ABSTRACT
Background: The prevalence of asthma has increased considerably in the last few years. This study aimed at assessing the prevalence of asthma and its related risk factors among children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Methods: A cross sectional prospective study was carried out. Pretested well-designed questionnaires were distributed during the period from May to October 2016
Results: Parents of 1700 children out of 4000 have completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 42.5%, 1082 [63.6%] of them were male. Asthma prevalence among girls [14.4%] was higher than boys [12.4%], but this difference was insignificant. Asthma prevalence was significantly higher among Saudi participants [14.4%] compared to non- Saudi [5.9%]. Nature of residency, the presence of a plant or presence of pets at home had no significant effect on asthma prevalence. A smoking of family member and a history of asthma in the family had an important association on asthma prevalence rate. The highest prevalence of asthma [29.7%] was among the younger children [<3 years]. Symptoms of asthma enhanced during exercise. The positive association between asthma and both cough and breathlessness was noted. Asthma had no effect on schools absenteeism, visiting or admission to hospitals. Body mass index had no effect on the prevalence of asthma
Conclusion: The asthma prevalence rate among children was 13.1%, whereas, smoking and a history of asthma in the family increased this rate. Further studies are recommended to investigate asthma prevalence based on clinical and laboratory diagnosis to explore the link between asthma and obesity
ABSTRACT
Background: Nowadays, cardiovascular diseases [CVDs] represent an escalating worldwide public health problem. Providing consistent data on the magnitude and risk factors of cardiovascular diseases [CVDs] among young population will help in controlling the risks and avoiding their consequences
Objective: The objective was to estimate the prevalence of risk factors of coronary heart disease [CHD] among medical students during their clinical clerkship [4th-6th years]
Methods: A cross-sectional study was done during the educational year 2016-2017 at Almaarefa Colleges. Ethical standards were follow and a multistage stratified random sample method was used for selection of 214 medical students. Data was collected through an interviewing questionnaire, measurements and laboratory investigations. Both descriptive and analytical statistics were done by SPSS version 21. Coronary heart disease [CHD] risk percent in thirty years was calculated using Framingham algorithm for each student, then the risk among all students was determined
Results: The commonest risk factors of coronary heart disease [CHDs] were daily intake of high fat diet [73.4%], physical inactivity [57.9%], overweight/or obesity [31.2%] and daily consumption of fast food [13.1%]. Hypercholesterolemia [17.2%] and hypertension [9.3%] were also prevalent risk factors. Smoking prevalence was low [2.8%]. Males had significantly higher mean scores for most of coronary heart disease [CHD] risk factors compared to females [p < 0.05]. Systolic Blood Pressure was higher among males [119.47 +/- 11.17] compared to females [112.26 +/- 9.06]. A highly statistical significant difference was present [Students test = 4.74, p < 0.001]. Framingham Risk Score revealed that coronary heart disease [CHD] risk percent in thirty years among all students was 10.7%, 2.3% and 0.5% for mild, moderate and severe risk, respectively
Conclusion: An alarmingly high prevalence of coronary heart disease [CHD] risk factors was prevailed among medical students, especially among males. However, a low prevalence of smoking may indicate the success of "Smoke-free Campus" program. Screening risk factors of coronary heart disease [CHD] among medical students and implementation of intervention programs are recommended. Programs to raise awareness about coronary heart disease [CHD] risk factors, encourage young adult students to adopt a healthy dietary behavior and promote physical exercise should be initiated