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Objectives:To determine the optimal cutoff value for neck circumference (NC) that define overweight/obesity and assess its predictive potential for cardiometabolic risks (CMR) among Saudi subjects.Methods:A cross sectional study of 785 adults recruited from a public health awareness campaign in Medina, Saudi Arabia during June 2015. Waist circumference (WC), NC, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), and random blood glucose (RBG) were assessed, and the presence of CMR were collected by a questionnaire. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the associations of NC with other anthropometric indices and CMR. The optimal cutoff value for NC to identify overweight/obesity was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results:There were significant correlations between NC and BMI, weight, WC, age, RBG, and BP. The area under the curve for NC and WC in the ROC analysis was 0.86 for men and 0.77 for women, and NC ≥39.25 cm for men and ≥34.75 cm for women were the best cutoff levels for identifying subjects with central obesity with an 89% sensitivity and a 71% specificity for men and an 80% sensitivity and a 65% specificity for women. These cutoff levels for NC were associated with a significantly increased risk for diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension.Conclusion:Neck circumference is positively correlated with BMI and WC, and can be used to identify overweight/obesity and predict CMR in Saudi individuals.

Non-emergent ophthalmic cases were the most common reason for the ophthalmology emergency room visits. It was observed that most cases could be referred to outpatient departments and potentially be managed by primary healthcare providers. This would be more cost effective and will also allow for better management of vision threatening ocular emergencies.

Objectives: Meningococcal diseases are recognized worldwide, and regionally, Almadinah Almunawwarah experiences a substantial number of suspected cases of meningococcal diseases. This study reports the prevalence of meningococcal vaccination uptake in ER health care workers (HCWs) in Almadinah Almunawwarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods:In this cross-sectional study conducted in December 2012, HCWs serving four hospitals under the ministry of health (MOH) were asked about their meningococcal vaccination status. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire that asked participants about their demographic characteristics and meningococcal vaccination status.Results: Among the 321 respondents, 32.1% were physicians, and 45.8% were nurses. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents were Saudi, and the other respondents were of other nationalities. Among all participants, 84.7% had received the vaccine, 37.1% did not receive it regularly and 15.3% had never been vaccinated. Among all vaccinated participants, 60.7% received the vaccine to protect themselves from illness, 2%e4.1% received it to obtain a Hajj certificate and 13% received it as part of a preemployment procedure. The barriers to vaccination declared by the 15.3% of participants who did not receive the vaccine were unavailability of the vaccine, difficultly Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences (2015) 10(2), 175e180 accessing the vaccine and poor scheduling, and these barriers were declared by 33.3%, 20.4% and 18.4% of the unvaccinated participants, respectively.Conclusions: Although KSA has witnessed a number of outbreaks of meningococcal diseases, the majority of the vaccinated respondents in this study had not received the vaccine according to the recommendations of the Saudi MOH.