ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The coexistence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and depression is a growing concern, as both conditions lead to disability. Although depression is more prevalent in CAD patients than in the general population and has been associated with adverse cardiac outcomes, the underlying mechanisms linking depression and CAD are not yet fully understood. This study aims to assess the prevalence of depression in postmyocardial infarction (MI) patients as baseline data in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at King Saud Medical City, Riyadh. The study population included male and female patients who had survived MI from January 2022 to June 2022. A sample size of 323 patients was initially planned, but only 249 patients could be included on account of exclusions. The patients underwent screening for depression using Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), and those who were positive on screening were further assessed using the PHQ-9 according to DSM-5 criteria. Sociodemographic data, comorbidities, and previous cardiac interventions were collected from medical records. RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants was 57.15 years, and majority (76.6%) were males. The prevalence of previously diagnosed depression was 9.2%, and 5.2% of patients reported using antidepressant medication. According to the PHQ-9 scores, 33.33% had depression, 9% had moderate depression, and 2.4% had severe depression. There were significant associations between the severity of depression and previous CAD (P < 0.05), previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery (P < 0.05), and heart failure (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study reveals a high prevalence of depression in post-MI patients at King Saud Medical City. The findings highlight the need for comprehensive management of depression in this population to improve outcomes. Further research into the underlying mechanisms linking depression and CAD to develop effective interventions is required.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In Saudi Arabia, there is not much research on the risk of eating disorders and the influence of sociocultural factors on increasing the risk among university students. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of the risk of eating disorder (EDs) in King Abdulaziz University students, the influence of sociocultural factors, and any differences between males and females. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 763 university students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The data were collected in 3 months from February 2021 to April 2021. A self-administered Eating Attitude Test-26 scale was used to assess the risk of eating disorder among the students. The sociocultural attitude toward appearance questionnaire was used to measure the internalization of thinness, masculinity, and family, peer, and media attitude toward appearance. To test for statistical significance, t-test was used for continuous variables, whereas Ch-square test was performed for categorical variables. Logistic regression analysis were performed to determine factors associated with ED risk; all tests were performed at 0.05 significance level. RESULTS: The prevalence of the risk of eating disorder among the students was observed as 34%. The sociocultural attitude toward appearance was significantly higher among at risk of eating disorder students. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that females are twice more likely to be at risk for eating disorder than males (2.25) with 95% confidence interval (1.50,3.39). Peer influence was significantly higher among males than females; however, females were significantly more influenced by the media than males. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of eating disorder risk in Saudi university students in Jeddah was observed as alarming and highly influenced by sociocultural factors; therefore, screening university students for eating disorder is very necessary. In addition, there should be media and health promotion campaigns on eating disorder and body image issues.
