Association Between Risk for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Prevention Among Faculty Members and Administrative Staff of a Saudi University.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus prevalence continues to rise globally, causing disability and decreased productivity among patients, a significant strain on healthcare systems, and a burden on national economies. In 2021, diabetes will affect approximately 537 million adults. The rising prevalence of prediabetes worldwide also poses a significant public health threat, as it is estimated that by 2030, more than 470 million individuals will be prediabetic. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the association between the risk of prediabetes and the level of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) prevention among faculty members and administrative staff of a Saudi university. METHODS: An analytic cross-sectional study design was utilized. The prediabetes risk of respondents was assessed using a risk test developed by the CDC, while the participants' diabetes prevention practices were determined using a researcher-developed questionnaire. Data were collected from 360 selected faculty members and administrative staff of three randomly selected health colleges and three non-health colleges at King Faisal University, Hofuf, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, between September 25 and October 13, 2022. The collected data were subjected to estimation of proportion and logistic regression analyses using Epi InfoTM version 7. RESULTS: Nearly 40% of respondents (39.72%, 95% CI: 34.80, 44.86) were found to be at high risk for prediabetes. The majority of university faculty and administrative staff consistently practiced T2DM preventive measures related to the limitation of processed food consumption, smoking cessation, and regular checking of weight and the nutritional value of food. However, there was poor T2DM prevention practice in terms of exercise, consumption of sweetened beverages, and stress reduction. Those who had a high prediabetes risk were 1.17 times more likely to engage in T2DM prevention practices. However, they were found to be 19% less likely to perform T2DM prevention practices when sociodemographic variables were held constant. CONCLUSION: Prediabetes risk was prevalent among Saudi university faculty and administrative staff. T2DM prevention was not consistently practiced by those who had a high risk for prediabetes. High prediabetes risk was negatively associated with the level of T2DM prevention.

Association between organ donation awareness and willingness among Saudi university students.

BACKGROUND: As the global incidence of end-stage organ failure increases, the gap between organ donors and recipients continues to widen. This study was conducted to determine the association between organ donation awareness and organ donation willingness among students of a Saudi university. DESIGN AND METHODS: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Multi-stage stratified random sampling was used to select the required 723 sample size. Estimation of proportion of students who were aware about organ donation and those who were willing to donate their organs was performed using EpiInfo© Version 7. Association between organ donation awareness and willingness was determined using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Nearly 98% of the participants were aware that organ donation saves lives (95% CI: 96.27%-98.53%); 84.09% were aware that Islam allows organ donation (95% CI: 81.25%-86.58%); 64.87% were aware that organ donation is successfully done in Saudi Arabia (95% CI: 61.32%-68.26%); 32.64% were aware that the government gives incentives to the family of an organ donor (95% CI: 29.32%-36.14%). Over half (56.71%) of the students (95% CI: 53.07 - 60.28%) expressed willingness to donate their organs. Positive association was found between awareness on the position of Islam on organ donation (OR=2.7023, p<0.0001) and awareness of that organ donation can be successfully performed in Saudi Arabia (OR=1.9447, p=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Awareness that Islam allows organ donation and awareness that organ donation is successfully done in Saudi Arabia increased the students' willingness to donate.

Association of vaccine awareness and confidence on the influenza vaccination status of Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia residents.

While the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health has made seasonal influenza vaccination available for several years, there remains a scarcity of vaccination coverage reports outside of the capital city. Understanding factors that affect vaccine uptake is important in developing strategies to improve coverage. This analytic cross-sectional study utilized data from 1377 adult residents randomly selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure from the three administrative sectors of Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Estimates of influenza vaccine coverage were determined for various demographic groups. Logistic regression was applied to determine the associations among the respondents' awareness on influenza vaccination services, their confidence on the influenza vaccine efficacy and safety and their vaccination status. The estimated influenza vaccination coverage was 44.15% (95% CI = 41.55; 46.79). The proportion of residents who received the influenza vaccine differed between demographic groups. Al Ahsa residents who were aware that influenza vaccine is available and those who were aware that it is available for free were 2.7 and 6.3 times more likely to be immunized (p < .001) compared to those who were unaware. Residents who were confident that it is effective in preventing influenza and its complications were 3.6 times more like to be vaccinated while those who were confident that the vaccine is safe were 4.5 times more likely to be immunized (p < .001). Seasonal influenza coverage in Al Ahsa remains low despite the availability of free immunization in the government health facilities. Awareness about vaccine availability and confidence in vaccine efficacy and safety were important determinants of vaccination status.