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Outbreaks of influenza epidemics are common but influenza vaccination is sub-optimal among the healthcare staff including the medical students. The study aims to assess the rate of vaccine uptake among medical students, its associated barriers and levels of awareness. A cross sectional study was done at a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia on 421 medical students by self administered questionnaire from February to March 2015. The immunization rate of seasonal influenza vaccine was just 20.7% in 2015, while it was 57% for cumulative of previous three-year period. The intended uptake among those offered vaccination was 68%. The significant determinants of vaccine uptake were clinical years of medical study (p<0.05) and previous history of vaccination (p<0.0001). The major sources influencing vaccine uptake decision were health department guidelines, medical training, social and media influence. Barriers of vaccination constituted, assumption of not being at risk of influenza (37.9%), vaccine side effects (28.9%), questioned effectiveness of the vaccine (14.5%), and inability to allocate time (11%). Knowledge levels were unsatisfactory and males scored lower (5.4±1.7) than females (6.5±1.4) out of total score of 9. Both knowledge and uptake of annual influenza vaccination was inadequate. Policy makers can formulate strategies with a focus on larger coverage of medical students.

Background Having a reliable source for health information is vital to build a strong foundation of knowledge, especially with the current revolution of the internet and social media, which raises many concerns regarding harmful effects on the health of the public. However, there are no studies on how the Saudi Arabian population seeks health information. Details about the most used and trusted sources of health information among the public will help health authorities and public awareness accounts on social media to effectively disseminate health information. Objective To investigate the types of sources accessed by the Saudi Arabian population while seeking health information, as well as their level of trust in the sources and to assess the impact of these sources on their perception of medical knowledge and health decision-making. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to meet the objectives. The study population included both men and women who were aged 16 years or more and visited primary care clinics at King Khalid University Hospital. Four hundred and thirteen participants were sampled using the simple random method, and a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (IBM Corp, Armonk, New York, USA). Results A total of 413 participants were included in this study, and of these, 99 (24.0%) were males and 206 (49.9%) had a bachelor’s degree. Doctors were chosen as the first source of information by 87.6% (283/323) of the participants, and they were completely trusted by most of the population (326/411, 79.3%). The second most commonly used source was pharmacists (112/194, 57.7%), and they were partially trusted by 41.4% (159/384) of the participants. Internet searches, social media, and traditional medicine were not prioritized by most of the participants as the first or second source of health information. The majority of the participants did not trust information obtained from social media, and WhatsApp was the most untrusted source. Almost half of the respondents (197/413, 47.7%) acknowledged that various sources of information can often help them understand their health problems. However, the majority disagreed on substituting a doctor’s prescription with information obtained from the internet or a friend or relative. Conclusions Although physicians were preferred and highly trusted, internet sources appeared to impact the medical knowledge of the population. The population still preferred to use internet search to obtain health information prior to a doctor’s visit.

Abstract:To determine the prevalence and risk factors of overweight and obesity among the school children aged 8-15 years. A cross sectional design was adopted and 3 schools (2 private and 1 corporation schools) were selected by stratified cluster-sampling technique. Data was collected by interviewer administered method by trained research officers using a pre-tested and validated questionnaire to a total sample of 1193 school children from grades IV to X (i.e.) aged 8 to15 years. Prevalence rates were calculated using WHO-BMI for age percentile chart 2007. Regression analysis was done to determine the risk factors associated with overweight. The overall prevalence of overweight was 12.1% among the children and 15.5 % among the adolescents. Both overweight (22%) and obesity (13.7%) were highest among girls from affluent families. The mean anthropometric measurements, prevalence of overweight and obesity were higher among the urban affluent children. Factors associated with overweight were upper socioeconomic status (OR-3.4, CI-1.8 to 6.7, P<0.0001) and greater than 2hours television watching (OR -2.5, CI-1.1 to 5.4, P < 0.0001). The children had grossly inadequate knowledge about healthy lifestyle habits. Overweight and obesity are predisposing factors for many diseases. These findings suggest the need for early intervention programs, targeting the children from affluent society.

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Objectives. This papers aims to investigate the association between different levels of postpartum weight retention (PPWR) and cardiometabolic risk among the Saudi women 12 months postpartum. Methods. This study is a follow-up of subgroup of cohort from Riyadh mother and baby multicenter cohort study. Clinical data were collected from participants 12 months after delivery and included current Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, and blood pressure. In addition the following blood tests done were fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, and lipids profile to assess the participants’ cardiometabolic risks. The participants were categorized into three groups based on the level of PPWR: weight retention < 3kg; weight retention 3 to < 7kg; and weight retention ≥ 7kg. Subsequently, the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors was compared in the three groups to assess the association between different levels of PPWR and cardiometabolic risk factors. Logistic regression was used to test the effect of PPWR in the development of metabolic syndrome and Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) was calculated. Results. A total of 115 women participated in this study. Around 35% of the study population retained ≥ 7 kg of weight. The prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors, including metabolic syndrome (MetS), increases with the increase of PPWR (p<0.01). The prevalence of MetS is 13% with highest frequency in the group with the highest weight retention. The determinants developing MetS were prepregnancy weight; AOR (95% CI); 1.08 (1.02-1.14), P< 0.01, current BMI, AOR (95% CI); 1.30 (1.12-1.51), P< 0.01, and FBG during pregnancy, AOR (95% CI); and 4.82 (1.72-13.48), P < 0.01. Conclusion. Increased weight retention after delivery augments the rate of occurrence of cardiometabolic risk factors. Determinants of the development of MetS in postpartum Saudi women are increased prepregnancy weight, current BMI, and FBG during pregnancy.

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