Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS] related knowledge and attitudes among male school students in Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia

The objective of this study was to assess male school students' knowledge about and attitude toward Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome [AIDS]. Methodology: This cross sectional study was conducted on third-grade intermediate and all three grades of secondary school male students in Alkhobar area, Saudi Arabia. A multistage stratified self-weighting sampling design was adopted. The data were collected from 819 students using a self-administered questionnaire, which included besides demographic basic information, questions on their knowledge about and attitude toward AIDS. Around half of the studied sample had good scores of knowledge regarding ways of transmission of AIDS. However, the majority had poor scores with respect to the general knowledge of AIDS and attitude towards it. The variables that were significantly and positively associated with high score in knowledge were class grade, Saudi nationality, and high secondary school level. On the other hand, only high secondary school level was positively associated, and significantly so, with high score for attitude. Conclusion and recommendations: This study demonstrates that the students had knowledge of methods of transmission of AIDS better than non-transmission. This may lead to fear from people with AIDS and subsequently stigmatization and discrimination. HIV/AIDS educational programs should provide appropriate scientific knowledge about how HIV is/is not transmitted and use the sources that may be appealing to adolescents

Physician attitudes towards evidence-based medicine in eastern Saudi Arabia

Because of the growing awareness of the limitations of traditional information on clinical decisions, there is a shift in medical practice towards evidencebased medicine [EBM]. We assessed physician attitudes towards evidence-based medicine [EBM] in a cross-sectional study of a random sample of physicians in primary health care centers [PHCCs] and general hospitals in the Dammam area of eastern Saudi Arabia. A random sample of 409 physicians was drawn from the population of doctors. The tool of data collection was a self-administered questionnaire. Only physicians who said they had heard about EBM were included in the study. Only 108 [39.6%] physicians out of those who responded had heard about EBM. Of those, 71 [65.7%] were in favor of EBM and 89 [90.8%] had a positive attitude towards EBM, as they scored above the cut-off point in the questionnaire. Using multiple linear regression, it was found that critical appraisal knowledge and EBM knowledge scores were the only significant predictor variables of EBM attitude score. There was an overall positive attitude among physicians towards EBM. There was a proportional relation between the knowledge of EBM and attitude towards it. Dissemination of the EBM concept and practice among physicians is highly recommended

pattern of smoking and associated factors among intermediate and secondary school students in Al-Khobar city area, Eastern Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of smoking and associated factors among intermediate and secondary schoolboys. This cross sectional study was carried out on a random sample of third- grade intermediate and all the three grades secondary school male students within Al-Khobar City area, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The prevalence of smoking among the teachers in the same schools was also investigated. The study concluded that a high prevalence of smoking was found among male intermediate and secondary school students in the Al-Khobar area. The unstable relationships in the students' family may be a predisposing factor for this habit. The initiation of smoking prevention/cessation in schools is urgently needed

reliability of mothers to assess the presence of fever in their children

To assess the reliability of mothers to subjectively detect the absence or presence of fever in their children. A prospective study was carried out on 1907 children [age 12 years and below] attending the emergency room pediatric triage clinic. King Fahd Hospital of the University in Al-Khobar, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Their mothers were asked if they have fever or not, before the children's temperature was recorded. The sensitivity and specificity of detecting fever in the children by their mothers through subjective means were 83% with an accuracy rate of 83.4%. Mothers who stated that their children were febrile were correct 56% of the time, while those who said their children were afebrile were correct 95% of the time. The false positive rate was 17% and false negative rate was 5%. The ability of mothers to assess the presence or absence of fever through subjective means was fairly reliable. It could be used as a reasonable screening tool to rule out presence of fever in children in the absence of objective assessment

Promotion of non-smoking: the role of primary health care physicians

Cigarette smoking is universally acknowledged to be a health hazard. We are of the opinion that primary health care [PHC] physicians can potentially play a key role in the promotion of non-smoking campaigns. The aim of this study was to determine the role of male PHC physicians in the promotion of a non-smoking campaign among the citizens of Riyadh. About half of the male PHC physicians from Riyadh were selected at random, and were requested to fill an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. The content of the questionnaire was validated by three experts and the reliability was excellent, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.85. The result of the study showed that about 63% of the physicians had never smoked, 20% had stopped smoking, and 17% were still smoking an average of 18 +/- 10 cigarettes per day. About 30% of the physicians achieved satisfactory scores, while 7% were reported to play no role in counseling against smoking. During the anti-smoking activity, only 10% of physicians reported making use of religious reasons against smoking. Arab-speaking physicians were shown to be less active than non-Arabs in counseling [P<0.0001], and on-the-job training was found to be associated with better counseling practices [P<0.0221]. Our conclusion is that the reported activity of physicians in the promotion of non-smoking was far from exemplary, and so was their own smoking profile. There is, therefore, an urgent need to put more emphasis on the promotion of non-smoking among both physicians and patients alike