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BACKGROUND: The importance of children's eye health cannot be overstated as it has significant implications for personal life, education, career, health, financial status, and overall satisfaction. This study aims to assess the awareness of parents regarding pediatric eye diseases to identify potential gaps in knowledge. By understanding parental awareness, we can develop targeted educational initiatives to promote early detection, timely intervention, and overall improved eye health in children. This research seeks to contribute valuable insights for enhancing preventive measures and fostering healthier eyesight in younger generations. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Hail and Al-Qassim regions, of Saudi Arabia. Parents with children aged less than 15 years were included. Targeted parents were selected consecutively using an online questionnaire for data collection. Data included parents' data, children's eye diseases, and parents' knowledge, practice, and attitude toward pediatric eye diseases. Results: A total of 618 eligible parents were included, 429 (69.4%) from Al-Qassim and 189 (30.6%) from Hail. Parents' ages ranged from 20 to 59 years with a mean age of 35.4 ± 11.5 years. A total of 510 (82.5%) respondents were females. A total of 442 (71.5%) of the study parents had poor knowledge about their pediatric eye problems, 154 (24.9%) had a good knowledge level, and only 22 (3.6%) had excellent knowledge. As for their practice, 458 (74.1%) of the parents arranged for their children to undergo an eye or visual test; 254 (55.5%) did so when the child was six to ten years of age. CONCLUSION: The current study showed poor awareness levels about pediatric eye diseases among parents, mainly regarding cataracts and glaucoma. On the other hand, parents demonstrated a high level of engagement in visually assessing their children. The primary hindrance to conducting assessments was the absence of symptoms and signs or active complaints, leading to a lack of proactive seeking of visual evaluations.
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BACKGROUND: Individuals with diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, a vision-threatening complication. Regular eye examinations are crucial for early detection and management. Ensuring adherence to eye examination guidelines is essential to prevent visual impairment and blindness in this at-risk population. METHODS: This was cross-sectional study, and a validated questionnaire was physically administered among adult individuals with diabetes (both males and females) in Saudi Arabia. The data were gathered and analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS, version 26.0) software (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Armonk, NY). This study took approximately three months from the period August 2023 to November 2023. RESULTS: This study found that most participants had type 1 diabetes (46.1%, n=83) and had been diagnosed for more than 10 years (49.4%, n=89). The most used management strategy (48.9%, n=88) was lifestyle changes and anti-diabetic medications. Most of the participants (93.3%, n=168) were fully aware of the severe eye complications of diabetes, as well as diabetic retinopathy and its complications (48.9%, n=88). The most common source of information about the importance of eye exams was healthcare professionals (56.7%, n=102). Most of the participants had annual eye exams (58.3%, n=105) and within the previous year, specifically related to their diabetes (62.8%, n=113). Adherence to eye examination guidelines was higher in those who had diabetes for more than 10 years (p=0.009), those who were on lifestyle changes and insulin therapy or anti-diabetic medications (p=0.030), those who were fully aware of severe eye complications and diabetic retinopathy (p=0.017 and p=0.020, respectively), and those with type 2 diabetes (p=0.001). In addition, participants who understood the importance of eye examinations had better glucose control (p=0.017), had eye examinations within the previous year (p=0.001), and had heard about the importance of eye examinations from healthcare professionals (p=0.020). The findings revealed the most common reasons for not getting an eye exam were a lack of awareness (37.8%) and distance from the hospital. CONCLUSION: To summarize, many people with diabetes do not get regular eye exams often because they are unaware of how important these exams are. Long-term diabetics who are aware of the dangers of diabetic retinopathy are more likely to heed this advice. However, adherence was linked to more frequent eye exams and better glucose control. Adherence and wide awareness must be created to improve retinopathy outcomes.
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Background Cholesteatoma is described as the accumulation of squamous epithelium and keratinocytes within and around the middle ear cleft. There is a paucity of information regarding demographic and treatment outcomes for cholesteatoma in Saudi Arabia. An evaluation of the prevalence of comorbidities, complications and associations, of surgical treatment and demographics in the Qassim region was conducted. Methods This was a six-year retrospective review of patients treated for cholesteatoma at a private health facility, from August 2016 to July 2022. Data for age, gender, nationality, presence of comorbidities, type of surgery, type of anesthesia, and associated complications were collected from the electronic medical records and analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. Results A total of 60 participants records were retrieved. The average age of the study population was ([43.2 ±SD] 21.8) years. There was a slightly higher male preponderance (males 51.7% and females 48.3%). Hypertension was the most commonly reported comorbidity (31.7%), followed by diabetes mellitus (25%). Age and gender were not statistically significantly associated with type of surgery or complications. Conclusion Demographic variables were not significantly associated with clinical correlates, however, further studies with larger sample sizes, robust clinical information, and long-term follow-up are required.
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Introduction Violence against pregnant women has become a public health issue and a violation of human rights. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence as any act (physical or verbal) that causes physical or psychological harm. Obstetric violence committed by healthcare providers can lead to significant health consequences harming both mother and child. During pregnancy, violence is more frequent than some obstetric complications that are routinely recorded or screened. Therefore, this study aims to assess the prevalence of violence against women during pregnancy and labor, and postpartum. Materials and methods In this cross-sectional study, our study population consisted of women who have experienced pregnancy and labor in the Najd region. We used both face-to-face and online questionnaires that evaluated the knowledge and practice outcomes of women who have experienced violence during labor, in addition to the behavior of healthcare providers toward these women. Results In our analysis of demographic data, we found a significant association between age and having experienced violence before/during birth. Most women who experienced violence were between 25 and 45 years old (p=0.002). Furthermore, the history analysis revealed a significant association between follow-up regularity and violence experiences (p=0.010). Nursing students delivered most women (71%), and they did not provide information regarding the women's rights or procedures. Of the respondents, 39.6% did not feel comfortable and were afraid of the healthcare providers' words, phrases, or behaviors. Conclusion Our study concluded that many women experience violence committed by healthcare providers before, during, and after labor without realizing it. As a result of the ignorance of their rights, violence is more prevalent among these women. As a recommendation, to expand on the rights, women organizations should dedicate more efforts and throw campaigns to raise the awareness of violence among other women.
