ABSTRACT
Background: Lung cancer (LC) is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. With lung cancer often diagnosed at advanced stages, understanding the local population's awareness levels is crucial for designing effective preventive strategies. By identifying gaps in knowledge, the research aims to inform targeted health education efforts, optimize resource allocation, influence policy development, and contribute to the limited body of research on lung cancer awareness in the region, ultimately fostering improved public health outcomes. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted in Jazan region, Saudi Arabia, from July 2022 to June 2023, 671 participants over 18 years old, encompassing both genders, were gsurveyed. Data was collected through a questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics and LC-related awareness. SPSS 23 was used for analysis. Factors associated with knowledge scores were explored using independent t-tests and ANOVA, with the Tukey post-hoc test identifying specific group differences. Results: The study included 671 participants, most participants were between 18 and 35 years (73.5%), with 38.5% males and 61.5% females. Lung cancer (LC) awareness was high (95.1%), with 4.9% reporting a family history. Knowledge assessment revealed a mean score of 14.66, with 41.6% having low, 49.5% moderate, and 8.9% high knowledge levels. Correct responses were notable for recognizing LC as a common cancer, a leading cause of death, and associating smoking and shisha with risk. Symptoms were well identified. Screening awareness was at 63.5%, with 78.8% willing to undergo tests if at risk. Age, marital status, and occupation were associated with knowledge, while factors like gender, nationality, residency, education, income, and smoking status showed no significant associations. Conclusion: The findings indicate that there are knowledge gaps related to LC and its screening in Jazan region in Saudi Arabia. Effective awareness programs targeting specific sociodemographic groups are needed to improve the early detection and outcomes.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Seasonal influenza and the circulating new variants of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were predicted to increase the risk of developing respiratory symptoms in 2022. The objective of this study was to estimate the period prevalence of respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19 and influenza among adults in 2022. METHODS: This cross-sectional study targeted adults in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Data collection was performed in February 2023 and utilized an online approach. The assessment was performed via a self-administered questionnaire, which measured demographics, vaccination practices against COVID-19 and influenza, and the occurrence of respiratory symptoms in 2022. RESULTS: This study involved 625 participants, 65% of whom were women with a mean age of 23 years. Only 80 participants (13%) reported receiving the influenza vaccine in 2022. The most frequently reported symptoms were headache (55%), sore throat (43.7%), and fever (43%). Nearly 34% were diagnosed with influenza, 17% were diagnosed with COVID-19, and 8% reported coinfection of both diseases. Sixty-one percent reported the occurrence of symptoms more than once in 2022. The presence of a higher frequency of respiratory symptoms was associated with gender, age, social status, employment, asthma, and obesity (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A majority of the participants reported multiple occurrences of respiratory symptoms in 2022. The uptake of the influenza vaccine was low in the same year, suggesting a need for a targeted approach to enhance vaccination rates among vulnerable groups.
ABSTRACT
The correlation between nocturnal enuresis (NE) and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) was reported. We aim to determine whether there is an association between NE and SDB in children and to assess the prevalence of SDB and NE in primary school children aged 6-12 years in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among the caregivers of children aged 6-12 years in all Saudi Arabia regions. The data were gathered through a self-administered online questionnaire. It included demographic information, weight and height, and associated comorbidities, in addition to the weekly frequencies of snoring symptoms and of enuresis, as well as of unrefreshing sleep using Likert-type response scales. Counts and percentages, the mean ± standard deviation, chi-square test, independent samples t-test, and regression analysis were used in the statistical analysis using R v 3.6.3. The questionnaire was completed by 686 respondents. Most respondents did not report any comorbidities in their children (77.1%). Asthma and adenotonsillar hypertrophy were reported in 16.2% and 15.6% of children, respectively. Unrefreshing sleep, mouth breathing at night, snoring, chronic nasal obstruction, and difficulty breathing while asleep were reported once or twice per week in 38%, 34%, 28%, 18%, and 18% of children, respectively. The prevalence of NE was 22.3%, with about 36.6% of children having NE two or more times per week. Significantly, NE was reported in 26.6% of children who slept before 10 PM compared to 19% of children who slept after 10 PM; in 28.6% of children who snored or loudly snored (57.1%) three times or more per week; and in 51.2% and 27.5% of children with difficulty breathing while asleep and who breathed through their mouth at night for one or two nights per week, respectively. A multivariable regression analysis showed that male gender (OR = 1.52, p = 0.010), obesity (OR = 1.24, p = 0.028), early sleeping time (OR = 1.40, p = 0.048), loud snoring for three or more nights per week (OR = 1.54, p = 0.001), difficulty breathing for one or two nights per week (OR = 1.85, p = 0.010), and mouth breathing at night for one or two nights per week (OR = 1.55, p = 0.049) were associated with higher odds of NE. Our study revealed that 22.3% of primary school children reported suffering from NE. SDB is a common problem among children with NE. The exact mechanism that links SDB to the increase in the risk of NE is unknown. Male gender, obesity, early sleeping time, loud snoring, difficulty breathing, and mouth breathing at night are potential independent risk factors of NE in school-age children.
ABSTRACT
Objectives The most frequent otolaryngological complaint is nasal obstruction. We aimed to determine if there is a relationship between nasal blockage and academic performance among medical college students in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional survey carried out from August to December 2022, included 860 medical students determining the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on the participants using the Berlin Sleep Questionnaire Risk Probability, then comparing it to their socio-demographic characteristics, while the Chi-square test was used for the comparison of categorical variables. Result The average age of the participants in our study was 21.52 years; 60% were females and 40% were males. The risk of obstructive sleep apnea was found to be two times higher in females than in males (95% CI: 1.195- 3.345; p-value 0.008). The hypertensive participants had a 27-fold increased risk of OSA compared to non-hypertensives. Grade Point Average (GPA) and snoring had a statistically significant relationship, however, a fifth of the participants reported snoring (79.8% reported not snoring). We also found that 14.8% of the participants with snoring had a GPA between 2-4.49 compared to 44.6% of participants without snoring. Conclusion Female students had a two-fold higher chance of developing OSA than males. While a GPA of 4.5 and above was more often associated with participants without snoring, the number of individuals with a GPA of 2-4.49 was greater among participants with snoring. To aid in the prevention of illness complications and the management of risk factors, additional efforts should be made to increase disease knowledge among students, primary healthcare practitioners, and specialty doctors.
ABSTRACT
Background: COVID-19 patients with DM have increased mortality and severity of the disease. Although telemedicine helps to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the DM standard of care, it is increasingly evident that COVID-19 has a significant impact on DM standards of care, especially in areas where telemedicine is not available. Objective: The study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on patients with diabetes standard of care in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online pretested questionnaire targeted adult diabetic patients living in the Jazan region between December 2021 to March 2022. The participants were selected through a random sampling method. They completed self-administered questionnaires that included demographic variables. Results: A total of 258 study subjects participated in this study. In comparison to DM standards of care before and during COVID-19, there was no clinically significant difference in medication compliance, blood glucose checking, or experiencing blood glucose extrusion. However, with the spread of the corona pandemic and the closure of clinics, the percentage of those who have difficulty controlling blood sugar levels has increased to 22%, despite the availability of telemedicine. Conclusion: DM standards of care have not been affected and were not statistically significant, which could be explained by the rapid adoption of telemedicine during the lockdown. However, as corona spread participants had difficulty controlling blood sugar levels. This indicates that governmental multidisciplinary work limits the COVID-19 impact; however, further work is still needed to ensure that DM care is not compromised.