and positive practice (OR: 1.53 (1.01-2.33), p=0.045). CONCLUSION: We found that the majority of parents in Makkah region had a good level of knowledge regarding childhood ear infections, with an overall positive attitude and practice. The study revealed that younger parents had superior knowledge and younger age was an independent predictor for good knowledge and positive attitude.
ABSTRACT
Background and aim A healthy lifestyle is defined as a way of living that reduces the likelihood of severe illness or early death. Factors required for a healthy lifestyle, such as regular physical activity, better sleep patterns, improved dietary habits, probable caffeine consumption, and decreased feelings of anxiety, are generally assumed to be important for high academic performance. This study aims to investigate the correlation between a healthy lifestyle and academic success among health profession students at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. By doing so, we could potentially lead to the implementation of targeted interventions to support students in achieving their best academic potential. Methods This is an observational cross-sectional study conducted among health profession students at Umm Al-Qura University. An online questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic information and the impact of lifestyle characteristics on academic performance from October to November 2023. Data were analyzed using RStudio (R version 4.3.1). Results A total of 652 students participated in the study. The majority were between the ages of 18 and 25 years (97.2%, n=634). Females constituted the majority of the participants (69.9%, n=456). Regarding the field of study, the College of Medicine had the highest representation (52.9%, n=345). Regarding body mass index, the normal weight category was the most prevalent, encompassing 59.8% (n=390) of the participants. The results show that the participants generally had a good grade point average (GPA) in the range of 3.50 to 4.00. Also, the time spent on social media applications was not correlated with academic performance (P=0.575). Importantly, the majority of participants perceived that lifestyle habits impacted their academic performance. Conclusion This study found that unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as lack of physical activity, inadequate sleep, poor dietary choices, smoking, and mental health issues such as anxiety, have a negative impact on academic performance. Therefore, the dissemination of relevant knowledge is needed to promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle and raise students' awareness.
ABSTRACT
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an autoimmune response that may occur after a group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection. Subcutaneous nodules are considered a rare manifestation of acute rheumatic fever with an incidence of 0%-10%. We present a case study of a 13-year-old girl who presented to us with subcutaneous nodules and articular involvement described as a non-migratory polyarticular joint pain involving the small joints of the hands, wrist, elbows, knees, and ankles for three months with poor response to the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Ibuprofen. Accompanied with the presence of carditis, the patient fulfilled three major and two minor criteria of the revised Jones criteria 2015. Therefore, a diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever was made. The child was asymptomatic on subsequent visits, and although the subcutaneous nodules subsided, she will continue to receive penicillin every month for five years. We describe the successful diagnosis and management of a patient with ARF.
