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(1) Background: The rising prevalence of e-cigarette use among university students necessitates a comprehensive understanding of dependence levels and associated factors. This study investigates e-cigarette dependence among Jazan University students in Saudi Arabia. (2) Methods: With the use of a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 1187 students through an online survey from January to April 2024. Dependence levels were assessed using the Penn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index (PS-ECDI), and the Arabic version of the questionnaire was validated through pilot testing. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with e-cigarette dependence. (3) Results: The results indicated that among current e-cigarette users, 37.4% had low dependence, 34.4% had medium dependence, and 13.8% had high dependence. A significant proportion of current and ever users regarded e-cigarettes to be less harmful (50.6% and 44.4%, respectively) and less addictive (37.9% and 32.3%, respectively) than cigarettes. Significant factors influencing dependence included gender, with males showing higher odds of medium (AOR = 12.8, 95% CI: 3.4-47.6) and low dependence (AOR = 9.7, 95% CI: 2.5-37.3) compared to females. Longer duration of e-cigarette use (>2 years) was strongly associated with high dependence (AOR = 50, 95% CI: 7.7-324). Daily use and multiple quit attempts were also significant predictors of higher dependence levels. (4) Conclusions: These findings highlight the substantial e-cigarette dependence among university students and underscore the need for targeted interventions to address this growing public health concern.
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BACKGROUND: Early identification of a patient with infection who may develop sepsis is of utmost importance. Unfortunately, this remains elusive because no single clinical measure or test can reflect complex pathophysiological changes in patients with sepsis. However, multiple clinical and laboratory parameters indicate impending sepsis and organ dysfunction. Screening tools using these parameters can help identify the condition, such as SIRS, quick SOFA (qSOFA), National Early Warning Score (NEWS), or Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS). We aim to externally validate qSOFA, SIRS, and NEWS/NEWS2/MEWS for in-hospital mortality among adult patients with suspected infection who presenting to the emergency department. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: PASSEM study is an international prospective external validation cohort study. For 9 months, each participating center will recruit consecutive adult patients who visited the emergency departments with suspected infection and are planned for hospitalization. We will collect patients' demographics, vital signs measured in the triage, initial white blood cell count, and variables required to calculate Charlson Comorbidities Index; and follow patients for 90 days since their inclusion in the study. The primary outcome will be 30-days in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcome will be intensive care unit (ICU) admission, prolonged stay in the ICU (i.e., ≥72 hours), and 30- as well as 90-days all-cause mortality. The study started in December 2021 and planned to enroll 2851 patients to reach 200 in-hospital death. The sample size is adaptive and will be adjusted based on prespecified consecutive interim analyses. DISCUSSION: PASSEM study will be the first international multicenter prospective cohort study that designated to externally validate qSOFA score, SIRS criteria, and EWSs for in-hospital mortality among adult patients with suspected infection presenting to the ED in the Middle East region. STUDY REGISTRATION: The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05172479).
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Sepse , Síndrome de Resposta Inflamatória Sistêmica , Adulto , Humanos , Estudos de Coortes , Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência , Mortalidade Hospitalar , Estudos Multicêntricos como Assunto , Escores de Disfunção Orgânica , Prognóstico , Estudos Prospectivos , Estudos Retrospectivos , Curva ROC , Sepse/diagnósticoRESUMO
Research is a systematic process to achieve new knowledge, science, or invention. Training in health research is an important part of medical education. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes, knowledge, experiences, and barriers related to research among the health science students at King Khalid University, Abha. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 632 health science students of different colleges of King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia. From each study level, approximately 25% of the total number of students was selected using a systematic random sampling method. Tests for associations between different scale items and the type of college were used. The majority of students were mainly aged between 20 to 25 years and were males. Statistically significant differences in age distribution among the colleges (P < .05) were found. Regarding students attitudes towards research, 80.5% of the students agreed that research gives them a better understanding of the world. About 79.6% of the total students agreed that every physician, dentist, and pharmacist should be familiar with the scientific methods of research. Statistical significant differences were found in attitudes toward research among different colleges (P < .05). Overall 56.3% of the students recorded a positive attitude regarding research. Only 2.8% of the students had a good knowledge level regarding research and 66.5% had a poor knowledge level. Considering research experience, 50.9% of the overall students self-reported that they did research during their undergraduate phase. About 22% of the students recorded a high experience level regarding research, 41.9% had a moderate level and 36.9% had a low level of experience. Lack of research experience was the most commonly recorded barrier (80.5%) followed by lack of training on how to do research (72.7%). Training on research and adequate support in student research activities at the undergraduate level may help to reduce the identified barriers to research.
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Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Estudantes , Masculino , Humanos , Adulto Jovem , Adulto , Feminino , Estudos Transversais , Arábia Saudita , Universidades , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Vaccines are an important part of the COVID-19 pandemic response plan. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the attitude and perception levels of parents toward COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 0-18 years in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Out of a total of 1463 parents, 30.6% assumed that COVID-19 vaccination may be more dangerous for children than adults. Nearly 36.5% parents don't have any concern about children's vaccination. About 12.8% of children have not received the vaccination, 55% of parents have some sort of hesitation and 32.2% of parents did not hesitate before vaccinating their children against COVID-19. Only 15.4% of parents expect that the COVID-19 vaccine affects their child's genes. About 23.4% parents strongly agreed and 35.1% agreed about the importance of getting their children vaccinated. About 22.1% of parents strongly agreed and 33.3% agreed regarding their willingness to get their children vaccinated to prevent Coronavirus disease. More than 80% of parents recommended rushing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Health professionals and policymakers should implement and support strategies to ensure children are vaccinated for COVID-19. They also need to educate parents and families regarding childhood vaccination.
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the daily life and academic trajectory of many students. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of the pandemic on perceived stress levels among medical students. Methods: Comparative pre-pandemic and pandemic surveys were conducted among samples of undergraduate medical students. Students responded to a questionnaire including personal and academic data, and Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Results: Overall, the prevalence of high perceived stress during the pandemic (20.6%) was significantly higher (p = 0.001) than pre-pandemic (11.6%). A multivariable analysis revealed that the independent factors associated with high perceived stress were: participation in the study during the pandemic (aOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.22-2.63), female sex (aOR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.23-2.47), younger age (aOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.04-2.55) and lower family income (aOR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.12-2.03). PSS score was negatively correlated with increasing age, family income, and academic level. PSS score was positively correlated with: worries about the possible disruption of education or exams, excessive news exposure, worries about the possibility of COVID-19 infection, and the effects of mandatory isolation and social distancing. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the level of stress among medical students. Female students, younger students, and those in lower academic grades are the most at risk of having high stress. Worries about possible academic disruptions due to the pandemic are significant stressors. The implementation of online stress management programs is recommended.
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COVID-19 , Estudantes de Medicina , Humanos , Feminino , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Pandemias , Arábia Saudita/epidemiologia , Estresse Psicológico/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Backgroundand objectives: Although several vaccines have been produced and administered around the world, new SARS-CoV-2 worsened the COVID-19 infection risk and impacted the initial vaccine dosage effectiveness. Based on studies indicating that the third and fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses significantly reduced COVID-19 transmission, Saudi Arabia has been administering COVID-19 booster vaccine doses to its citizens. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine booster in relation to the socio-demographic characteristics and other associated factors among the Saudi population. Materials and Methods: This study was an online analytical cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire. Pearson Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors associated with the uptake of COVID-19 booster dose vaccines. Results: A total of 2332 responded to our study. Overall, 527 (22.6%) participants had received a booster dose. An age of 55 and above (aOR: 5.415; 95% CI: 2.719-10.783), Eastern region (aOR: 2.513; 95% CI: 1.566-4.033), history of influenza vaccination at annual intervals (aOR: 2.387; 95% CI: 1.730-3.293), the first dose of Moderna vaccine (aOR: 1.324; 95% CI: 1.160-1.510), and cancer (aOR: 2.161; 95% CI: 1.218-3.879) were independent factors most associated with a higher uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose. In contrast, the second dose of Moderna vaccine (aOR: 0.794; 95% CI: 0.683-0.922), AstraZeneca vaccine (aOR: 0.691; 95% CI: 0.509-0.939), strong symptoms from side effects after the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (aOR: 0.615; 95% CI: 0.404-0.935) were independent factors most associated with a lower uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose. Conclusions: Our findings indicate low COVID-19 vaccine booster uptake. This necessitates the need for strategies to address discouraging factors of the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose uptake and engage the Saudi population to raise awareness about the importance of the booster dose.
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Vacinas contra COVID-19 , COVID-19 , COVID-19/epidemiologia , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Estudos Transversais , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Humanos , Imunização Secundária , SARS-CoV-2 , Arábia Saudita/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Introduction Jeddah is one of the busiest and multicultural cities in Saudi Arabia. It poses a higher risk of importing and spreading emerging communicable diseases because of the increased international traffic during the seasons of Hajj and Umrah. The Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) emphasizes the role of primary health care centers (PHCCs) as the first gate of the health care system. Therefore, having an efficient and effective communicable disease surveillance system (CDSS) at the level of PHCCs is crucial to provide early warning and sustain health security. Methods This study took place at all PHCCs in Jeddah city between September 2017 and January 2018 as a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data were collected from CDSS key informants using an interview-based questionnaire to evaluate the performance of CDSS by assessing its core and support functions at PHCCs. Results The majority (93%) of PHCCs had reporting forms, and all of them had working laboratories. However, about 41% of PHCCs had the standard manual and only in the Arabic language, 12% were performing basic data analysis, and none of them had a written plan for epidemic response. Although Internet access was available at only 33% of PHCCs, other resources such as computers, printers, and personal protective equipment (PPE) were available at all PHCCs. Conclusion CDSS at PHCCs had an acceptable performance especially in functions such as reporting, confirmation, and supervision. However, other functions such as detection, registration, data analysis, epidemic preparedness, and feedback need to be strengthened. More comprehensive evaluations are required to further enhance the CDSS in Jeddah and Saudi Arabia.
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OBJECTIVES: To investigate socio-demographic and environmental risk factors of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: This was a retrospective, record, and interview based matched case control study completed in the neurology clinics at tertiary hospitals in Aseer, KSA. It included 82 MS cases and 82 controls. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect information on key socio-demographic and environmental exposures. The main outcome measure was a statistically significant relationship of key socio-demographic and environmental risk factors with MS. RESULTS: A total of 82 registered patients, 50 were females, resulting in a female to male ratio of 1.56:1. Various risk factors were found to have a statistically significant association with MS which included female (OR=3.01, 95% CI [1.59:5.69]; p<0.001), family history of MS (OR=2.1, 95%CI [2.4:1.7] p=0.04), low exposure to sunlight (OR=2.02, 95%CI [2.53: 9.9] p<0.001), only fed breast milk in childhood (OR=0.46, 95%CI [0.55:0.39]; p<0.001), parental consanguinity (OR=2.17 95%CI [4.11:1.14] p=0.017), history of chickenpox (OR=15.59 95% CI [68.7:3.55]; p<0.01). On using multiple logistic regression, chicken pox infection (AOR=0.045, 95%CI [0.015-0.135]; p=0.001)and low sun-exposure (AOR=.271, 95%CI [.121-.609]; p<0.05) were deduced as the predictors of MS in this region. CONCLUSION: This study offers unique insights into the risk factors of MS. Low sun exposure and childhood chickenpox are significantly related to the development of MS in the Aseer region.
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Esclerose Múltipla/etiologia , Fumar/efeitos adversos , Luz Solar , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos Retrospectivos , Fatores de Risco , Arábia Saudita , Fatores Sexuais , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and the factors associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Abha City, Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Using a cross-sectional study design, a representative sample of 245 T2DM patients were recruited from all primary healthcare centers in Abha city. A detailed medical history as well as laboratory investigations were done. NAFLD was diagnosed using abdominal ultrasound examination. The overall prevalence of NAFLD was 72.8% (95% CI: 66.6%â»78.1%). In a multivariable regression analysis, the risk of NAFLD was significantly higher among overweight T2DM patients (aOR = 6.112, 95% CI: 1.529â»4.432), Obese (aOR = 10.455, 95% CI: 2.645â»41.326), with high ALT of more than 12 IU/L (aOR = 2.335, 95% CI: 1.096â»5.062), moderate diet-compliant patients (aOR = 2.413, 95% CI: 1.003â»5.805) and poor diet-compliant patients (aOR = 6.562, 95% CI: 2.056â»20.967). On the other hand, high HDL (high density cholesterol) (in mg/dL) was a protective factor for NAFLD (aOR = 0.044, 95% CI: 0.005â»0.365). It was concluded that NAFLD is a common association of T2DM. Increasing BMI (Body mass index), lower HDL level, and poor dietary control are significant factors associated with NAFLD among T2DM patients. Health education to improve dietary control and avoid excessive weight gain, testing for NAFLD among diabetic patients, especially those with abnormal BMI and HDL, are recommended for early detection and to ensure optimal levels of HDL.
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Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/complicações , Hepatopatia Gordurosa não Alcoólica/etiologia , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Hepatopatia Gordurosa não Alcoólica/epidemiologia , Prevalência , Fatores de Risco , Arábia SauditaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: There is an increasing concern about the relation between hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The present study aims to determine the prevalence of HCV infection among T2DM patients and non-diabetic patients attending primary healthcare centers (PHCCs) in Abha city, southwestern Saudi Arabia, and to explore the possible association between T2DM and HCV infection. METHODS: A cross-sectional study targeting a random sample of T2DM and non-diabetic patients attending PHCCs in Abha City was conducted. Patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire and screened for HCV infection using fourth-generation ELISA kits. All positive cases were confirmed by qualitative RT-PCR immune assay. RESULTS: The study revealed an overall seroprevalence of HCV infection of 5% (95% CI: 2.9â»7.9%). Among T2DM and non-diabetics, a seroprevalence of 8.0% and 2.0% was found, respectively. Using multivariable regression analysis, the only significant associated factor for HCV infection was T2DM (aOR = 4.185, 95% CI: 1.074â»16.305). CONCLUSIONS: There is strong positive association between T2DM and HCV infection. Yet, the direction of relationship is difficult to establish. Patients with T2DM have higher prevalence of HCV infection than non-diabetic group. It is highly recommended for primary health care providers to screen for HCV infection among T2DM patients and to increase the level of HCV awareness among them.
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Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/epidemiologia , Hepatite C/epidemiologia , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Estudos Transversais , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/etiologia , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Feminino , Hepatite C/virologia , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prevalência , Atenção Primária à Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Fatores de Risco , Arábia Saudita/epidemiologia , Estudos SoroepidemiológicosRESUMO
Despite the significant role of seasonal influenza vaccination in preventing and minimizing the serious complications of influenza infection in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, unsatisfactory compliance still exists for vaccination. Study objectives were to explore the vaccination status and determinants in T2DM patients in southwestern Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study on a representative sample of T2DM patients in Abha city, southwestern Saudi Arabia, was conducted. Data for sociodemographic characteristics, clinical criteria, vaccination status, vaccination motivators and barriers and seasonal influenza knowledge were collected. Out of 353 T2DM patients included in the study, seasonal influenza vaccination coverage was 61% in year 2017. A significant factors associated with non-vaccination were; poor influenza and its vaccine knowledge (OR = 4.31, 95% CI: 2.73â»6.80), illiteracy (OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.11â»3.37), and more than 10 years disease duration (OR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.11â»3.87). Presence of family history of DM and ischemic heart comorbidity minimized the possibility of non-vaccination (OR = 0.54 and 0.28 respectively). Healthcare givers’ advice was the most reported vaccination motivator (84.7%) while; fear of vaccine side effects was the most stated barrier (73%). In conclusion, influenza vaccination rate among T2DM in the present study is less than the recommended level. Continuous primary health care center-based educational programs should be implemented to aware and encourage influenza vaccination among T2DM patients.