Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among professional drivers in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Professional drivers in Saudi Arabia may be at increased risk for mental illness because of their expatriate status, long driving hours, and unhealthy lifestyles. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among professional drivers in Saudi Arabia, most of whom are expatriates. METHODS: Professional drivers (n = 324) were interviewed after convenient sampling of transportation companies. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) was used to screen for depressive symptoms. Correlates of depressive symptoms were identified using Cox regression with a fixed follow-up time. RESULTS: Of the drivers, 20.4% had moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Sleep quality was found to be a significant independent correlate of depressive symptoms. Drivers with poor and fair sleep quality had higher risk of depressive symptoms than drivers with excellent sleep quality (poor: OR = 5.8, CI: 1.95-17.11; fair: OR = 4.5, CI: 1.68-11.96). CONCLUSION: The frequency of depressive symptoms among professional drivers in Saudi Arabia is high (one out of five). Companies should consider screening for depressive symptoms and sleep disorders among employees and should provide referrals as needed.

Knowledge of and attitude toward venous thromboembolism among professional drivers in Saudi Arabia.

Evidence suggests that professional drivers are at risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), a life-threatening yet preventable disease. Awareness of VTE among this population has not been assessed in the Middle East. The study aimed to assess professional drivers' awareness of VTE and attitudes toward VTE preventive measures. We used a validated VTE awareness questionnaire to interview 324 drivers in Saudi Arabia during February-March 2020. Knowledge about VTE was the lowest compared to other medical conditions. Less than a third (31.8%) of the drivers were aware of VTE. Only 15.7% of those with prior awareness correctly identified all four deep vein thrombosis symptoms, and only 7.4% correctly identified all five pulmonary embolism symptoms. A significant proportion believed in unrelated practices for VTE prevention. Health promotion campaigns are urgently needed to raise awareness and to promote healthy behaviors.

Gender Differences in Sleep and Mental Health among Saudi Adolescents.

Among adolescents, mental health issues (i.e., stress and depressive symptoms) negatively affect sleep. We assessed whether the association between mental health and sleep varied between genders among Saudi adolescents. A total of 2206 school students (grades 7-12) from 40 randomly selected schools in four cities of Al-Qassim province in Saudi Arabia participated in this cross-sectional study. The survey assessed demography, lifestyle, sleep (12-item Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale), depression (Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21)) and stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale). Adjusted associations with sleep were tested with linear and logistic regressions. Of the sample, 55% were girls, and their average sleep score was lower than that of the boys (58.7 vs. 63.4, p < 0.001). Girls had worse mental health than boys; the proportion of girls with both severe stress and severe depressive symptoms was three times higher than that of the boys (12% vs. 4%, p < 0.001). For both boys and girls, those with severe depressive symptoms only or both severe depressive symptoms and severe stress had significantly lower sleep scores than those who had neither of the two conditions (reference group). On the other hand, among those who had severe stress only, the sleep score was significantly lower for the girls (p = 0.002) than for the boys (p = 0.19). Overall, girls had a significantly lower sleep score and worse mental health than boys. The association between mental health and sleep significantly differed between the sexes. Severe stress was negatively associated with sleep in girls but not in boys.

The associations of religiosity and family atmosphere with lifestyle among Saudi adolescents.

There have been gradual sociocultural changes in Saudi Arabia due to globalization. This allows a unique opportunity to examine religiosity and family atmosphere in relation to lifestyle among Saudi adolescents. In this cross-sectional study, 2067 school students (grades 7-12) from 32 randomly selected schools in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia were enrolled. Perceived religiosity, family atmosphere, lifestyle (e.g., physical activity, diet, screen time, obesity, and smoking), demography, parental attributes, and religious practices were assessed with validated scales and questions. A risk profile was created from the lifestyle variables (none, one, two, or ≥ three), and the students were grouped into low versus high religiosity and low versus high family atmosphere using a median split. Multinomial regressions were used to model the lifestyle risk profile. The mean age ±standard deviation was 15.5 years ±1.7, and 35% were girls; 28% had no risk factors, 32% had one, 25% had two, and 15% had ≥3. After adjustment, both low religiosity and low family atmosphere were significant correlates of the lifestyle risk profile (e.g., ≥3 risk factors: religiosity OR = 2.9, 95% CI: 2.1, 4.0; family atmosphere OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.5, 2.8). Those with both low religiosity and low family atmosphere were more likely to have a higher lifestyle risk profile than those who scored high in religiosity and better in family atmosphere (e.g., ≥3 risk factors: OR = 5.9, 95% CI: 3.7, 9.5). Hence, higher religiosity and better family atmosphere are associated with less risky lifestyles among Saudi adolescents.

Gaming addiction and perceived stress among Saudi adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescents (age: 10-19 years) make up 15% of the Saudi population and have easy access to electronic gadgets and the Internet, yet data on gaming addiction among adolescents are negligible. We aimed to determine the prevalence of gaming addiction and its association with stress among Saudi school students. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey, 2675 school students (grades 7-12) from 40 randomly selected schools in four main cities of Al-Qassim province in Saudi Arabia participated. The questionnaire inquired about demography, lifestyle, gaming addiction (7-item Game Addiction Scale), and stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale). Multinomial logistic regression assessed the association between gaming addiction (yes, no) and stress (high, moderate, low). RESULTS: Participants' mean age was 16.1 (SD = 1.6) years; 50% were female; 64% reported >3 h of daily screen time; 5% were addicted to gaming; 11.4% had high-level stress. Addiction to gaming was strongly associated with stress in the adjusted analysis (moderate OR = 6.7, 95% CI = 2.9-15.5; high OR = 11.9, 95% CI = 4.7-30.1). Additionally, those who were older, female, had poor grades, unhealthy dietary habits, an inactive lifestyle, and smoked were more likely to experience high stress. CONCLUSIONS: Gaming addiction is strongly associated with stress among Saudi adolescents.

Morphology and Chromic Status of Red Blood Cells Are Significantly Influenced by Gestational Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: The study shows the effect of hyperglycemia on RBCs in terms of morphological changes and their chromic status in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: A total of 100 pregnant women were enrolled from Maternity and Children Hospital, Qassim, Saudi Arabia including 40 women with confirmed GDM (group-1), 30 women with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes (group-2) and 30 women with normal pregnancy without GDM or pre-gestational diabetes (control group-3). Demographic, anthropometric, medical and biochemical data were obtained from the study subjects. Complete blood count (CBC) and peripheral smears were performed from routine blood samples. Red blood cells (RBCs) morphological analysis was carried out by a hematologist and deviations in size, shape, and staining properties of the RBCs were recorded. RESULTS: The groups were similar in demographic characteristics (P > 0.05). RBCs showed normocytic and normochromic features in 83.3% patients of group-3 as compared to 57.5% in group-1, 30% in group-2, respectively. Microcytic hypochromic cells and anisocytosis were mostly encountered in group-2 in 53.3% and 93.3% patients respectively (P = 0.000). Forty percent of RBCs in goup-1 showed microcytic and hypochromic characteristics as compared to group-3 (P = 0.015). Additionally, 42.5% group-1 patients had anisocytosis as compared to group-3 (P = 0.003). Poikilocytosis, target cells and macrocytes were mostly observed in group-2. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent hyperglycemia changes shape, size and hemoglobin contents of RBCs which are associated with the hyperglycemic status and exposure time.