ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Approximately, 80% of the many cases of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) confirmed worldwide were diagnosed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The risk of the disease spreading internationally is especially worrying given the role of KSA as the home of the most important Islamic pilgrimage sites. This means the need to assess Arab pilgrims' awareness of MERS-CoV is of paramount importance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out during Ramadan 2015 in the Holy Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 417 Arab participants at King Fahad Extension, King Abdullah Prayer Extension and, King Abdullah Piazza Extension after Taraweeh and Fajr prayers. RESULTS: The mean MERS-CoV knowledge score was 52.56. Majority of the respondents (91.3%) were familiar with MERS-CoV. Saudis had significantly higher knowledge of MERS-CoV than non-Saudis (56.92 ± 18.55 vs. 44.91 ± 25.46, p = 0.001). Females had significantly more knowledge about consanguineous MERS-CoV than males (55.82 ± 19.35 vs. 49.93 ± 23.66, p = 0.006). The average knowledge was significantly higher in respondents who had received health advice on MERS-CoV (56.08 ± 20.86 vs. 50.65 ± 22.51, p = 0.024). With respect to stepwise linear regression, knowledge of MERS-CoV tended to increase by 14.23 (B = 14.23%, p = 0.001) in participants who were familiar with MERS-CoV, and by 8.50 (B = 8.50, p = 0.001) in those who perceived MERS-CoV as a very serious disease. CONCLUSION: There is a great need for educational programs to increase awareness about MERS-CoV.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Primary care services utilization is dependent on socioeconomic factors. It is proven that variation in socioeconomic factors result in discrepancies in the use of such services. Admittedly, research is limited on the socioeconomic factors affecting the utilization of primary care services in Saudi Arabia. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to study the effect of the main socioeconomic factors affecting patients' utilization of primary care services at a tertiary teaching hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to February 2014 in a primary care clinic of a tertiary teaching hospital in Riyadh city; subjects selected using a random consecutive sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire in Arabic was given to the participants to collect the data which comprised sociodemographic data, utilization measures, and health needs. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. RESULTS: A total of 358 subjects participated in the study. The main factors that best determine the utilization of primary health care clinic in a tertiary teaching hospital were the possession of a health insurance (P = 0.046, odds ratio [OR] = 8.333), and bad self-health-perception (P < 0.014, OR: 2.088). Chronic illness was also associated with higher utilization (OR = 2.003). CONCLUSION: Our results reveal that chronic health problems, self-health-perception, and health insurance are the most significant socioeconomic factors affecting the utilization of primary care services.
