Knowledge and Attitude of Population Towards Iodized Salt in Shendi Locality River Nile State in Sudan

Background: Iodine is observed as one of the most important trace elements in the human body, which is considered very essential during the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Iodine deficiency in humans can cause several diseases or problems, which include spontaneous abortion, increased infant mortality, cretinism, goiter, and mental defects. Methods: The study was conducted as a community based descriptive crosssectional study to determine the knowledge and attitude of the population towards iodized salt in Shendi locality, River Nile State, Sudan, during the period of 2013. In this study, 636 households were included. Questionnaire and observations were used as tools for data collection. The households were selected through a multistage cluster-sampling technique, 636 respondents were selected through systemic random sampling. Results: The study found that the knowledge of the respondents about iodized salt was poor. Out of 636 subjects, 356 (56%) were aware of iodine as a nutritional element. 279 (43.9%) identified that iodine is a chemical element. More than half of the respondents, 355(55.8%), were aware of sources of iodine in foods. The data showed that 299 (47%) of the respondents were aware of the main type of food which contains iodine. 356(56%) were aware of the fact that iodine deficiency had significant influence on the body. In addition, study revealed that 261(41%) of participant were aware of iodized salt. Only 48% of the population knew that iodized salt is necessary to alleviate iodine deficiency disorder. Conclusion: Based on our findings, we conclude that the household has poor knowledge, negative attitude, and poor practice about iodized salt. Hence, health authority should have to develop health education programs to increase the awareness of households about the significance of iodized salt. Also, it involves a proper handling of a continual and effective use of media for broadcasting health education programs

Dietary knowledge, attitude and practice among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Sudan: a hospital-based cross-sectional study

Background: In Sudan, the prevalence of diabetes in adults was estimated at 19.1% in 2015. This study assessed dietary knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Sudan. Methods: We randomly selected 238 T2DM patients from a list of 2460 patients from the Jabber Abulizz Hospital. We interviewed them face-to-face using a structured questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the determinants of KAP regarding the recommended diets for T2DM patients. Results: Majority of the patients demonstrated good knowledge (54.6%), positive attitude (79%); and good practice (58%). The result revealed that patients with formal education had 3.0 (95% CI: 1.6-5.7) times higher odds of having good diabetic dietary knowledge than those with informal education. While patients who had good knowledge and a positive attitude were respectively 4.7 (95% CI: 2.4-8.9) and 3.2 (95% CI: 1.5-6.7) times more likely to follow dietary recommendations than the patients with poor knowledge and negative attitudes. Conclusion: Irrespective of the socio-demographic position, the good knowledge and the positive attitude towards the recommended diet, all the T2DM patients complied with the dietary recommendations. These findings highlight the need for improving knowledge and promoting positive attitudes towards the recommended diet among T2DM patients

Self-Reported Household Waste Recycling and Segregation Practices among Families in Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The reuse and recycling of household waste are correlated with a household’s daily activities and commonly depend on sociodemographic factors. In this study, we aimed to assess and probe the level of awareness of waste reuse and recycling, self-reported household waste recycling and segregation practices, and the variables affecting the practices of households in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Methods: We employed a cross-sectional study utilizing the multi-stage random sampling of 279 households and a researcher-structured, online questionnaire in English and Arabic. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the level of awareness/practices, and inferential statistics was used to describe the correlational aspects. Results: It was determined that female participants, younger participants, participants of both genders with university and postgraduate education levels, and urban residents were significantly associated with self-reported household waste segregation and recycling practices at the source. Plastics, paper, glass, food waste, textiles, and electronic waste were determined to be the most common types of household waste. A lack of expertise, awareness, demand for recycled products, and laws that support recycling was reported to affect female participants’ failure to recycle. Social media, television, and educational institutions were shown to be sources of information regarding waste segregation and recycling. Therefore, awareness-raising polices must be developed to improve the prevalence, expertise, and efficiency regarding recycling and segregation. In addition, inventive methods, such as a card-based reward system, should be used to increase the demand level for recycled products

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