Patterns of physical activity and dietary habits among adolescents in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review

Objective: Physical inactivity and unhealthy dietary habits are behavioral risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of physical activity and dietary habits among adolescents in Saudi Arabia

Jellyfish as Food:A Narrative Review

Studies toward a sustainable future conducted by international organizations uniformly agree about having to change some of our present consumer behaviors. Regarding food, suggestions include eating locally farmed, less industrialized and renewable food to promote health and circularity, and limiting waste. Jellyfish are frequently sorted and discarded after being caught with fish in fishing nets and gear. In contrast, we propose utilizing this by-catch as food. This review discusses the economic value and sustainability of jellyfish, the technologies used to prepare them for human consumption, their nutritional profile and health impacts and, finally, consumer acceptability and sensory evaluation of jellyfish food products. This discussion is critical for promoting jellyfish as an important aquatic resource to support blue and circular economies

E-cigarette use among male smokers in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia : a cross-sectional study

E-cigarette use is increasing globally. Recent evidence suggests that e-cigarettes contain harmful substances that could cause adverse health outcomes. This study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of e-cigarette use among male current smokers in Saudi Arabia. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adult male current smokers in the Al-Ahsa province of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. We performed logistic regression analyses to investigate the factors associated with e-cigarette use among adult male current smokers. 325 current smokers participated in the study. A third of them (33.5%) were e-cigarette users. Almost all the study participants (97.0%) had heard about e-cigarettes. Participants who were occasional smokers (Odds Ratio (OR): 2.28; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.17–4.41) and had good knowledge perception of e-cigarettes (OR 3.49; 95% CI: 2.07–5.90) had higher odds of using e-cigarettes when compared to regular smokers of conventional cigarettes and current smokers with poor knowledge perception of e-cigarettes, respectively. In contrast, private employees (OR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.07–0.85), and business owners (OR: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.01–0.63) had lower odds of using e-cigarettes compared to unemployed individuals. Compared with non-e-cigarette users, the rate of conventional cigarette smoking per day was significantly lower among e-cigarette users. Use of e-cigarette (OR: 3.57, 95% CI: 2.14–5.98), believing that e-cigarette quitting is hard (OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.17–3.49) and trying to quit e-cigarettes (OR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.1–4.25) were found to be significant predictors of good knowledge perception of e-cigarettes among the current smokers. The use and knowledge perception of e-cigarettes were higher among occasional conventional male cigarette smokers than regular male smokers in Al-Ahsa province. The use of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids should be examined further in the Saudi Arabian setting. © 2022 by the authors

Health and wellbeing of staff working at higher education institutions globally during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period : Evidence from a cross-sectional study

Background The ongoing global crisis of Higher Education (HE) institutions during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period has increased the likelihood of enduring psychological stressors for staff. This study aimed to identify factors associated with job insecurity, burnout, psychological distress and coping amongst staff working at HE institutions globally. Methods An anonymous cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 with staff at HE institutions across 16 countries. Job insecurity was measured using the Job Insecurity Scale (JIS), burnout using the Perceived Burnout measure question, psychological distress using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and coping using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Multivariable logistic regression with a stepwise variable selection method was used to identify associations. Results A total of 2,353 staff participated; the mean age (± SD) was 43(± 10) years and 61% were females. Most staff (85%) did not feel job insecurity, one-third (29%) perceived burnout in their jobs, more than two-thirds (73%) experienced moderate to very high levels of psychological distress, and more than half (58%) exhibited medium to high resilient coping. Perceived job insecurity was associated with staff working part-time [Adjusted Odds Ratio 1.53 (95% Confidence Intervals 1.15–2.02)], having an academic appointment [2.45 (1.78–3.27)], having multiple co-morbidities [1.86 (1.41–2.48)], perceived burnout [1.99 (1.54–2.56)] and moderate to very high level of psychological distress [1.68 (1.18–2.39)]. Perceived burnout was associated with being female [1.35 (1.12–1.63)], having multiple co-morbidities [1.53 (1.20–1.97)], perceived job insecurity [1.99 (1.55–2.57)], and moderate to very high levels of psychological distress [3.23 (2.42–4.30)]. Staff with multiple co-morbidities [1.46 (1.11–1.92)], mental health issues [2.73 (1.79–4.15)], perceived job insecurity [1.61 (1.13–2.30)], and perceived burnout [3.22 (2.41–4.31)] were associated with moderate to very high levels of psychological distress. Staff who perceived their mental health as good to excellent [3.36 (2.69–4.19)] were more likely to have medium to high resilient coping. Conclusions Factors identified in this study should be considered in reviewing and updating current support strategies for staff at HE institutions across all countries to reduce stress and burnout and improve wellbeing

Patients’ Perceptions of Safety in Primary Healthcare Settings: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia

This study assessed patients’ perceptions of safety and experiences in primary healthcare in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Between July and September 2022, 730 patients from primary healthcare centers were surveyed using a multi-staged cluster random sampling approach. The Patient-Reported Experiences and Outcomes of Safety in Primary Care (PREOS-PC) questionnaire was used to measure patients’ perceived safety and experience in primary healthcare settings within the past year. Descriptive analyses were performed to report patients’ perceived safety experiences. The statistical analysis examined individual items and scales. A considerable proportion of patients reported encountering safety problems, ranging from 11% (vaccine-related) to 27% (diagnosis-related). Diagnostic errors were the most common perceived safety problem (26.7%), followed by communication issues (24.1%) and medication errors (16.3%). Between 26% and 40% experienced harm, including financial problems (40%), increased care needs (32.4%), physical health issues (32%), limitations in activities (30.6%), increased healthcare needs (30.2%), and mental health concerns (26.8%). Patient-reported safety experiences reported in our study offer valuable insights into primary care safety in Saudi Arabia. Collecting routine patient feedback is crucial for addressing identified safety problems and implementing standardized procedures

Quality Improvement Attitudes among Saudi Nurses in Hospitals in Qassim, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: This study aimed to provide an overview of perceptions of quality improvement among nurses working in Saudi Arabia. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of 497 Saudi nurses working in public and private hospitals in Al-Qassim Province. Descriptive statistics were computed for quality improvement nursing attitude items and demographic factors. Results: A total of 497 nurses took part in the study; 29.1% of participants were females, and half of the participants were between the ages of 25–30 years. Most respondents were employed in governmental hospitals (98.7%), and 41.9% of participants had work experience ranging between 1 and 5 years. Nurses involved in providing direct patient care recognize the quality improvement attitudes related to changes in the healthcare delivery processes. Saudi nurses’ quality improvement nursing attitudes were moderate. Female, married, and older age group nurses and nurses who were working fewer hours per week showed better quality improvement attitudes. Conclusions: Saudi nurses’ quality improvement nursing attitudes are found to be moderate. Age, gender, marital status, and working hours of nurses are associated with their quality improvement attitudes. To empower nurses to improve healthcare, nursing administrators need to focus on improving the quality improvement attitudes environment

Patient-physician communication in intercultural settings: An integrative review

Background: Intercultural communication between physicians and patients is a prominent challenge faced by health sectors. This integrative review aims to explore and summarize the current literature examining the cultural factors impacting the communication experience of patients and physicians in healthcare settings and provide an evidence-based solution. Methods: We used Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) approach to conduct this integrated review of the literature. Primary research studies meeting the search criteria were accessed from Medline/PubMed, Embassy, CINAHL, PsycInfo, ProQuest, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Review. We included studies published in English from 2008 to 2022. A total of 1731 studies were identified, of which 34 articles were included in this review. Results: The findings revealed a difference in physicians' communicative behaviour when encountering patients from different cultural backgrounds compared to encounters with patients from the same cultural background. When communicating with patients from different cultural backgrounds, physicians were found to be authoritarian, biomedical-focused, and not involve patients in decision-making. Patients' behaviours during consultations and experience and perception of quality of care in intercultural consultations were varied and inconclusive. Often patients were found to exaggerate respect for physicians, feel uncomfortable with the direct communication style of physicians, have a less proactive attitude, demonstrate low health literacy, and feel shy. These behaviours were attributed to language differences, differences in perception of disease, perception of health communication, prejudice, assumptions, training experience of physicians, and time allocated for consultations. Further, ineffective communication in intercultural consultations was found to impact patient satisfaction, medical adherence, continuity of care, physician's job satisfaction, and ability to diagnose correctly. Conclusions: Effective communication plays a significant role in patient and physician satisfaction. Health policymakers must formulate appropriate policies that encourage expatriate physicians to develop intercultural competencies to enhance intercultural communication, improve satisfaction, quality decision-making, correct diagnosis, and enhance public health

Prevalence of smoking and smoking predictors among adolescents in Qassim, Saudi Arabia: Does the Healthy City Program make any Difference?

Abstract Aim: To compare the prevalence of smoking and smoking predictors among adolescents between cities running a healthy city program (HCP cities) and the cities that are not running such a program (NHCP cities) in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Subject and Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a self-reported questionnaire on the prevalence of smoking and smoking predictors among adolescents in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia was undertaken between April and September 2017. Using multi-staged cluster sampling, probability proportionate to the size, we surveyed 364 adolescents from three HCP cites and 769 adolescents from three NHCP cities. Results: The overall prevalence of smoking among school-aged adolescents in Qassim is 5.2% (95% CI: 3.9-6.5). Smoking prevalence among adolescents in the HCP cities is 8.8% (95% CI: 5.9-11.7); while in the NHCP cities it is 3.5% (95% CI: 2.2-4.8). The prevalence of at least one smoker among close friends in HCP and NHCP cities is 67.3% (62.5-72.1) and 72.2% (69-75.3), respectively. The prevalence of at least one smoker in the family of the adolescents in HCP and NHCP cities is 58% (52.9-63.1) and 44.3% (40.8-47.9), respectively. Among the socio-demographic variables, smoking is significantly associated with gender (OR: .08) *, age (OR: 1.61) and academic performance (OR: .27). Prevalence of smoking among adolescents is significantly higher in HCP cities than in NHCP cities (OR: 3.03; 95% CI: 1.7-5.4). Conclusion: Prevalence of smoking and key smoking risk factors were found to be higher in cities implementing the healthy city program, despite exposure to an anti-smoking campaign being higher in these cities. Given these findings, we recommend further in-depth evaluation of the program.</jats:p

Patterns of physical activity and dietary habits among adolescents in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review

Objective: Physical inactivity and unhealthy dietary habits are behavioural risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of physical activity and dietary habits among adolescents in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A systematic electronic literature search of PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and BIOSIS was conducted through April 2018 using the following keywords: (physical activity OR physical inactivity OR diet OR dietary habits) AND Saudi Arabia. Extracted data from each study were tabulated, and data were synthesised narratively. Results: Eighteen studies published within 2007-2017 were included in the narrative synthesis. The prevalence of physical activity among adolescents in Saudi Arabia ranged from 4% to 44.5%. Fast foods consumption, skipping breakfast, and low fruit and vegetable consumption were the most reported unhealthy dietary habits. Conclusion: Our review highlights that physical inactivity and unhealthy dietary habits were high among adolescents in Saudi Arabia. These findings require immediate actions and plans to increase levels of physical activity and healthy dietary habits among Saudi adolescents