Dietary management is considered as a major step in assessing a patient’s knowledge related to nutritional aspects, treatment, and complications of diabetes. Diabetes patients frequently face difficulty in identifying the recommended diet, including its quality and quantity. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), sedentary lifestyle, along with food choices and portion sizes, have increased considerably and this has resulted in the soaring risk of diabetes. In addition, there is paucity of literature focusing on the Dietary Knowledge (DK) of type 2 diabetics in KSA. The study aimed to assess and evaluate the DK of type 2 diabetics. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 type 2 diabetics using a valid and reliable self-prepared questionnaire comprising of 21 questions. Results showed that type 2 diabetics had an overall poor DK (28.57%). Sub-group analysis further revealed that diabetes patients had poor knowledge related to the consumption of carbohydrates and food choices, whereas they had good knowledge related to lipids and fats, proteins and food types. The role of diet in controlling of diabetes is considered imperative, but still, diabetes patients are unaware how they should approach this issue. The patient empowerment approach can be used to counsel patients with a poor DK. Primary care physicians and dietitians should work together and carry out individualized, tailored and patient-centered dietary education sessions.

The current pandemic has revolutionized medical education with a rapid shift to online teaching and learning strategies. The students have coped by turning to the online resources to keep pace with the change. To determine the type and practice of online resources used by undergraduate medical students and compare the use of online resources with gender and GPA. This was a cross-sectional study in which an online self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate the type and practices of the online resources used by the medical students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Complete enumeration sampling method was used to collect the data from 180 medical students studying at College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. One hundred and thirty students (72.2%) were unaware of the free online resources offered by the University. Most students (58.3%, n = 105) consulted peers for online references. Male students preferred PowerPoint presentations and consulting online resources for studying as compared to the females, whereas females preferred to study textbooks predominantly as compared to males (p = 0.005). Male students significantly shifted to the online resources during the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to females (p = 0.028). Students with the highest GPA scores shifted to online educational resources during pandemic. A significant proportion of the undergraduate medical students at College of Medicine, Majmaah University used online educational resources for learning. We recommend that the college administration for deliberation with the medical educationalists for necessary curricular amendments and taking necessary steps to make the college Academic supervision and mentorship program more proactive to meet the challenges of students’ use of online educational resources.

Background and Objectives: There is a paucity of literature on the dietary attitude (DA) of patients with type 2 diabetes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Although the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is high in Gulf countries, there remains a lack of understanding of the importance of dietary behavior in diabetes management among patients. Understanding the behavior of patients with diabetes towards the disease requires knowledge of their DA. Therefore, this study aimed to assess and evaluate the DA of type 2 diabetes patients, and it is the first of its kind in the KSA. Material and Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 patients with type 2 diabetes. A self-administered DA questionnaire was used to collect the data. Psychometric properties of the questionnaire were assessed by face validity, content validity, exploratory factor analysis, and internal consistency reliability. The data were collected using a systematic random sampling technique. Results: The overall DA of the patients was inappropriate (p = 0.014). Patients had an inappropriate DA towards food selection (p = 0.003), healthy choices (p = 0.005), food restraint (p < 0.001), health impact (p < 0.001), and food categorization (p = 0.033). A poor DA was also observed in relation to the consumption of red meat (p <0.001), rice (p < 0.001), soup and sauces (p = 0.040), dairy products (p = 0.015), and junk food (p < 0.001). Conclusions: It is highly recommended that patients with diabetes receive counseling with an empowerment approach, as this can bring about changes in their dietary behavior, which is deeply rooted in their daily routine. Healthcare providers should also be well-informed about patients’ attitudes and beliefs towards diabetes to design tailored educational and salutary programs for this specific community. Diabetes self-management educational programs should also be provided on a regular basis with a special emphasis on diet and its related components.

Aim We compare the incidence rates of cataract in persons with diabetes with and without diabetic retinopathy in Saudi Arabia, for the first time. In addition, we explored the role of new factor, diabetes age of onset and several other known factors. Methods In a community-based cross-sectional study, 334 persons with diabetes type 2 were randomly selected from a diabetic register. Detailed history and comprehensive ophthalmic examination was done at an eye clinic. Body Mass Index, blood pressure and glycosylated hemoglobin were also recorded. Results In 668 eyes, cataract and diabetic retinopathy were present in 35.5% and 32.2%, respectively. Diabetic retinopathy, age, duration of diabetes and systolic BP were found to be independent risk factors for cataract. Whereas, gender, BMI, HbA1c use of insulin and diastolic BP have no significant association with cataract. Persons with cataract had significantly higher age of onset of diabetes. Most of the cataracts were cortical followed by PSC, while minority were nuclear. Conclusion DR is an independent risk factor of developing cataract in persons with diabetes. Others are age, duration of DM and hypertension. Age-of-onset of DM is a new factor we report it to be significantly associated with cataract.

Aim: Visual impairment and blindness are important global health issues as they are associated with high morbidity, mortality, and decreased quality of life, leading to substantial economic loss and productivity. There are only a few published articles on vision impairment and blindness in Saudi Arabia to compare the range of estimated global prevalence of low vision, blindness, and their causes. This study aims to find out the important causes of vision impairment and blindness in schools for the blind in Qassim province, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the blind schools in Buraidah city of Qassim province. A total of 278 registered cases were included in this study using a systematic random sampling of registered cases. Based on the definitions, the cases were classified as having vision impairment and/or blindness. The data were entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS 25. Results: The mean age was 30 years (range: 6 to 83 years) and 174 (76.4%) were males and 84 (32.6%) being females. The male:female ratio was 2:1. All the respondents were of Saudi ethnicity. Mild to moderate visual impairment was found in 6%, severe visual impairment in 27%, and blindness was seen in 64% of registered cases. The causes of blindness in these registered cases from blind school were retinitis pigmentosa (26%), optic atrophy (16%), glaucoma (7%), head trauma (6%), nystagmus (6%), retinopathy of prematurity (6%), ocular albinism (4%), corneal opacities (4%), amblyopia (3%) and other causes (22%). Overall, retinal disorders (retinitis pigmentosa and retinopathy of prematurity) were the leading causes of disability followed by optic atrophy. Conclusion: The findings of this study are useful in planning and implementing screening programs in this area for early identification and corrections, thus preventing permanent loss of sight.