Objectives:To measure the knowledge and awareness about risk factors of osteoporosis among young females in King Abdullah Female City at Al-Imam Mohammed ibn Saud Islamic University.
Methods:This was cross-sectional study based on the self-administered questionnaire. Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT) was used for data collection, OKAT will assess the understanding of symptoms and risk of fractures, knowledge of risk factors for osteoporosis and the preventive factors such as physical activity, diet and treatment availability. The study participants were all female students at Al-Imam Mohammed ibn Saud Islamic University which was 39774 until the academic year of 2017-2018.Results: Participants knowledge about osteoporosis found 79.4% of the 1012 subjects questioned did not have sufficient amount of knowledge about the disease. Our study explored the possible impact of sufficient knowledge and awareness in preventing the occurrence of osteoporosis in young Saudi female college students, using OKAT with cut-off score less than 60%.Conclusion: According to OKAT, young Saudi female college students do not have sufficient amount of knowledge about osteoporosis, which plays a major role in preventing the disease, therefore, an effort should be made to promote health awareness regarding osteoporosis.
Phthalocyanines are of a broad interest in photovoltaic applications. In this study, films of titanium-phthalocyanine-chloride (TiPcCl2) were prepared by the thermal evaporation method.The molecular structure was studied by Raman spectrometer, showing a match between the spectra of the powder and the prepared films. The films' surface was examined by the atomic force microscope, revealing grain size and surface roughness of TiPcCl2 thin films to be 223 and 41 nm, respectively, for a 100 nm thickness. The energy gap was determined to be 1.5 eV, with no observable effect by the thickness change. Additionally, the linear and nonlinear optical constants were calculated from reflectance and transmittance measurements. The values of third nonlinear susceptibility are in order of 10 -12 esu, which is compatible with other phthalocyanines.The nonlinear optical constants indicate that TiPcCl2 films could also be used for optical laser limiters.
Background
The practice of hand hygiene (HH) has prime importance among Health Care Professionals (HCPs) and non-compliance could cause adverse consequences. By keeping the importance of HH in mind, this study aims at investigating the knowledge and attitudes towards HH among medical students and interns at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (SA).
Methods
The study includes 453 medical students and interns (189 males & 264 females). This study was completed in three months; from September to November 2017. The World Health Organization (WHO) HH questionnaire was used and data were analyzed on SPSS-21.
Results
Two-third of the participants 292 (64.2%) had formal training in HH in the last three years. Almost half of the participants 254 (56.1%) had correct knowledge regarding the major course of transmission of potentially detrimental microbes among patients in the healthcare premises. Just 124 (27.4%) of the respondents had the correct knowledge about the most common basis of germs accountable for healthcare-related infections. Females had significantly better knowledge than males regarding the type of HH technique needed before palpation of the abdomen (177(54%) Vs. 151(46%); P < 0.002), before an injection (175(54.5%) Vs. 146(45.5%); P < 0.007), after emptying a bedpan (207(64.7%) Vs. 113(35.3%); P < 0.001), following discarding examination gloves (256(60.4% Vs. 168(39.6%); P < 0.001] and after exposure to blood (200(64.1%) Vs. 112(35.%); P < 0.001). Female participants had better knowledge than males regarding the type of HH actions. Females also had a significantly better attitude towards the importance of HH than males (240(62.5%) Vs. 144(37.5%); P < 0.001).
Conclusion
The majority of the participants’ knowledge regarding HH was not up to the mark; however, female students had better knowledge compared to male students. The medical students and interns’ knowledge and positive attitude towards HH can play a pivotal role in preventing HCPs associated infections and it would overall decrease the infection-related burden on the hospital and governmental budgets. It is suggested that multi-dimensional plans are required to change this low compliance to a higher rate.
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