A Needs and Value Assessment in Developing a Saudi Board of Respiratory Therapy

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND:RT was primarily introduced in Saudi Arabia by military hospitals beginning in the late 1970s. Currently, Saudi Arabia does not have a certification board for RT and, therefore, all of the RTs in Saudi Arabia who graduated from national colleges do not have credentials. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the need for developing a board for RT in Saudi Arabia, and also to determine how Saudi RTs perceived the value of certification board for RT. METHODS: Data were collected through a descriptive survey. The survey was used to examine the assessment of need to develop SBRT, and to determine how Saudi RTs perceived the value of certification. The web- link survey was e-mailed to all RTs who are member of the Saudi Society for Respiratory Care (SCRC), which has total of 750 members. The survey consisted of two parts: Assessment of need for SBRT, and perceived value certification tool (PVCT). RESULTS: two hundreds and forty responded with a response rate of 32%. Eighty percent of the participants were male, and 18% were female. Fifty three percent of the participants identified themselves as credentialed RTs, and 46% participants were non-credentialed RTs. The participants’ degree level reported was Associate degree (13%), Bachelor’s degree (63%), Master’s degree (21%), and Doctoral degree (3%). Ninety percent of the participants work for the government institutions, whereas 10 % work for the private institutions. There was no statistically significant difference at the level of 0.05 between credentialed RTs and non-credentialed in terms of the perception towards the development of SBRT (z = -1.81, p= .071). There is also no statistically significant difference between credentialed and non-credentialed (p =. 779) at the level of .05 in terms of how they perceived the certification value. CONCLUSION: These findings can provide SRTs the opportunity to promote and discuss the development of the KSA certification board within the field of RT

Asthma and its relationship with anthropometric markers among adults.

BackgroundMany studies have examined the association between anthropometric indicators and the likelihood of developing asthma. However, no study has yet examined the link between asthma and anthropometric markers of risk. This study addresses this gap in the literature by evaluating the relationship between asthma, smoking, and anthropometric measurements such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) among individuals residing in the United States.MethodsThis cross-sectional study conducted a secondary analysis of the 2011-2014 National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, using data from 2,257 participants aged 25-74. We classified the participants into four groups based on self-reported smoking and asthma status: nonsmokers with no asthma, asthma alone, smokers only, and smokers with asthma. The outcomes of interest were BMI, WC, HC, and WHR scores in the latter three groups compared to the nonsmokers with no asthma group.ResultsLinear regression analysis showed that those with asthma alone and smokers with asthma were significantly more likely to have a BMI, WC, or HC score of 1 or higher than people without asthma and smokers only.ConclusionA higher score on the anthropometric parameters was substantially related to participants who had only asthma and those who had both asthma and smoking

Physical activity status and its association with quality of life among children with down syndrome in Saudi Arabia: A comparative cross-sectional study.

BackgroundDown syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes physical and cognitive challenges. Identifying the impact of sedentary behavior and physical activity on people with Down syndrome is crucial for early intervention. The purpose of this study is to compare physical activity and sedentary behavior among children with Down syndrome and typically developing children, as well as assess their relationship with quality of life.MethodsIn the cross-sectional study, 67 children between the ages of 6 and 12 were enrolled: 29 in the Down syndrome group and 38 in the typically developing group. Each child wore an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT for seven days. Accelerometer data and quality of life data were analysed.ResultsPhysical activity and sedentary behavior were not significantly different between the Down syndrome and typically developing groups (p ˃ .05). With large effect sizes (partial eta squares ranging from 0.21 to 0.59), typically developing children had a significantly better quality of life than children with Down syndrome. There was a weak positive correlation between moderate physical activity and school performance in children with Down syndrome. For typically developing children, there is a weak negative correlation between light physical activity and physical function, school function, and total paediatric quality of life scale scores.ConclusionsThis study indicates that children with Down syndrome have participated in more physical activities, resulting in a reduction in differences between them and typically developing children. Additionally, typically developing had higher quality of life than children with Down syndrome. For healthcare professionals and educators, these findings provide valuable insights into developing strategies to enhance physical activity for children with developmental disabilities

Participant characteristics.

BackgroundDown syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes physical and cognitive challenges. Identifying the impact of sedentary behavior and physical activity on people with Down syndrome is crucial for early intervention. The purpose of this study is to compare physical activity and sedentary behavior among children with Down syndrome and typically developing children, as well as assess their relationship with quality of life.MethodsIn the cross-sectional study, 67 children between the ages of 6 and 12 were enrolled: 29 in the Down syndrome group and 38 in the typically developing group. Each child wore an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT for seven days. Accelerometer data and quality of life data were analysed.ResultsPhysical activity and sedentary behavior were not significantly different between the Down syndrome and typically developing groups (p ˃ .05). With large effect sizes (partial eta squares ranging from 0.21 to 0.59), typically developing children had a significantly better quality of life than children with Down syndrome. There was a weak positive correlation between moderate physical activity and school performance in children with Down syndrome. For typically developing children, there is a weak negative correlation between light physical activity and physical function, school function, and total paediatric quality of life scale scores.ConclusionsThis study indicates that children with Down syndrome have participated in more physical activities, resulting in a reduction in differences between them and typically developing children. Additionally, typically developing had higher quality of life than children with Down syndrome. For healthcare professionals and educators, these findings provide valuable insights into developing strategies to enhance physical activity for children with developmental disabilities.</div

Two-way MANOVA analysis of the QoL differences between children with DS and TD children.

Two-way MANOVA analysis of the QoL differences between children with DS and TD children.</p

S1 Data -

BackgroundDown syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes physical and cognitive challenges. Identifying the impact of sedentary behavior and physical activity on people with Down syndrome is crucial for early intervention. The purpose of this study is to compare physical activity and sedentary behavior among children with Down syndrome and typically developing children, as well as assess their relationship with quality of life.MethodsIn the cross-sectional study, 67 children between the ages of 6 and 12 were enrolled: 29 in the Down syndrome group and 38 in the typically developing group. Each child wore an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT for seven days. Accelerometer data and quality of life data were analysed.ResultsPhysical activity and sedentary behavior were not significantly different between the Down syndrome and typically developing groups (p ˃ .05). With large effect sizes (partial eta squares ranging from 0.21 to 0.59), typically developing children had a significantly better quality of life than children with Down syndrome. There was a weak positive correlation between moderate physical activity and school performance in children with Down syndrome. For typically developing children, there is a weak negative correlation between light physical activity and physical function, school function, and total paediatric quality of life scale scores.ConclusionsThis study indicates that children with Down syndrome have participated in more physical activities, resulting in a reduction in differences between them and typically developing children. Additionally, typically developing had higher quality of life than children with Down syndrome. For healthcare professionals and educators, these findings provide valuable insights into developing strategies to enhance physical activity for children with developmental disabilities.</div

STROBE statement—checklist of items that should be included in reports of <i>cross-sectional studies</i>.

STROBE statement—checklist of items that should be included in reports of cross-sectional studies.</p

Correlations between PedsQoL and physical activity, sedentary behaviour and step count for both groups.

Correlations between PedsQoL and physical activity, sedentary behaviour and step count for both groups.</p

Additional file 1 of Walking capacity and its association with quality of life among children with down syndrome in Saudi Arabia

Supplementary Material

Descriptive statistics for PA variables.

BackgroundDown syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes physical and cognitive challenges. Identifying the impact of sedentary behavior and physical activity on people with Down syndrome is crucial for early intervention. The purpose of this study is to compare physical activity and sedentary behavior among children with Down syndrome and typically developing children, as well as assess their relationship with quality of life.MethodsIn the cross-sectional study, 67 children between the ages of 6 and 12 were enrolled: 29 in the Down syndrome group and 38 in the typically developing group. Each child wore an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT for seven days. Accelerometer data and quality of life data were analysed.ResultsPhysical activity and sedentary behavior were not significantly different between the Down syndrome and typically developing groups (p ˃ .05). With large effect sizes (partial eta squares ranging from 0.21 to 0.59), typically developing children had a significantly better quality of life than children with Down syndrome. There was a weak positive correlation between moderate physical activity and school performance in children with Down syndrome. For typically developing children, there is a weak negative correlation between light physical activity and physical function, school function, and total paediatric quality of life scale scores.ConclusionsThis study indicates that children with Down syndrome have participated in more physical activities, resulting in a reduction in differences between them and typically developing children. Additionally, typically developing had higher quality of life than children with Down syndrome. For healthcare professionals and educators, these findings provide valuable insights into developing strategies to enhance physical activity for children with developmental disabilities.</div