The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of computer vision syndrome among medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence of computer vision syndrome (CVS) among university medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after establishing remote learning during COVID-19 pandemic and to compare settings of electronic device usage and patterns of CVS protective measures applied by students before and during this pandemic. METHODS: This is an observational descriptive cross-sectional study which included 1st to 5th year medical students who were actively enrolled at the governmental colleges of medicine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the COVID-19 lockdown. The sample size was estimated to be 287 medical students. Participants were asked to volunteer and fill an electronic online questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 300 medical students were included in this study. 94.0% reported at least one symptom of CVS, while 67% reported having more than three symptoms. The most frequently reported symptoms were musculoskeletal pain (84.3%), headache (71.1%) and dry eyes (68%). Thirty-eight percent of the students experienced more severe symptoms, while 48% experienced more frequent symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Risk factors for having three or more symptoms were being a female (p < 0.001) and using electronic devices for longer periods (6.8 h ± 2.8) during COVID-19 lockdown (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: CVS prevalence during COVID-19 era among medical students is high. This necessitates increasing the awareness of CVS and its preventive measures.

Barriers of colorectal cancer screening test among adults in the Saudi Population: A Cross-Sectional study.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide. CRC can be completely cured if detected at an early stage with screening. However, many barriers to screening have been reported. This study aimed to identify the potential barriers to CRC screening among the Saudi population aged ≥45 years. A cross-sectional study of randomly selected adults (aged ≥45 years) attending primary care clinics at KKUH in Saudi Arabia was conducted. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of 448 participants were included. In general, the most commonly reported barrier to CRC screening was a lack of physician recommendation (77.1%). Moreover, fear of painful colonoscopy procedures and a lack of knowledge regarding the availability of the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) were reported by 51.6% and 57.8% of patients, respectively. Significant gender differences were observed, with females reporting more barriers to CRC screening than males (general barriers [p < 0.001] and colonoscopy-specific barriers [p = 0.003]). Participants who had not undergone any previous CRC screening reported significantly more barriers compared to those who had undergone a previous CRC screening (general barriers [p = 0.015], colonoscopy-specific barriers [p = 0.006], and FOBT specific barriers [p = 0.024]). Because a lack of physician recommendation was the most commonly reported general barrier, we recommend that physicians emphasize the need for CRC screening, particularly to high-risk patients. Extensive campaigns and programs must be launched to raise awareness about the importance of screening for CRC. Additionally, gender-specific strategies need to be formulated to promote CRC screening in females.