Assessment of the environmental and genetic factors influencing prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Saudi Arabia

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a combination of factors that increases the risk of cardiovascular atherosclerotic diseases including diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure. Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death in the adult Saudi population where the increase in cardiovascular-related mortality is augmented by the rise in the prevalence of MS. Metabolic syndrome is a multi-factorial disorder influenced by interactions between genetic and environmental components. This review aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of studied environmental and genetic factors explaining the prevalence of MS in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, this review aims to illustrate factors related to the population genetics of Saudi Arabia, which might explain a proportion of the prevalence of MS

Depression among sickle cell anemia patients in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of, and factors associated with, depression among sickle cell anemia adult patients in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2014 and May 2015 among sickle cell anemia patients aged 16–70 years from the outpatient hematology clinics at Qatif Central Hospital. A total of 110 successive participants consented and answered an anonymous, self-administered, questionnaire and the Arabic version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Individuals were considered depressed if they scored ≥14 in Beck Depression Inventory-II. Simple logistic regression was used to compare differences between the depressed and nondepressed groups. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were reported. Results: Depression was detected in 53 participants (48.2%). Bivariate analysis showed that lower educational qualification (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.1–5.3; P = 0.021), higher frequency of vaso-occlusive crises (OR = 3.4; 95% CI = 1.3–8.7; P = 0.008) and frequent visits to the hematology clinic (OR = 5.3; 95% CI = 1.4–19.9; P = 0.008) were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: This study revealed that there is high prevalence of depression among sickle cell anemia patients in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Infant weaning practices among mothers in the Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia

Background: The weaning process is fundamental to promoting an infant's healthy average growth and development. This study aims to investigate the weaning practices of mothers in the south of Saudi Arabia and to assess the determinants of appropriate weaning practices. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study targeted mothers attending Primary Healthcare Centers in Jazan Region. Data were collected during interviews utilizing a questionnaire divided into three sections: demographics, birth history, and infant weaning practices. In addition, logistic regression was employed to calculate the odds ratio. Results: A total of 333 mothers have been included in this investigation. The weaning practice adequacy of the recruited mothers varied, as 59 reported acceptable practice of only two or fewer of the measured weaning practice items. Thirty-two percent of the responding mothers declared that they did not receive breastfeeding and weaning education during their antenatal care visits. Married mothers belong to middle-income families, and homemakers were likelier to have higher odds of good weaning practices than other mothers in the remaining categories (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings identified certain practices with a low level of adequacy. Weaning practice adequacy was not identified as influenced by breastfeeding and weaning advice in our sample, suggesting a need for further assessment of the effectiveness of weaning practice education, either during the antenatal or postnatal care follow-up visits in the Jazan region