Dental caries among schoolchildren: report of a health education campaign in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The study describes a dental health education campaign and reports the epidemiology and prevalence rates of dental caries among male and female primary-school children in Jeddah. Over a 2-year period, all 296 public primary schools in Jeddah were visited by dentists conducting a health education campaign. A total of 82,250 children in the first and fourth grades were screened. The rate of detected dental caries was 83%, with significantly higher rates detected among females and first-grade children. Lower social class was significantly associated with higher rates of dental caries. The study emphasizes the importance of health education programmes and the value of school health surveys for targeting this young group.

Effect of a breast cancer health education program on the awareness and practice of jeddah female secondary school students.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the effect of a school health education program on the knowledge of secondary school girls in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, of breast cancer and breast self-examination (BSE) and their practice of BSE. METHODOLOGY: A pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was administered to secondary students before the commencement of the health education to assess their knowledge on breast cancer and their practice of BSE. The same questionnaire was handed 6 months later to a smaller group of these students as a post-test. As the post-test group was smaller than the pre-test group, an equal sample size from the pre-test group was drawn for comparison. Random sampling and further analysis was done using the SPSS program, and for the comparison of the two groups, the student t-test and chi square were used. RESULTS: The post-test was answered by 1372 students. The sampled re-test group comprised 1400 students (N= 7663) forming a sample of 18.3%. The ages for both groups ranged between 16-25 years (mean = 18.4; SD=1.9). Saudi nationals formed 73.4% of both groups and the proportion of married students was 8.4%. Those who reported that they had relatives with breast mass were 11.2%. The mean knowledge indexes on breast cancer reached 19.7 for the pre-test group and 43.0 for the post-group (t=31.2; p<0.0001). Correct answers for BSE rose significantly among the post-test group. A proportion of 27.2% students from the post-group reported that they had been motivated to practice BSE at least 3 times during the last 6 month. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The outcome of the school health education program on breast cancer had been successful in raising the awareness of secondary school girls and in helping them to practice BSE more. Hence, it is recommended that the programme be implemented in all female secondary schools and colleges.

Dental caries among schoolchildren: report of a health education campaign in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

The study describes a dental health education campaign and reports the epidemiology and prevalence rates of dental caries among male and female primary-school children in Jeddah. Over a 2-year period, all 296 public primary schools in Jeddah were visited by dentists conducting a health education campaign. A total of 82 250 children in the first and fourth grades were screened. The rate of detected dental caries was 83%, with significantly higher rates detected among females and first-grade children. Lower social class was significantly associated with higher rates of dental caries. The study emphasizes the importance of health education programmes and the value of school health surveys for targeting this young group

Knowledge, attitude and practice of primary health care doctors and nurses in hypertension of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the status of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of doctors and nurses in Primary Health Care (PHC) centers with regard to hypertension in pregnancy and to identify factors associated with KAP in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. METHODOLOGY: Using a self-administered comprehensive questionnaire, all available doctors and nurses in PHC centers of the Al-Khobar area were approached to determine their knowledge, attitude and practice in hypertension during pregnancy. Questionnaires were validated and pilot tested. Each section of the questionnaire was scored and the mean scores calculated. Factors affecting each section were identified by means of multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 36 doctors and 91 nurses were enrolled in the study. Saudis formed 22.2% of the doctors and 47.3% of nurses. Mean years of practice after graduation were 12.6 and 8.7 years for doctors and nurses, respectively. Saudi nurses spend only 3 weeks in the obstetrics ward during the whole period of their internship. All Saudi nurses hold only diplomas and not many courses on the hypertensive disorder are offered to both doctors and nurses after graduation. The practice of doctors particularly in the management of patients after reaching a diagnosis and educating them on diet and salt intake was poor. Furthermore, their knowledge was also poor. Though their level of knowledge was poor, the nurses' practice was satisfactory, particularly in taking history and physical examination. The attitude of both doctors and nurses towards hypertensive disorders was in general, positive and satisfactory towards health education. Nurses' nationality and duration of post-internship training were the factors that influenced their attitude and scores on knowledge. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The study revealed that both doctors and nurses working in the PHC lacked training and knowledge in this area of their work. It is therefore necessary to give PHC doctors and nurses refresher courses on common and serious problems like hypertension. A longer period of training in action management is needed to improve the knowledge and practice of doctors and nurses working in antenatal clinics in this area.