Prevalence of low back pain and disability among secondary school teacher in the eastern province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional analytical study.

Introduction: Lower back pain is common worldwide and affects over 600,000 people annually, including teachers. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of low back pain and disability among secondary school teachers in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study included secondary school teachers in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. 34 schools were selected using a multistage stratified sampling approach. Teachers were allotted randomly and proportionally to each school. Data was collected by anonymous questionnaire having three elements: sociodemographic and health-related questions, the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire, and the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire. The anthropometric data was also included. Both unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: A total of 601 teachers participated in the study with 62.56% reported low back pain. The overall mean age was 40.31 ± 8.13 years. The male-to-female ratio was similar. Back pain was significantly higher among females than males (73.36 and 51.52%, respectively). Additionally, back pain will significantly increase when stress levels and the number of classes increases. A positive correlation was found between age with low back pain (p = 0.001).There was minimal disability in 64.63% of the 376 teachers who reported low back pain, moderate disability in 29.79%, and severe disability in 4.79%, and only three (0.8%) were considered crippled. Females were more frequently seen in moderate and crippled categories, and perceived stress levels generally increased mean disability scores. Age and female gender were revealed to be significant predictors of low back pain by logistic regression (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-1.07) and (adjusted OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.45-3.05), respectively. The number of classes per week was also a significant predictor. Conclusion: This study adds to the epidemiological evidence that reveals a high prevalence of low back pain and disability among teachers. Identified risk factors in this study may also reinforce the importance of setting different interventions and preventive measures to reduce lower back pain risk.

Perception and clinical practice regarding mucus clearance devices with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study of healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: Clearing secretions from the airway can be difficult for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Mucus clearance devices (MCDs) are an option in disease management to help with this, but healthcare provider awareness and knowledge about them as well as current clinical practice in Saudi Arabia are not known. DESIGN: A cross-sectional online survey consisting of four themes; demographics, awareness, recommendations and clinical practice, for MCDs with COPD patients. SETTING: Saudi Arabia. PARTICIPANTS: 1188 healthcare providers including general practitioners, family physicians, pulmonologists, nursing staff, respiratory therapists and physiotherapists. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Healthcare providers' level of awareness about MCDs, and the identification of current clinical practices of COPD care in Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: 1188 healthcare providers (44.4% female) completed the survey. Regarding devices, 54.2% were aware of the Flutter, 23.8% the Acapella and 5.4% the positive expiratory pressure mask. 40.7% of the respondents identified the Acapella, and 22.3% the Flutter as first choice for COPD management. 75% would usually or always consider their use in COPD patients reporting daily difficulty clearing mucus, whereas 55.9% would sometimes or usually consider the use of MCDs with COPD patients who produced and were able to clear mucus with cough. In clinical practice, 380 (32%) of the respondents would prescribe MCDs, 378 (31.8%) would give MCDs without prescriptions, 314 (26.4%) would not provide them at all and 116 (9.8%) would only advise patients about them. CONCLUSION: Healthcare providers are aware of the existence of MCDs and their benefits for sputum clearance and believe that MCDs are beneficial for sputum clearance in some COPD patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN44651852.

Hepatitis C infection awareness among fourth year medical students at University of Dammam.

OBJECTIVES: To determine awareness about hepatitis C among 4th -year medical students at Dammam University, on hepatitis C and possible associated factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire comprising questions on awareness of hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission, screening of the population, symptoms, complications, prevention, and treatment. RESULTS: A total of 201 students participated, with a response rate of 79.8%. About 75% of students had a poor grasp of HCV transmission while the awareness of <25% of students was fair. More than half of students had fair knowledge about screening, prevention, and treatment of HCV. The majority of students were familiar with the clinical presentation and complications of HCV. The overall awareness of the 4th -year medical students on HCV infection was fair, with no significant difference between males and females. CONCLUSIONS: Overall grasp of hepatitis C by the studied group was fair. However, there were serious gaps in their knowledge, which need to be filled or modified, especially knowledge about transmission which was poor.