Knowledge, Attitudes, and Concerns Regarding COVID-19 Vaccination Among Unvaccinated Elderly People in the Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Vaccination is the best weapon to prevent any disease, especially pandemics like COVID-19, and building herd immunity is the best way to control the disease's spread. On one side, vaccine availability is important, and on the other, its successful distribution is faced with difficulty in a wide geographical area. Availability and distribution go hand in hand, which is the public health challenge. Vaccines are taking over, clearing up concerns about vaccination and making the public ready. The high-risk public should receive vaccines without resistance, which is of utmost importance. Unvaccinated older adults are at higher risk for COVID-19 infection, morbidity, and mortality. The reasons why older people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 do not want to receive vaccines when they are available include a lack of knowledge about COVID-19 vaccination and listening to incorrect sources of information. With this background, this study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and concerns of unvaccinated older adults in the Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was planned to find out the knowledge and attitudes of the elderly in the Assir Region, Saudi Arabia. A total of 434 unvaccinated elderly persons were recruited randomly from the list of elderly (>60 years) who were unvaccinated. The data was gathered using a structured interview schedule in Arabic. RESULTS: Out of 434 participants, more than half (54.8%) were male. Most of the participants were Saudi citizens (91.5%). Of the participants, nearly one-fifth (19.8%) of them had a previous history of COVID-19 infection. The participants' main sources of information about vaccination against COVID-19 were the mass media (41.9%), followed by word of mouth from friends, families, or neighbors (41.7%), and social media (16.4%). More than three-fourths of them (85.7%) had poor knowledge regarding the COVID-19 vaccination. The participants' poor knowledge grades were mainly among those aged >80 years, illiterate, unemployed participants, and current smokers. Those participants relying on social media had the highest number of concerns (6.663.21) regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccines. CONCLUSIONS: Most participants have poor knowledge, and their knowledge of COVID-19 vaccination is limited. Participants whose main source of knowledge is the mass media need to intensify their education activities in the mass media. Social media, whose primary source of information is social media, has the greatest number of issues that require immediate attention. Social media content must be scanned, and misinformation needs to be addressed.

Maternal knowledge of acute seizures.

OBJECTIVE: To study maternal knowledge -of, and behavior during acute seizures. METHODS: A cross sectional study conducted from September 2013 to January 2014 included consecutive mothers presenting at the Pediatric Neurology Clinics of King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A structured 30-item questionnaire was designed to examine their demographics, knowledge, and behavior on acute seizures. RESULTS: A total of 92 mothers were interviewed and 41% witnessed at least one acute seizure in their affected child (range 1-15 years, mean 4.5). Up to 26% felt not knowledgeable at all regarding the acute care and management of seizure. Mothers with higher education (college or university degree) were more likely to feel very knowledgeable (19% versus 11%, p=0.02). Only 10% were aware of an antiepileptic drug that could be used at home to stop prolonged seizures, and 35% mentioned that they would wait for 15 minutes before taking the child to the emergency department. Most mothers (93%) wanted more information. Those who felt strongly regarding that (66%), were more likely to be younger (<27 years) (p=0.01), and have at least 3 out of 7 mismanagement decisions (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Maternal level of knowledge and behavior during acute seizures needs improvement. Many mothers have significant misinformation, negative behavior, and poor management practices. Increased awareness and educational programs are needed.

Knowledge regarding the national premarital screening program among university students in western Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the knowledge of university students in Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia, regarding the national premarital screening (PMS) program. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 800 students at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the first semester of the academic year 2005--2006. This included questions regarding socio-demographic data, personal history of hereditary disease, or premarital screening, knowledge on hereditary diseases, and on the national PMS program. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 13. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Eighty-five percent of the students believed that gene mutations may lead to hereditary disorders, and 84% of the respondents believed that consanguinity can increase the risk for genetic diseases. Fifty-six percent were aware that hereditary disease could affect any body system. Less than one-third of the students knew which disorders are tested for by the PMS, and 54% of the students thought that PMS detects all hereditary diseases. Only 35% knew what a non-compatible test result meant, while 59% believed that a compatible result meant freedom from all hereditary diseases. CONCLUSION: Most of the students at KAU have good general knowledge concerning hereditary diseases, but had inadequate knowledge in relation to the national PMS program. The majority did not know which diseases were tested for, and what the test result meant. Public education regarding the disorders tested for, and the implication of screening is essential for the success of the premarital program.