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Background Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a significant public health problem that causes morbidity and mortality in low and middle-income countries. Therefore, this study aims to assess mothers' knowledge of acute rheumatic fever and their attitudes in the Jazan region. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between the mothers using an online survey. The knowledge level was ranked as poor, fair, and good. In contrast, the attitudes were ranked as positive or negative. Association with sociodemographic variables was assessed, and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results Four hundred thirty-six (436) mothers were included; 39.9% of them were aged 21-30 years, 68.8% were married, 57.3% were non-workers, and 72.2% were university-educated. Most of the mothers had a poor level of knowledge (53%); however, positive attitudes toward the disease were reported in 79.1% of mothers. The poor knowledge levels were related to age, marital status, occupation, and monthly income. Conclusion Despite having positive attitudes toward diagnosing and managing ARF, most of the mothers showed poor knowledge of acute rheumatic fever. This study highlights the situation in the Jazan region, which could be an essential basis for constructing an educational program to raise awareness and knowledge of acute rheumatic fever in the community.
RESUMO
Background Infantile colic is excessive crying in infants who are otherwise healthy and whose origin is unknown. It is closely linked to maternal depression and is a risk factor for shaken baby syndrome and early cessation of breastfeeding. This study aims to assess mothers' knowledge and attitude about infantile colic in the Jazan region, as well as their knowledge of the causes, and the factors that affect their understanding. Methodology This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Jazan region, focusing on mothers who met the inclusion criteria. The data were collected using a self-administered Arabic electronic survey following participants' consent. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS Version 27 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) using the chi-square tests. Results This study examined mothers' perspectives on various aspects of infantile colic. A total of 215 (75.43%) out of the 285 participating mothers had experienced colic attacks in their infants, revealing statistically significant differences in urban/rural residence, education, birth order, and breastfeeding practices. Approximately half of the mothers agreed that bottle feeding could lead to colic (49.8%), while around half attributed colic to depression or anxiety (50.9%). Most mothers did not relate breastfeeding (69.8%) or smoking (60%) with colic. Around 55.5% believed that milk protein allergy could be a contributing factor. The majority acknowledged the value of massage (63.5%), placing a warm washcloth (59%), and showering the baby (58.6%). Mothers sought advice from diverse sources (56.5%), often family members (36.5%), with minimal doctor consultation (3.9%). Information about colic management was mixed (48.8%); 27.7% got information solely from healthcare staff, 13.7% exclusively depended on the internet, and 9.8% got information from TV and social media. Conclusion This study highlights maternal perspectives and practices regarding infantile colic, showing varying beliefs and approaches that help healthcare providers arrange educational and psychological support to improve infants' and mothers' well-being.
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Background and objective Non-adherence to psychotropic medication can aggravate an individual's illness, diminish treatment efficacy, or make patients less responsive to future therapeutic interventions. There are several scales available to measure non-adherence to medications. In this study, we aimed to measure psychotropic medication adherence and its associated factors among schizophrenic outpatients in Saudi Arabia. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted with a view to measuring psychotropic medication adherence and its associated factors. The Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS) and the Drug Attitude Inventory-10 (DAI-10) were translated into Arabic, and their internal consistency was measured. The adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were calculated using logistic regression in the IBM SPSS Statistics software version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results Spearman's rho correlation indicated a negative association between DAI-10 and MARS scores (r = -0.579; p<0.05). The Arabic version of MARS was more reliable than DAI-10, as evidenced by Cronbach's alpha value. Of note, 60.20% (n = 59) of the sample demonstrated high adherence levels. The adherence level based on MARS scoring remained unaffected (p>0.05) in terms of gender, age, employment, marital status, educational level, income level, and duration of sickness. These results were obtained by using the multivariate logistic regression model; 89% of respondents reported not using psychiatric drugs given by someone else, despite the adherence rate not affecting this number. Conclusion The rate of non-adherence to psychotropic treatment was found to be high in our cohort. Hence, it is imperative to develop comprehensive intervention methods targeting the causes of non-adherence to psychiatric medication.
