ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the association between childhood obesity and student academic performance in the classroom setting. A multi-stage cluster random sampling was used to select a representative sample of 1,213 fifth-grade students in male public schools. Height and weight were measured using a standard protocol. Overweight was defined as BMI>/=85th but<95[th] percentile, while obesity as>/=95th BMI percentile, using growth charts provided by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention [2000]. Data on each student's academic performance and sociodemographic factors were extracted from school records. Of the 1,213 students, 147 were absent on the day the survey was conducted. Therefore, the analysis was based on 1,066 students. Of the 1,066 students, 67 did not have previous school records because they were new in the school; hence the association between school performance and obesity was based on 999 students. The prevalence of obesity was 186 [17.4%, 95% CI: 15.2-19.9%] while the prevalence of overweight was 232 [21.8%, 95% CI: 19.3-24.4%]. There was no significant association between obesity and academic performance after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Parental education was the most important predictor for high academic performance in the classroom setting. There is no association between obesity and academic performance in the classroom setting among boys in Kuwait. With the lack of evidence of a relationship between childhood obesity and academic performance, using high performance as a measure of success in prevention initiatives cannot be justified
ABSTRACT
To assess the compliance with hand hygiene guidelines among nursing staff in secondary care hospitals in Kuwait. A cross-sectional study was conducted through direct observation using the Lewisham observation tool and self-administered questionnaire in six major public secondary care hospitals in Kuwait. Only patient care activities that are described as 'dirty contacts' by the Fulkerson scale were considered as indications for hand hygiene while any attempt for hand hygiene was considered as compliance. A self-administered questionnaire was prepared and pilot tested and then distributed to nursing staff at each ward immediately after conducting the inspection; 550 were distributed and 454 were completed and returned. Among 204 observation sessions, a total of 935 opportunities and 312 hand hygiene practices were recorded. The overall compliance was 33.4%. The observed compliance significantly varied between different ward categories from 14.7% in emergency to 55% in medical wards. Of the 454 nursing staff who participated in self-reported compliance, 409 [90%] indicated that they always washed their hands upon practicing patient care activities. Nurses consistently reported higher compliance after conducting patient care activities rather than before. Being busy with work [42.2%], having sore/dry hands [30.4%] and wearing gloves [20.3%] were the most frequently reported hindrances to improving hand hygiene. Observed hand hygiene compliance among nursing staff in secondary care hospitals in Kuwait was poor. High self-reported compliance may reflect a high level of awareness of hand hygiene but may also suggest that improving compliance through increasing awareness has probably reached saturation