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BackgroundCerebral palsy (CP) is considered as the main cause of severe physical impairment and malnutrition in children. This cross-sectional study intended to survey the nutritional status of children cerebral palsy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.MethodsWe examined 74 children (age: 1–10 yrs) with CP, who attended Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City (SBAHC), Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Data on age, general demographics, nutritional status, and dietary intake were collected. A child was considered underweight, wasted, stunted or thin if the standard deviation scores for his/her weight for age, weight for height, height for age and body mass index for age were ≤ −2.0 standard deviation (SD) using WHO growth standards. Multivariable logistic regression identified the factors associated with nutritional indicators.ResultsMore than half (56.4%) of the children with cerebral palsy were malnourished as they had z-score below <−2 SD in at least one of the four indicators. Thinness (50%) was the most common form of malnutrition, followed by underweight, stunting, and wasting. Arm anthropometrics gave similar results on the percent number of malnourished children. Factors that were independently associated with malnutrition with an adjusted OR (aOR) were as follow: age ≤ 5 yrs. (aOR: 4.29); presence of cognitive impairment (aOR: 4.13); presence of anemia (aOR: 3.41) and inadequate energy intake (aOR: 4.86) (p, for all trends <0.05).ConclusionChildren with cerebral palsy of the current study have impaired growth and nutritional status as assessed by all four common nutritional status indicators. Further large-scale community-based studies for in-depth evaluation of nutritional status and growth patterns in children with CP are needed.

Obesity among Saudi youth is a growing public health challenge. This cross-sectional study measured body mass index (BMI) and determined the eating habits and lifestyle of 107 randomly selected female adolescent students (age 12-15 years) at schools in Riyadh. The students' heights and weights were measured and a pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data on diet and lifestyle. The majority of the students' families had monthly income > 10 000 riyals (US$ 1 = 3.75 riyals). About half the students (53.3%) were within normal weight, 28.6% were underweight, 12.4% overweight and 5.7% obese. The majority of the students did not have healthy dietary or exercise habits. There were no significant differences between BMI category and dietary pattern and lifestyle. Increasing educational programmes with healthy dietary concepts to improve the dietary pattern of female adolescents is recommended. RÉSUMÉ L'obésité chez les jeunes saoudiens est une préoccupation de santé publique croissante. La présente étude transversale a mesuré l'indice de masse corporelle puis a déterminé les habitudes alimentaires ainsi que le style de vie de 107 adolescentes sélectionnées aléatoirement (âgées de 12 à 17 ans) dans des collèges à Riyad. Le poids et la taille des collégiennes ont été mesurés et un questionnaire prétesté a été utilisé pour recueillir des données sur leur alimentation et leur style de vie. La majorité des familles des collégiennes disposait d'un revenu mensuel supérieur à 10 000 riyals (1 USD = 3,75 riyals). Environ la moitié des adolescentes (53,3 %) avaient un poids normal, 28,6 % souffraient d'insuffisance pondérale, 12,4 % présentaient une surcharge pondérale tandis que 5,7 % étaient obèses. La majorité des collégiennes n'avaient pas d'habitudes alimentaires ni sportives saines. Aucune différence significative n'a été observée entre la catégorie d'indice de masse corporelle, les habitudes alimentaires et le mode de vie. Une intensification des programmes d'éducation présentant des concepts sur une alimentation saine visant à améliorer les habitudes alimentaires des adolescentes est recommandée. Department of Community

Background: Patient's rights are worldwide considerations. Saudi Patient's Bill of Rights (PBR) which was established in 2006 contained 12 items. Lack of knowledge regarding the Saudi PBR limits its implementation in health facilities. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge of health professions' students at College of Applied Medical Sciences (CAMS) Riyadh Saudi Arabia regarding the existence and content of Saudi PBR as well as their attitude toward its ineffectiveness. Methods: A 3-parts survey was used to collect data from 239 volunteer students participated in the study. Data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics using SPSS. Results: Results showed that although the majority of students (96.7%) believe in the ineffectiveness of patient's rights, half (52.3%) of them had perceptual knowledge regarding the existence of Saudi PBR and only 7.9% of them were knowledgeable about some items (1-4 items) of the bill. Privacy and confidentiality of patient was the most common known patient's rights. Students' academic level was not correlated to neither their knowledge regarding the bill existence or its content nor to their attitude toward the bill. The majority of the students (93%) reported that only one course within their curriculum was patient's rights-course related. About one quarter (23.4%) of the students reported that teaching staff used to mention patient's rights in their teaching sessions. Conclusion:The Saudi health professions students at CAMS have positive attitude toward the ineffectiveness of patient's rights nevertheless they showed limited knowledge regarding the existence of Saudi PBR and its contents. CAMS curriculums do not support the subject of patient's rights.

Objectives:To evaluate the health care services provided for older adults by primary health care centers (PHCCs) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the ease of use of these centers by older adults.Methods:Between October 2013 and January 2014, we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of 15 randomly selected PHCCs in Riyadh City, KSA. The evaluation focused on basic indicators of clinical services offered and factors indicative of the ease of use of the centers by older adults. Evaluations were based upon the age-friendly PHCCs toolkit of the World Health Organization.Results:Coverage of basic health assessments (such as blood pressure, diabetes, and blood cholesterol) was generally good. However, fewer than half of the PHCCs offered annual comprehensive screening for the common age-related conditions. There was no screening for cancer. Counseling on improving lifestyle was provided by most centers. However, there was no standard protocol for counseling. Coverage of common vaccinations was poor. The layout of most PHCCs and their signage were good, except for lack of Braille signage. There may be issues of access of older adults to PHCCs through lack of public transport, limited parking opportunities, the presence of steps, ramps, and internal stairs, and the lack of handrails.Conclusions:Clinical services and the internal environment of PHCCs can be improved. The data will be useful for health-policy makers to improve PHCCs to be more age-friendly.