Breast cancer awareness and breast self-examination among future female university graduates: comparison between medical and non-medical students

Background: Breast cancer is a common health problem among females in Saudi Arabia. The disease account for 27% of all female malignancies representing 25.1% of all newly diagnosed female cancers. The objectives of the current study were to assess the level of carcinoma breast awareness of female university students, Majmaah University in Saudi Arabia and to compare the level of awareness, breast self-examination and breast cancer screening between medical and non-medical students.Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional, conducted among female students in Majmaah University in Saudi Arabia. The stratified and the systematic sampling were employed to select the colleges and the students respectively. The sample size was calculated as 325. Data was collected by a pre tested questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS.Results: The university students who acquired good knowledge were 111 (34.2%). Students who acquired average and poor knowledge were 42.2% and 23.6% respectively. Medical students who had good knowledge were 37.6% compared to 26.9% of non-medical students.  The results showed that 94 (28.9%) of the participants practice breast self-examination and 25 (7.6%) performed a screening test.Conclusions: The study concluded that Majmaah University students’ awareness of carcinoma breast is low. There is no significant difference in the level of awareness between students of medical colleges and those of non-medical colleges. The level of practicing breast self-examination and performing screening test for carcinoma breast among female university students is low. There is a significant difference in performing carcinoma breast screening test between medical and non-medical students.

Risky health behaviors among students in Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Risky behaviors are those that potentially expose people to harm, or significant risk of harm, which prevent them from reaching their potential in life and which can cause significant morbidity or mortality. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the overall prevalence of risky behaviors among university students; to determine the prevalence of smoking, drifting, fast driving and physical inactivity among university students; and to determine the associations between such behavior and demographic characteristics. Materials and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study conducted in three colleges. The data were randomly collected from 340 students aged 18-30 years from February to March 2015 using a self-administered questionnaire in Arabic. The data were entered using SPSS v 22.0. Mean and standard deviation were calculated for quantitative variables, and frequency and percentages were computed for categorical variables. Chi-square or Fisher′s Exact test, as appropriate, were used to test for statistical significance. Results: The overall prevalence of risky behaviors (smoking, drifting, fast driving, and physical inactivity) among students was 47.35%. Overall, 28% of the students were smokers, 25.2% were involved in drifting, 60.9% reported driving fast, and 66.4% were physically inactive. The age between 18-20 years was significantly associated with higher rates of drifting, fast driving, and physical inactivity. Conclusion: The prevalence of risky behaviors among university students was high. Physical inactivity and fast driving were the most common identified risky behaviors. Increasing awareness of these risks in the youth may significantly decrease related morbidities, complications, and even mortalities

LIFESTYLE OF HEALTH SCIENCES STUDENTS AT MAJMAAH UNIVERSITY, SAUDI ARABIA

Background We all want to live a long, happy and healthy life with an abundance of energy and vitality to perform well both mentally and physically. A healthy lifestyle is a valuable resource for reducing the incidence and impact of health problems, enabling you better to cope with life stressors, as well as improving your quality of life. Aims The study was aimed to assess the lifestyle (eating habits and physical activity) of health sciences students studying at Majmaah University. Methods This cross-sectional institutional based study was conducted from 25th November 2014-3rd May 2015. A total of 450 students (370 males and 80 females) aged between 18–28 years were randomly chosen. Self-reported questionnaire was used for data collection from the College of Medicine, College of Applied Medical Sciences and College of Dentistry. Results Majority of the students, 62.4 per cent, were physically inactive. Students from the College of Medicine, 40.4 per cent, were the most physically active. The most common reason that restrained the students from being active was time limitation. In addition to that, many of the participants, 29.6 per cent, have never had breakfast at home. Also, most of the participants, 42.7 per cent, were not satisfied with their eating habits. Almost one quarter of students were consuming soft drinks more than four times a day. Conclusion There is a high prevalence of sedentary lifestyle, physical inactivity and unhealthy dietary habits among health sciences students studying at Majmaah University. There is an urgent need for arranging health education programs for promoting healthy and active living among health sciences students of Majmaah University in Saudi Arabia

Lifestyle of health sciences students at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia

BackgroundWe all want to live a long, happy and healthy life with an abundance of energy and vitality to perform well both mentally and physically. A healthy lifestyle is a valuable resource for reducing the incidence and impact of health problems, enabling you better to cope with life stressors, as well as improving your quality of life.AimsThe study was aimed to assess the lifestyle (eating habits and physical activity) of health sciences students studying at Majmaah University.Methods This cross-sectional institutional based study was conducted from 25th November 2014-3rd May 2015. A total of 450 students (370 males and 80 females) aged between 18–28 years were randomly chosen. Self-reported questionnaire was used for data collection from the College of Medicine, College of Applied Medical Sciences and College of Dentistry.Results Majority of the students, 62.4 per cent, were physically inactive. Students from the College of Medicine, 40.4 per cent, were the most physically active. The most common reason that restrained the students from being active was time limitation. In addition to that, many of the participants, 29.6 per cent, have never had breakfast at home. Also, most of the participants, 42.7 per cent, were not satisfied with their eating habits. Almost one quarter of students were consuming soft drinks more than four times a day.ConclusionThere is a high prevalence of sedentary lifestyle, physical inactivity and unhealthy dietary habits among health sciences students studying at Majmaah University. There is an urgent need for arranging health education programs for promoting healthy and active living among health sciences students of Majmaah University in Saudi Arabia

Assessment of Saudi Society’s Knowledge Regarding Hypothyroidism and Its Neuropsychiatric Clinical Manifestations

Background: This study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of hypothyroidism and its neuropsychiatric clinical manifestations among the Saudi population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study employing a convenient sampling technique, conducted between February and May 2022. A questionnaire was distributed online to all participants in all five regions. Results: In this survey, a total of 2016 Saudi citizens participated. When asked about depression, more than half of the participants (59.6%) correctly identified depression as one of the neuropsychiatric clinical symptoms of hypothyroidism. Nearly half of the participants (47.5%) were unaware that anxiety was not a neuropsychiatric manifestation of hypothyroidism. With a percentage of 91.0%, the majority of participants exhibited poor knowledge. The regression analysis showed that males have significantly reduced knowledge about hypothyroidism than females (coefficient −3.686, p-value p-value p-value 0.0001), and healthcare practitioners provides four times more information as compared to family and friends (p-value 0.0001). Conclusion: Due to a lack of knowledge about hypothyroidism and its complications, symptoms, risk factors, and treatment, the most viable solution to these misconceptions would be to implement a variety of educational programs to increase public awareness of this issue

A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess mRNA-COVID-19 Vaccine Safety among Indian Children (5–17 Years) Living in Saudi Arabia

The objective of this study is to assess the frequency and severity of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) in Indian children aged 5–17 years who received the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, as well as to investigate for predictors of AEFI. To examine AEFI following the first and second doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, semi-structured questionnaires were distributed as Google forms at Indian schools in Saudi Arabia. The 385 responses included 48.1% male and 51.9% female children, with 136 responses of children aged 5–11 years (group A) and 249 responses from children aged 12–17 years (group B). Overall, 84.4% of children had two shots. The frequency of AEFI was reported to be higher after the first dose than after the second (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.57–2.86). The reported AEFIs included myalgia, rhinitis, local reaction with fever, a temperature of 102 °F or higher, and mild to moderate injection site reactions. While group B frequently reported multiple AEFIs, group A typically reported just one. Local reaction with low grade fever was more frequently reported in group B after the first dose (24.1%) and second dose (15.4%), while local reaction without low grade fever was most frequently observed in group A after the first (36.8%) and second dose (30%). Only prior COVID-19 infection (OR = 2.98, 95% CI = 1.44–6.2) was associated with AEFI after the second dose in the study sample, whereas male gender (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.13–2.6) and prior COVID-19 infection (OR = 2.95, 95% CI = 1.38–6.3) were predictors of AEFI after the first dose. Non-serious myocarditis was reported by only one child. According to the analysis conducted, the Pfizer’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccination was found to be safe in Indian children

A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess mRNA-COVID-19 Vaccine Safety among Indian Children (5–17 Years) Living in Saudi Arabia

The objective of this study is to assess the frequency and severity of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) in Indian children aged 5–17 years who received the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, as well as to investigate for predictors of AEFI. To examine AEFI following the first and second doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, semi-structured questionnaires were distributed as Google forms at Indian schools in Saudi Arabia. The 385 responses included 48.1% male and 51.9% female children, with 136 responses of children aged 5–11 years (group A) and 249 responses from children aged 12–17 years (group B). Overall, 84.4% of children had two shots. The frequency of AEFI was reported to be higher after the first dose than after the second (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.57–2.86). The reported AEFIs included myalgia, rhinitis, local reaction with fever, a temperature of 102 °F or higher, and mild to moderate injection site reactions. While group B frequently reported multiple AEFIs, group A typically reported just one. Local reaction with low grade fever was more frequently reported in group B after the first dose (24.1%) and second dose (15.4%), while local reaction without low grade fever was most frequently observed in group A after the first (36.8%) and second dose (30%). Only prior COVID-19 infection (OR = 2.98, 95% CI = 1.44–6.2) was associated with AEFI after the second dose in the study sample, whereas male gender (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.13–2.6) and prior COVID-19 infection (OR = 2.95, 95% CI = 1.38–6.3) were predictors of AEFI after the first dose. Non-serious myocarditis was reported by only one child. According to the analysis conducted, the Pfizer’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccination was found to be safe in Indian children