OBJECTIVE:To study the prevalence and characteristics of cigarette smoking among secondary school students (16- to 18-year-old boys and girls) in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia.METHODS:We applied a standard two-stage, cross-sectional study design. Secondary schools for both boys and girls in Riyadh city were randomly selected using a cluster sampling method. We used the global youth tobacco survey (GYTS) tool to achieve our objectives.RESULTS:Among 1272 students (606 boys and 666 girls), the prevalence of those ever smoked cigarettes was 42.8% (55.6% of boys and 31.4% of girls). The prevalence of current smoking was 19.5% (31.2% of boys and 8.9% of girls). Despite the fact that the majority of students think smoking is harmful, most do not wish to stop smoking, and they had not tried to stop in the past year. Cigarette smoking is significantly associated with the male gender, having friends who smoke, and having parents who smoke, but is not significantly associated with the type of school attended.CONCLUSION:Smoking prevalence among secondary schools students in Saudi Arabia is high and alarming. There is a need to implement an education program about the risks of smoking and to include parents and friends as healthy models to prevent students from beginning to smoke.

Objective: To identify the prevalence and predictors of the water-pipe (WP) smoking epidemic in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted with 16-18 year-old high school students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Results: Of the 1272 participants, 414 (33.0%) reported having tried WP smoking. Of this group, 141 (34.1%) were female and 273 (65.9%) were male. Further, 129 (10.2%) students were current WP smokers who had used at least one rock in the past month; 20 were female (1.6%) and 120 were male (8.6%). Regarding age, 276 (68.1%) students who tried WP smoking at least once began when they were over 11 years of age, whereas 129 (31.9%) began WP smoking at or before 11 years of age. Adjusted odds ratios showed that trying WP smoking at least once was associated with smoking after the age of 11 (p = 0.021, OR 7.7; CI: 1.4-43.6) and accepting water-pipes from a friend (p = 0.024, OR 10.6; CI: 1.4-83.4). Conclusion: A high prevalence of WP smoking exists among male and female high schools students in Riyadh, KSA. WP smoking was reported to begin in early adulthood.

OBJECTIVE:To identify the predictors that lead to cigarette smoking among high school students by utilizing the global youth tobacco survey in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).METHODS:A cross-sectional study was conducted among high school students (grades 10–12) in Riyadh, KSA, between April 24, 2010, and June 16, 2010.RESULTS:The response rate of the students was 92.17%. The percentage of high school students who had previously smoked cigarettes, even just 1–2 puffs, was 43.3% overall. This behavior was more common among male students (56.4%) than females (31.3%). The prevalence of students who reported that they are currently smoking at least one cigarette in the past 30 days was 19.5% (31.3% and 8.9% for males and females, respectively). “Ever smoked” status was associated with male gender (OR = 2.88, confidence interval [CI]: 2.28–3.63), parent smoking (OR = 1.70, CI: 1.25–2.30) or other member of the household smoking (OR = 2.11, CI: 1.59–2.81) who smoked, closest friends who smoked (OR = 8.17, CI: 5.56–12.00), and lack of refusal to sell cigarettes (OR = 5.68, CI: 2.09–15.48).CONCLUSION:Several predictors of cigarette smoking among high school students were identified.

The present study uses the nationwide data of the 1990 Child Survival Survey to examine levels, trends, and differentials of infant and child mortality. The analysis reveals a considerable infant and child mortality decline during the period [1976][1977][1978][1979][1980][1981][1982][1983][1984][1985][1986][1987]. The infant mortality declined from 81 in 1976 to 38 per 1,000 live births in 1987. During the same period, the child mortality rate under five years declined from 113 to 42 per 1,000 live births. The findings of the survey also showed a significant differential of infant and child mortality by (a) urban/rural settings, (b) geographical regions, and (c) parental education.OAM Nour, YY Al-Mazrou, SN Shehri, M Khalil, MK Farag, Rapid Decline in Infant and Child Mortality. 1992; 12(6): 565-570 Although recent decades have witnessed considerable progress in the advancement of health services and improvements in environmental sanitation and personal hygiene in Saudi Arabia, very few studies have been conducted on the national level to examine the impact of these improvements of child health and child survival. Most of the earlier demographic and health surveys were not large enough to provide reliable national estimates of infant and child mortality. These surveys were either based on hospital data or based on information collected for specific geographical settings.The study of perinatal and infant deaths in Dhahran in the Eastern region, by John The objective of the present study was to examine the levels, trends, and differentials of infant and child mortality using data from a nationwide survey. The present study also discusses factors responsible for infant and child mortality changes in Saudi Arabia. These factors are related to health services and health utilization, and factors related to improvements in socioeconomic characteristics. It has long been recognized that the study of levels, trends, and differentials of infant mortality is not just of academic concern, but has substantial implications for health policies and programs. Moreover, infant and child mortality is a sensitive index of health conditions and standard of living for a country. The infant mortality level is also an indicator of the effectiveness of health services, environmental quality, and overall welfare of the people [6].