ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Vitamin D, zinc, and ferritin deficiencies are prevalent worldwide and linked to various health outcomes, including hair loss. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices related to these deficiencies among citizens in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, and their perceptions regarding the relationship between these deficiencies and hair loss. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted between May 2023 and July 2023 among 985 participants, predominantly young adults aged between 18 and 25 years (58.9%, n = 580), females (56.2%, n = 554), single individuals (65.2%, n = 642), and Saudi citizens (98.2%, n = 967). Information on participants' demographics, knowledge, and practices related to vitamin D, zinc, and ferritin deficiencies was collected through Google Forms (Alphabet Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA). Knowledge levels were categorized as high or low based on responses. RESULTS: Almost all participants (95.2%, n = 938) had heard about vitamin D, zinc, and ferritin deficiencies and their risk of hair loss, and 554 (56.2%) participants had high knowledge, whereas 431 (43.8%) had low knowledge. The majority used the Internet to get information (37.1%, n = 365), identified sunlight as a source of these vitamins and minerals (91.7%, n = 903), and believed in their association with hair loss (74.0%, n = 729). Only about a third of participants reported daily sun exposure of 34.9% (n = 344) and vitamin supplement use of 35.4% (n = 349). Regression analysis revealed gender, awareness of vitamins, and vitamin supplement intake as significant factors related to hair loss (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore the need for health education to improve sun exposure and supplement use practices, which could potentially reduce the prevalence of these deficiencies and associated hair loss. Future research should consider exploring other factors influencing hair loss and extending the study to different demographic groups.
ABSTRACT
Background The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare continues to spark interest and has been the subject of extensive discussion in recent years as well as its potential effects on future medical specialties, including radiology. In this study, we aimed to study the impact of AI on the preference of medical students at Jazan University in choosing radiology as a future specialty. Methodology An observational cross-sectional study was conducted using a pre-tested self-administered online questionnaire among medical students at Jazan University. Data were cleaned, coded, entered, and analyzed using SPSS (SPSS Inc., USA) version 25. Statistical significance was defined as a P-value of less than 0.05. We examined the respondents' preference for radiology rankings with the presence and absence of AI. Radiology's ranking as a preferred specialty with or without AI integration was statistically analyzed for associations with baseline characteristics, personal opinions, and previous exposures among those who had radiology as one of their top three options. Results Approximately 27.4% of males and 28.3% of females ranked radiology among their top three preferred choices. Almost 65.2% were exposed to radiology topics through pre-clinical lectures. The main sources of information about AI for the studied group were medical students (41%) and the Internet (27.5%). The preference of students for radiology was significantly affected when it is assessed by AI (P < 0.05). Around (16.1%) of those who chose radiology as one of their top three choices strongly agree that AI will decrease the job opportunities for radiologists. Logistic regression analysis showed that being a female is significantly associated with an increased chance to replace radiology with other specialty when it is integrated with AI (Crude odds ratio (COR) = 1.91). Conclusion Our results demonstrated that the students' choices were significantly affected by the presence of AI. Thereover, to raise medical students' knowledge and awareness of the potential positive effects of AI, it is necessary to organize an educational campaign, webinars, and conferences.