Prevalence and Perception of HPV Vaccination Among Health Science Students in Saudi Arabia.

Objective: This study was carried out to assess the prevalence and perception of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination in health science students in Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at different health science colleges of Majmaah University on female students. The knowledge of the participants regarding HPV was assessed using a pre-tested questionnaire. The history of vaccination of these female participants was also enquired. Results: More than three-fifth of the participants had heard about HPV. Of these, 83 participants, 59 (71.1%), were aware that it is a disease of women and how to diagnose it. Most participants (86.7%) knew that it can cause cervical cancer, while only 57.8% knew it could be asymptomatic. There were 18% of such participants who thought that HPV and human immunodeficiency virus are the same and that there is no vaccine for the prevention of HPV. Only 14.5% (n = 12) were vaccinated against HPV. Conclusion: A clear gap between knowledge and practice of HPV vaccination was observed, and health education should be planned to educate health professionals to avoid misconceptions.

A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess mRNA-COVID-19 Vaccine Safety among Indian Children (5-17 Years) Living in Saudi Arabia.

The objective of this study is to assess the frequency and severity of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) in Indian children aged 5-17 years who received the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, as well as to investigate for predictors of AEFI. To examine AEFI following the first and second doses of Pfizer's vaccine, semi-structured questionnaires were distributed as Google forms at Indian schools in Saudi Arabia. The 385 responses included 48.1% male and 51.9% female children, with 136 responses of children aged 5-11 years (group A) and 249 responses from children aged 12-17 years (group B). Overall, 84.4% of children had two shots. The frequency of AEFI was reported to be higher after the first dose than after the second (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.57-2.86). The reported AEFIs included myalgia, rhinitis, local reaction with fever, a temperature of 102 °F or higher, and mild to moderate injection site reactions. While group B frequently reported multiple AEFIs, group A typically reported just one. Local reaction with low grade fever was more frequently reported in group B after the first dose (24.1%) and second dose (15.4%), while local reaction without low grade fever was most frequently observed in group A after the first (36.8%) and second dose (30%). Only prior COVID-19 infection (OR = 2.98, 95% CI = 1.44-6.2) was associated with AEFI after the second dose in the study sample, whereas male gender (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.13-2.6) and prior COVID-19 infection (OR = 2.95, 95% CI = 1.38-6.3) were predictors of AEFI after the first dose. Non-serious myocarditis was reported by only one child. According to the analysis conducted, the Pfizer's mRNA COVID-19 vaccination was found to be safe in Indian children.

Assessment of Saudi Society's Knowledge Regarding Hypothyroidism and Its Neuropsychiatric Clinical Manifestations.

Background: This study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of hypothyroidism and its neuropsychiatric clinical manifestations among the Saudi population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study employing a convenient sampling technique, conducted between February and May 2022. A questionnaire was distributed online to all participants in all five regions. Results: In this survey, a total of 2016 Saudi citizens participated. When asked about depression, more than half of the participants (59.6%) correctly identified depression as one of the neuropsychiatric clinical symptoms of hypothyroidism. Nearly half of the participants (47.5%) were unaware that anxiety was not a neuropsychiatric manifestation of hypothyroidism. With a percentage of 91.0%, the majority of participants exhibited poor knowledge. The regression analysis showed that males have significantly reduced knowledge about hypothyroidism than females (coefficient −3.686, p-value < 0.0001). Similarly, those who have "enough income and can save" were more knowledgeable than others (coefficient 0.731, p-value < 0.02). Regarding the source of information, journals provide three times more information (p-value 0.0001), and healthcare practitioners provides four times more information as compared to family and friends (p-value 0.0001). Conclusion: Due to a lack of knowledge about hypothyroidism and its complications, symptoms, risk factors, and treatment, the most viable solution to these misconceptions would be to implement a variety of educational programs to increase public awareness of this issue.

The Prevalence and Pattern of Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Saudi Patients With Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Diabetes mellitus is a common disease in Saudi Arabia. Patients with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, tend to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) either as an addition or alternative to their medical therapy. Many studies have evaluated the CAM herbal products used by patients with diabetes; however, there have been few and inconsistent studies on other types of CAM, and most studies on CAM have focused on their use in type 2 diabetes. Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence and patterns of CAM use among patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in an adult Saudi population at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from December 2019 to February 2020 using a data collection form and patient interviews. Results We included 332 patients, 43% of whom had type 1 diabetes; 26% of the patients had previously used one or more types of CAM. Approximately 53% of CAM users had glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of ≥9%. Among CAM users, 51% mentioned that their blood sugar readings were improved with CAM treatments. Mind-body therapy was the most commonly used CAM (54%), followed by biologically based CAM, including herbs (46%). The most commonly used herbal supplements were black cumin (42%), followed by fenugreek (28%), myrrh (24%), frankincense (22%), cinnamon (15%), garlic (15%), and onion (15%). Older age and employment status were predictors of CAM use in Saudi patients with diabetes. The main sources of knowledge about CAM were from family and friends. Conclusions CAM use is common among Saudi Arabian patients with diabetes. Patients with diabetes who are aged >65 years and employment status were the main predictor of CAM use. Assessing CAM use is an important aspect of clinical encounters with Saudi patients, especially patients with type 1 diabetes.

Risky health behaviors among students in Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: Risky behaviors are those that potentially expose people to harm, or significant risk of harm, which prevent them from reaching their potential in life and which can cause significant morbidity or mortality. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to determine the overall prevalence of risky behaviors among university students; to determine the prevalence of smoking, drifting, fast driving and physical inactivity among university students; and to determine the associations between such behavior and demographic characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study conducted in three colleges. The data were randomly collected from 340 students aged 18-30 years from February to March 2015 using a self-administered questionnaire in Arabic. The data were entered using SPSS v 22.0. Mean and standard deviation were calculated for quantitative variables, and frequency and percentages were computed for categorical variables. Chi-square or Fisher's Exact test, as appropriate, were used to test for statistical significance. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of risky behaviors (smoking, drifting, fast driving, and physical inactivity) among students was 47.35%. Overall, 28% of the students were smokers, 25.2% were involved in drifting, 60.9% reported driving fast, and 66.4% were physically inactive. The age between 18-20 years was significantly associated with higher rates of drifting, fast driving, and physical inactivity. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of risky behaviors among university students was high. Physical inactivity and fast driving were the most common identified risky behaviors. Increasing awareness of these risks in the youth may significantly decrease related morbidities, complications, and even mortalities.