Asthma quality of life in Saudi Arabia: Gender differences.

OBJECTIVES: To explore potential gender differences in the factors associated with asthma-specific quality of life (AQL). METHODS: A cross-sectional study of consecutive series of adult patients attending primary care centers at three major hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was performed. AQL was measured using a standardized version of the AQL questionnaire (min = 1, max = 7), with higher scores indicating a better AQL. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The mean AQL was 4.3 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.5) for males and 4.0 (SD = 1.3) for females (p = 0.113). With each unit increase in asthma control, the AQL improved by 0.19 points (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.14-0.23) in men and by 0.21 points (95% CI = 0.16-0.25) in women. Daily tobacco smoking was associated with a 0.72 point (95% CI = 0.14-1.30) decrease in the AQL among males. Women who had a household member who smoked inside the house had a significantly lower AQL (B = -0.59, 95% CI = -1.0 - -0.19). A monthly household income of 25,000 Saudi Riyals or more was associated with a better AQL among men (B = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.01-1.01), whereas being employed exhibited a protective effect in women (B = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.11-0.84). Higher levels of perceived asthma severity were associated with better AQL in women (B = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.36-1.28). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed gender-specific differences in the correlates of AQL in Saudi Arabia, particularly in tobacco exposure, socio-economic factors and perceived asthma severity.

Do healthier foods cost more in Saudi Arabia than less healthier options?

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether healthy foods in Saudi Arabia cost more compared with less healthy options. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during June and July 2015. The study targeted well-known market chains in the city of Riyadh. The selection of food items was purposive to include healthy and less healthy food items in each category. Price, caloric value, salt, fat, sugar, and fiber contents for each food item were collected. To test for the correlation between nutritional contents and average price, Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test for the presence of average price difference between healthy and less healthy food items. RESULTS: A total of 162 food items were collected. Sixty-six food items were classified as healthy compared with 96 less healthier options. The calculated correlation coefficients indicate an association between increased cost of food with increased caloric values (0.649 p=0.0000001), increased fat content (0.610 p=0.0000003), and increased salt contents (0.273 p=0.001). Prices of food items with higher fiber contents showed a weaker association (0.191 p=0.015). The overall average cost of healthy food was approximately 10 Saudi riyals cheaper than less healthy food (p=0.000001).  CONCLUSION: The findings of the study suggest that the cost of healthy food is lower than that of less healthy items in the Saudi market.