Knowledge of Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors among a Community Sample in Oman : Pilot study

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of Omani adults regarding conventional coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors and to identify demographic variables associated with these knowledge levels. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional pilot study was carried out among a convenience sample of 130 adults attending a health awareness fair held in a local shopping mall in Muscat, Oman, in November 2012. A modified version of the Heart Disease Facts Questionnaire in both English and Arabic was used to assess knowledge of CHD risk factors. Scores were calculated by summing the correct answers for each item (range: 0–21). Inadequate knowledge was indicated by a mean score of <70%. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to establish the participants’ knowledge levels and identify associated demographic variables. Results: A total of 114 subjects participated in the study (response rate: 87.7%). Of these, 69 participants (60.5%) had inadequate mean CHD knowledge scores. Knowledge of CHD risk factors was significantly associated with body mass index (odds ratio [OR] = 0.739; P = 0.023), marital status (OR = 0.057; P = 0.036) and education level (OR = 9.243; P = 0.006). Conclusion: Low knowledge levels of CHD risk factors were observed among the studied community sample in Oman; this is likely to limit the participants’ ability to engage in preventative practices. These findings support the need for education programmes to enhance awareness of risk factors and prevention of CHD in Oman

Information: A Priceless Gift in Chronic Care Management of Cancer Patients

The search for true information is a distressing andanxious provoking situation for patients diagnosed with cancer.Health professionals who are in possession of valuableinformation should learn to disseminate information usingprofessional principles to enhance the coping among cancerpatients. The art of communicating health information is adifficult task, but learning to do this unpleasant but necessarytask, can go a long way in enhancing the quality of life amongcancer patients and in many ways is an enriching experience.The purpose of the study was to review and delineate theinformational needs of cancer patients from the perspectives ofthe cancer patients, their significant others, health professionals(doctors & professional nurses) and members of thecommunity. Design: of the study was descriptive. Data wascollected using a structured interviews tool, adapted from theToronto Informational Needs Questionnaire for Breast Cancer(TINQ-BC) and the Informational Needs AssessmentQuestionnaire for men with prostate cancer. The subscalesinvestigated were disease, investment test, treatment, physicaland psychosocial concerns. The sample size was 150 whichwas distributes as 30 from each category of variables.Results: The results showed that there were significantdifferences in the perceptions of variables with regard to theinformational needs of cancer patients. This was furtheranalyzed using chi-square test. A major theme which evolvedacross the interaction with cancer patients reflected oncommunication as a critical element in providing care andsupporting self-care management. The findings enlarge uponpatient-centered approaches to health care communication.Based on these core concepts, a set of guidelines which focuseson feelings of team work and self-direction was formulated todisseminate information to cancer patients

Risk-assessment score for screening diabetes mellitus among Omani adults

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a self-administered risk-assessment scoring system for identifying Omani adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional design was used. Simple random sampling was used to select 93 adults in Muscat. Ethical approval was obtained from the College of Nursing Research and Ethics Committee. The Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) was used to collect the data in 2009. Informed consent was obtained from the participants. Data were analysed with the Pearson chi-square test. Results: A total of 9.7% of the adults had very high FINDRISC and 17.2% had slightly elevated risk of developing T2DM within 10 years. The risk assessment (family history, waist circumference, body mass index, physical activity, dietary intake, hypertension and high blood glucose) of T2DM was significant and positively related to the prediction of T2DM among Omani adults