Assessing knowledge about hypertension and identifying predictors of inadequate knowledge in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Globally, hypertension is among the leading causes of premature mortality. It is a noncommunicable disease characterized by a persistent state of raised blood pressure that increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and medical conditions affecting the brain and kidneys. There is a paucity of thorough hypertension knowledge assessment among hypertensive patients in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Thus, this study aimed to assess overall and specific knowledge about hypertension and to identify predictors of inadequate knowledge. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia between February and April 2023. Data were collected using an online, self-administered questionnaire divided into two sections. In the first section, the characteristics of the participants were collected. In the second section, the Hypertension Knowledge-Level Scale was used to measure overall and specific knowledge areas (subdimensions). The overall and subdimensional means were tested using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests. Furthermore, the binary logistic regression was conducted to determine inadequate knowledge predictors. RESULTS: In all 253 hypertensive patients were eligible for participation; almost 70% of whom were male. The mean age of the participants was 45 years (±14.7), and their mean overall knowledge score was 17.60 (±5.09), which was equivalent to 67.7% of the maximum score. In addition, 40.7% of participants had an adequate level of hypertension knowledge. The complications subdimension level of knowledge was borderline optimal. At the same time, an adequate knowledge level was detected only in the lifestyle subdimension. CONCLUSION: Most patients showed inadequate levels of knowledge related to hypertension management. Diet, medical treatment, disease definition, drug compliance, and complications were subsequently the least knowledgeable subdimensions among the study population. Therefore, these subdimensions should be prioritized when planning hypertension educational interventions and during follow-up sessions, especially for patients of younger age groups and those with lower educational levels.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Population in Jazan Region of Saudi Arabia.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and refusal vary across countries and among different socio-demographic groups. This study investigates hesitancy related to the COVID-19 vaccine and the associated factors in the rural-community-dominated Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study through an online questionnaire was conducted from February to April 2021 to investigate the extent of vaccine hesitancy related to the COVID-19 vaccine and the associated factors in the Jazan region. A Chi-squared test and post hoc analysis were conducted to analyze the statistical significance of the association between variables. Of the 569 participants who completed the online questionnaire, the majority were males (81.5%) and had a university education (72.6%). Of the participants, more than one-third (36.9%) were hesitant to vaccinate. Concern about adverse side effects following vaccination was the most reported reason for vaccine hesitancy (42.6%), followed by beliefs that the vaccine was unsafe or ineffective (15.5%). The data analysis revealed that people who lived in cities in Jazan Province or those who did not have a family history of COVID-19 infection were more likely to be vaccine hesitant. It is more important than ever to develop and implement community-based strategies to address vaccine hesitancy, especially in rural areas.