Mediating role of academic attitude on sports participation and academic performance

This study examines the mediating effect of academic attitude on the relationship between sport participation and academic achievement of student athletes in Saudi Arabia. A total of 102 subjects comprising of undergraduate student athletes from Saudi Arabia were randomly selected as the sample of this study. Participation in competitive sport is measured as frequency of the students’ participation in sports activities in a week (Wicker, Hallmann, Breuer, 2013) and whether the students are active members of sport university teams (Lindner & Kerr, 2000) or sport clubs (Dollman& Lewis, 2010). Academic achievement is measured by the formal academic report from the student athletes’ respective university. Survey of Study Habits & Attitudes (SSHA) by Brown and Holtzman (1956) was adapted to measure academic attitude. Result indicates a positive significant relationship between participation in competitive sport and academic achievement. Results also showed a partial mediation of academic attitude on the relationship between sport participation and academic achievement. It was concluded that when a student athlete developed a positive attitude towards academic achievements, the level of their participation in the sport competition will positively affect their academic scores

Attitude, sports participation and academic performance of undergraduate student-athletes in Saudi Arabia

Many studies have reported inconsistent results on the relationship between competitive sports participation and academic achievement. Attitude was not studied in previous research on competitive sport participation and in Saudi Arabia, the attitude towards sports participation is low among students due to the fear of negative influence of sport on academic achievement. This study examines whether attitude towards sports participation might play a role in mediating the relationship between sports participation and academic achievement. A total of 102 undergraduate student-athletes from three universities in Saudi Arabia were selected as the sample of this study. Results showed there is a significant relationship between competitive sports participation and academic performance, mediated by the attitude towards competitive sports participation. This study found that the higher the subjects' participation in competitive sports, the higher their academic performance, especially when they exhibit positive attitude towards their participation in competitive sports

Early determinants of mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Purpose: This study investigated the clinical determinants of mortality in hospitalized patients infected with COVID-19. Patients and Methods: A retrospective multicenter large cohort of COVID-19 patients hospitalized between March 2020 and February 2021. We included patients admitted with a confirmed COVID-19 infection with positive COVID-19 through real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). SPSS version 25.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) was used to analyze the data. Results: Among the study participants (n = 1444), the mean age of the population was 49.22±17.69 years, of which 63.9% were males (n = 924). Overall, the mean age for non-survivors was 55.65 ±16.41 years and the length of ICU stay was 13.95 ±12.4 years. The most common comorbidity among the study subjects was hypertension (HTN) (32.7%), followed by cardiovascular disease (CVD) (10.7%). Patients who were mechanically ventilated (MV) had higher mortality than those who did not require MV (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study concluded that old age, the presence of underlying cardiovascular conditions, an abnormal WBC count (leukopenia or leukocytosis), and abnormal blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels are among the independent predictors of mortality in the Saudi population. These findings may guide health care providers to manage COVID-19 patients more effectively with better outcomes

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Background: Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods: The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18-49, 50-69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results: NNVs were more favourable in surgical patients than the general population. The most favourable NNVs were in patients aged 70 years or more needing cancer surgery (351; best case 196, worst case 816) or non-cancer surgery (733; best case 407, worst case 1664). Both exceeded the NNV in the general population (1840; best case 1196, worst case 3066). NNVs for surgical patients remained favourable at a range of SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in sensitivity analysis modelling. Globally, prioritizing preoperative vaccination of patients needing elective surgery ahead of the general population could prevent an additional 58 687 (best case 115 007, worst case 20 177) COVID-19-related deaths in 1 year. Conclusion: As global roll out of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination proceeds, patients needing elective surgery should be prioritized ahead of the general population