RESUMO
Background: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in the midst of a diabetes mellitus (DM) epidemic whose originscan be traced to (a) the widespread adoption of the Western diet that is high in sugar, (b) an increase in sedentaryactivity, and (c) ignorance of the importance of DM. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to quantifyvarious aspects of (a) knowledge, (b) attitudes, and (c) practice relating to DM. Methods: The three researchquestions addressed in this study were: (1) Is there any significant relationship between attitudes to DM andpractices related to DM? (2) Is there any significant relationship between knowledge of DM and practices relatedto DM? (3) Is there any significant relationship between knowledge of DM and attitudes to DM? Separate surveysfor each question collected data from a representative sample of 1,067 adult both male and female Saudis fromRiyadh who have not been diagnosed with DM. Results: Data analysis of the data from the study indicated thatfor each of the three research questions, the null hypothesis could not be rejected, indicating that none of therelationships were statistically significant. Conclusion: The absence of significance for each of the findings hasimportant implications, including (a) the possibility that many Saudis incorrectly believe themselves to beunsusceptible to DM and (b) the high prevalence of DM-causing behaviors in the Saudi population. These twoimplications should be of particular concern to public health authorities and health educators in Saudi Arabia,who may need to work more diligently to educate non-DM-diagnosed Saudis on their vulnerability to DM
RESUMO
Background: Hypertension is one of the most common diseases nowadays. It affects about 25% of the adult globalpopulation and can lead to highly morbid cardiovascular or cerebrovascular complications. However, whenrecognized early, appropriate lifestyle-related measures and occasionally pharmacologic interventions can helpgreatly reduce its risks. Objective: In this study, we aim to provide summarized, yet comprehensive review paperfocusing on diagnosis and management of hypertension. Methods: We searched PubMed using keywords such ashypertension, its screening, diagnosis, and treatment, and family medicine. Conclusion: Essential hypertensionis a systemic disease that can kill the affected people silently. Nevertheless, knowing a lot about its risk factorsand how they can be tackled to prevent it or even to greatly reduce its effects once it develops is of highimportance; and here the major role of a family physician is revealed.