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BACKGROUND: In response to the growing burden of chronic diseases on the healthcare system and in pursuit of the health sector goals of Saudi Vision 2030, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health implemented an initiative known as health coaching, which helps patients with chronic diseases adopt a healthier lifestyle. This study aimed to assess awareness, knowledge, and attitudes towards the initiative for health coaches among public health students at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Data were collected using an online, cross-sectional survey between March 8, 2022 and April 4, 2022. Students from the Health Promotion and Health Education (HPHE) department were compared to students from other public health departments at Umm Al-Qura University. The questionnaire collected data on demographics and awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward health coaching. Surveys that were at least 80% complete were retained for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 311 students participated, of which 275 (88.4%) were unaware of health coaching and 156 (50.2%) had insufficient health coaching knowledge. However, 233 (74.9%) had a positive attitude about it. HPHE students scored significantly higher on most items than students from other public health departments. CONCLUSION: The students showed positive attitudes but had low scores on awareness and knowledge of health coaching. It is advisable to introduce health coaching into undergraduate medical school curricula. Future research should evaluate students from other health colleges and investigate the effectiveness of health coaching on cost and long-term outcomes of chronic diseases.
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INTRODUCTION: Recently, there has been an alarming increase in psychological distress in many populations. One of the reasons can be attributed to the rapid development of technology and social media, which could adversely affect the mental health of individuals, including those working in healthcare. This study aimed to assess the influence of social media addiction, psychological distress, and loneliness on suicidal ideations and suicide attempts among healthcare students and professionals in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study collected data from healthcare students and professionals using a five-part questionnaire: (i) demographics, (ii) the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), (iii) the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), (iv) the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DGLS), and (v) suicide ideation and attempts scale. RESULTS: There were 800 participants from 33 cities who completed the questionnaire. A total of 31.37% reported lifelong thoughts of suicide, regardless of whether they would actually go through with it (S1), 18.38% had suicidal thoughts within the last 12 months (S2), and 11% had attempted suicide (S3). Of those who attempted suicide, 79 (89.77%) reported seeking help. Multiple logistic regression showed that lifetime suicidal thoughts were predicted by psychological distress, emotional loneliness (EL), social loneliness (SL), and age. Having had suicidal thoughts within the prior 12 months was predicted by psychological distress, SL, and age. Suicidal attempts were predicted by psychological distress, EL, age, and social media addiction. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that psychological distress and loneliness are strongly associated with suicidal ideas and suicide attempts. Such results could serve as a warning call that assists healthcare professionals and mental health teams in arranging and planning effective interventions and actions to raise awareness, as well as reduce the levels of psychological distress and loneliness that could lead to grave consequences.
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OBJECTIVES: To explore the perspectives of primary care providers (PCPs) on the low use of and barriers to routine checkups among Saudi adults. METHODS: A qualitative phenomenological study design was used. Interviews were carried out between (December 2020 and February 2021) with 19 PCPs working at 5 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) operated by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Descriptive statistics were performed to characterize participants, and a directed content analysis was carried out to examine major themes. RESULTS: Primary care providers identified a number of barriers that contributed to a low uptake of routine checkup among Saudis. These barriers to routine checkups were classified into 3 main themes: patient-related barriers, provider-related barriers, and healthcare system-related barriers. Lack of knowledge of patients, crowdedness at PHCs, and busy staff at PHCs were the most frequently mentioned barriers that hamper the use of routine checkups. CONCLUSION: This study presented new insight into the low use of routine checkups by obtaining the perspective of PCPs. Although results point to potential targets for interventions to increase routine checkups, additional research is recommended with a representative sample of PCPs randomly selected from the healthcare system to inform future policy and decision making related to improving use of routine care available through the Saudi Healthcare System.
