Healthcare professionals' perception and practice of complementary and alternative medicine in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: Over the last few decades, use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown in popularity, changing health professionals' knowledge and attitude toward CAM, and the treatment recommended by them. The aim of the study was to evaluate the perception and practice of CAM among healthcare professionals. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare providers selected by multistage random sampling technique in two governmental hospitals and ten primary healthcare centers in two governorates in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. A web-based, self-administered questionnaire was distributed via social media platforms. RESULTS: A total of 350 physicians responded to the survey. Good basic knowledge about CAM was reported by 48.6% of the respondents; a positive attitude was adopted by 53%; and CAM was actively practiced by 9.7%. Being a physician > 40 years and consultant affiliation were significantly associated with higher knowledge level about CAM (p = 0.006 and 0.03, respectively), as well as having a proactive practice (p = 0.007 and 0.04, respectively). Practicing CAM was prevalent among non-Saudi and married physicians (p = 0.02 for both). Knowledge about CAM and its practice were strongly correlated (p = 0.007). The most frequent constraints facing CAM practice were lack of knowledge and training on CAM (81.4%) and lack of studies supporting CAM (74.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The practices of health professionals in Qassim region need to be improved despite their expertise and favourable perception of CAM. Educational interventions could play greater roles in providing evidence-based CAM knowledge and enhancing training for physicians.

Video game disorder and mental wellbeing among university students: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: video games are a popular adult pastime but have a potentially pervasive negative influence on gamers. The aim: was to determine the prevalence of video game disorder (VGD), its associated predictors, and its impact on the mental health of university students. Methods: a cross-sectional study was performed with a convenience sample of 2,364 undergraduate students. Sociodemographic criteria, the Internet Gaming Disorder-20 (IGD-20) questionnaire, and the Mental Health-5 (MH-5) questionnaire were used to collect data. The weights and heights of the students were self-reported. The average number of hours spent playing video games per week, the average number of hours of sleep per day, the favorite type of game played, and the main causes for playing were also included. Results: the prevalence of VGD among participants was 18.9%. The main predictors of VGD were being male, residing in an urban area, playing more hours per week, sleeping fewer hours per day, and having a higher body mass index, while having a low socioeconomic status was a protective factor. Mental health had a strong negative correlation with VGD. The types of games most frequently played by video game addicts were violent and action games. However, the most frequent reasons cited for playing were to improve one´s avatar, relaxation, and amusement. Conclusion: playing video games in moderation, adequate sleeping, and engaging in outdoor physical activities enhances mental well-being and physical functioning. Thus, it is critical to promote and encourage balanced, effective, stable approaches to video gaming among university students to maintain their mental well-being.