Investigating the Interrelationships Between Obesity, Academic Achievement, Physical Activity, and Social Support Among Jazan University Students.

Background: In developing and developed countries, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has grown. The college phase is a critical period during which healthy behaviors are learned through lifestyle and social environment. College students are prone to increased stress, negatively affecting their daily activities and academic performance. Objective: The general study objective was to investigate the prevalence of obesity among Jazan University students. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study used a pre-tested self-administered anonymous electronic questionnaire to evaluate the prevalence of obesity among 474 Jazan University students and its association with academic performance, physical activity, and social support. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, and associations between variables were assessed using the chi-square test. Results: Approximately 21% and 9.2% of the male and female students were obese, respectively, and the prevalence of obesity significantly differed between them. The use of one or more tobacco products was significantly associated with the prevalence of obesity (P < 0.001); the prevalence of obesity was substantially higher among the tobacco product users than among the non-users (35.3% vs. 14.4%). The presence of a morbidity was also significantly associated with the prevalence of obesity (P = 0.007); the prevalence of obesity was significantly higher among the students with at least one comorbidity than among the medically free students (28.8% vs. 14.9%). Conversely, obesity was not associated with academic performance and depression. Specifically, the grade point average was not affected across the academic years (P = 0.085 and P = 0.308, respectively). Conclusion: Obesity is significantly associated with male sex and the use of one or more tobacco products. This finding warrants the need for strategic and multidisciplinary plans at all levels to encourage healthy behaviors among college students, including an active, healthy lifestyle.

Utilization of Hydroxyurea Among Patients Diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

Purpose: The early diagnosis of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients and getting appropriate treatment are crucial for improving clinical outcomes. This study aims to assess the use of hydroxyurea among patients diagnosed with SCD and assess factors influencing the attitude toward the medication and the reasons for discontinuation. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional investigation targeting parents or caregivers of children diagnosed with SCD in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from tertiary healthcare hospitals via a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of sections measuring the participants' demographics, the number of children diagnosed with SCD, the use of hydroxyurea, and the parents' beliefs about hydroxyurea. Results: There were 301 parents or caregivers recruited. The majority of the recruited participants were mothers (54.5%), and nearly half of the sample were older than 35. More than 80% of the participants declare that one or more of their children are receiving hydroxyurea to manage SCD. The majority of participants declared that using hydroxyurea reduced the frequency of body pain episodes, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions. Participants' major concern about the use of hydroxyurea was related to the fear of weakening their immunity (29.5%) and hydroxyurea's perceived effect on fertility (16.8%). Furthermore, 52 (18%) of the participants declared that the use of hydroxyurea to manage the disease was stopped; the main reasons for stopping was their belief that hydroxyurea had side effects and its impact on weakening of their immune system. Conclusion: The findings indicate the importance of increasing the role of clinicians in educating patients and caregivers about the use of hydroxyurea and its benefits.

Assessment of factors influencing the contribution of primary healthcare physicians in prevention of type 2 diabetes in South of Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: This study was aiming to assess factors influencing the contribution of primary healthcare physicians concerning prevention of type 2 diabetes in the Jazan region, south of Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess physicians' knowledge about evidence-based guidelines concerning diabetes prevention, their attitude towards lifestyle interventions and their practice concerning screening and provision of lifestyle interventions in their clinics. Interviews were conducted to complete a semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis involved reviewing open-ended responses of physicians followed by quantitative analysis to assess level of knowledge, attitudes, and practice adherence. RESULTS: A total of 234 physicians from 127 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in the region were recruited. Knowledge of evidence-based clinical indicators for the prevention of diabetes was limited (mean level of knowledge 3.14/8 [SD: 1.2)]. Recruited physicians did have a positive overall attitude to the influence of lifestyle/behavioural therapy on the prevention of type 2 diabetes. The physicians narrated a variety of factors that might influence the effectiveness of this approach, which were related to the community, the patients and the physicians themselves. Only the association between gender of physicians and their levels of knowledge was statistically significant where odds of greater knowledge were higher among female physicians in comparison to males (odds ratio : 1.8, P value = 0.025). CONCLUSION: Most of the physicians in our sample were misinformed about the components of lifestyle/behavioural interventions for diabetes prevention, which mandates designing and implementing lifestyle medicine programmes for the PHC physicians in Jazan region.

Level of Adherence to COVID-19 Preventive Measures Among Health Care Workers in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic caused by a virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Health-care workers (HCWs) are at a high risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thus, different infection control strategies have been used to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Our study aims to assess the level of adherence of HCWs to the preventive measures against COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: An observational study was carried out using data collected by a self-administrated dual-language (Arabic and English) online questionnaire directed to HCWs in Saudi Arabia to measure the level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. All HCWs involved in patient care in Saudi Arabia were included in this study. RESULTS: A total of 214 HCWs were included in the study (median age = 30 years; 62% male). Among all the participants, 65% of HCWs were in direct contact with COVID-19 patients, and 18% were diagnosed with COVID-19. The level of overall adherence to mask use was 82%. HCWs were committed to wearing gloves, gowns, and goggles with a percent of 95%, 85%, and 68%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that HCWs in Saudi Arabia have an acceptable level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures during the pandemic. Larger studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of these preventive measures in reducing the transmission of respiratory microbes between HCWs and patients.

Are patients affected by chronic non-communicable diseases aware of their own clinical and laboratory parameters? A cross-sectional study from the south of Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Patient's awareness of their clinical and laboratory parameters is an indicator of the degree of involvement in achieving their management goals. This investigation aimed to identify awareness of patients affected by chronic non-communicable diseases of their clinical and laboratory parameters and factors associated with the awareness. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional investigation conducted in the Jazan region, between January and August 2020. Data was collected during phone interviews utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to estimate the likelihood of awareness of each clinical and laboratory parameter according to the measured demographic variables. RESULTS: The total number of recruited patients was 675. The mean age of participants was 53.7 years and the 28.7% of patients were illiterate. About 17% of the patient do not attend follow-up visits to any healthcare provider. When patients were asked about their parameters, 87% of them were able to report their body weight and 74% were able to report their height. However, less than half of patients were aware of their glycated hemoglobin level (HbA1c) (271/675 patients) and systolic blood pressure (BP) level (329/ 675 patients), and a minority were aware of their total cholesterol level (71/675 patients). Being female, resident in a rural area, illiterate, and older than 53 was strongly associated with high odds of limited awareness about their own clinical and laboratory parameters (P values < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Awareness of patients affected by chronic non-communicable diseases of their own clinical and laboratory parameters in the Jazan region is sub-optimal where this limited awareness is likely to be associated with the lower engagement of patients with achieving their desired management targets.

Community-based observational assessment of compliance by the public with COVID19 preventive measures in the south of Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: At the end of August 2020, a surge in the number of cases in the Jazan region has been observed. The number of reported cases by 19th of August in the Jazan region was more than 300, which exceeded the number of reported cases in larger regions such as Riyadh, and Makkah. This study aims to measure compliance by the public with COVID-19 preventive measures. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional, field-based observational assessment of compliance by individuals in public settings with COVID-19 preventive measures in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. The assessment was performed in the last week of July 2020. The assessment was based on observing the actual compliance of individuals and different establishments in the Jazan region with COVID-19 preventive measures. To perform the field observations, a standardised check-list was adopted from COVID-19 preventive measures in the community, which was developed by the Saudi Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). RESULTS: A total of 1096 individuals were observed in 69 different locations in the Jazan region. Compliance by the observed individuals was variable depending on the age group, the setting and the recommended preventive practice. The findings indicate very low compliance of specific precautionary measures within public parks in comparison to other measured settings. Proportions of individuals not compliant with mask-wearing instructions varied according to settings and age group from 5% in malls and shopping areas to nearly 83% in public parks. Additionally, Proportions of children not compliant with mask-wearing instructions was higher in comparison to adults in all observed settings. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study identified variability in the levels of compliance with specific preventive measures against COVID-19. Further assessment is needed to explore factors associated with the limited observed compliance, in particular with regard to limited compliance to precautionary measures applied in specific settings and compliance of children to mask-wearing instructions.

Lifestyle choices and prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases among primary healthcare physicians in the Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: One of the factors that may influence patient adherence to a healthy lifestyle is the adherence of their treating physicians to a healthy lifestyle. This study aimed to measure the lifestyles of primary healthcare center (PHCs) physicians in the Jazan region and to identify the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity among this sample of physicians. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Jazan region which lies in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected via a questionnaire completed during personal interviews. The questionnaire included several components related to physicians' demographics, lifestyles, and history of chronic non-communicable diseases. Descriptive statistics were performed to summarize the overall lifestyle of the physicians and disease prevalence. RESULTS: A total of 234 physicians agreed to participate in this investigation. The age of the participants varied between 25 and 65 years, with a median age of 38. Almost 70% of the physicians reported BMI levels higher than 25, indicating a high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Twenty-seven physicians reported no engagement in any type of exercise while the majority reported engagement with low-intensity exercise. While 56% reported daily consumption of vegetables, only 41.8% of them reported daily consumption of fruits. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia was 10.3%, 8.5%, and 3.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Poor lifestyle choices of the physicians may indicate limited engagement of the physicians in providing effective lifestyle counseling to patients visiting their clinics in PHC settings of the studied community.