Utilization of Hydroxyurea Among Patients Diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

Purpose: The early diagnosis of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients and getting appropriate treatment are crucial for improving clinical outcomes. This study aims to assess the use of hydroxyurea among patients diagnosed with SCD and assess factors influencing the attitude toward the medication and the reasons for discontinuation. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional investigation targeting parents or caregivers of children diagnosed with SCD in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from tertiary healthcare hospitals via a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of sections measuring the participants' demographics, the number of children diagnosed with SCD, the use of hydroxyurea, and the parents' beliefs about hydroxyurea. Results: There were 301 parents or caregivers recruited. The majority of the recruited participants were mothers (54.5%), and nearly half of the sample were older than 35. More than 80% of the participants declare that one or more of their children are receiving hydroxyurea to manage SCD. The majority of participants declared that using hydroxyurea reduced the frequency of body pain episodes, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions. Participants' major concern about the use of hydroxyurea was related to the fear of weakening their immunity (29.5%) and hydroxyurea's perceived effect on fertility (16.8%). Furthermore, 52 (18%) of the participants declared that the use of hydroxyurea to manage the disease was stopped; the main reasons for stopping was their belief that hydroxyurea had side effects and its impact on weakening of their immune system. Conclusion: The findings indicate the importance of increasing the role of clinicians in educating patients and caregivers about the use of hydroxyurea and its benefits.

Prevalence of Computer Vision Syndrome among School-Age Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: Computer vision syndrome (CVS) can be described as ocular-related symptoms that result from prolonged exposure and use of computers, smartphones, tablets, and other devices with digital displays. The main objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of CVS among school-age children, the associated signs, risk factors, and the association between the disease before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional research design. The targeted population was school-going children aged 6 to 18 in the Jazan region in the Southwest of Saudi Arabia. A sample of 440 participants was selected to represent the population under study. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Sociodemographic characteristics were recorded, such as age, gender, education level, parents' education, occupation, frequency, and intensity of eye symptoms if present. Results: Most of the participants were adolescents between 16 and 18 and at a high-school education level. According to the total symptoms score, the CVS prevalence was 35.4%. Prevalence of CVS significantly affects age, gender, and school level (p < 0.05 for all). A similar significant association was reported between the symptoms experienced before and during COVID-19 and the CVS (p < 0.05). Conclusion: A total of 407 adolescents aged 16−18 responded to the questionnaire (response rate of 92.5%; 407 out of 440). The study estimated the prevalence of CVS among school-going children in Jazan to be low. The main signs associated with CVS included headache, tearing, itchiness, blurred vision, eye redness, eye pain, and dryness. The attitude of children toward their health condition during the COVID-19 pandemic and the prevalence of CVS have a significant relationship.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Pregnant Women in Jazan, Saudi Arabia Concerning Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises.

Introduction Weaknesses of the pelvic floor muscles in females can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction thus increasing the risk of urinary and fecal incontinence. Furthermore, its weakness can lead to reproductive organ prolapse and sexual dysfunction, and influence sexual arousal and orgasm. There is limited evidence concerning the awareness of Saudi women regarding the importance of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction. The current investigation aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pelvic floor muscle exercises in the women of Jazan, Saudi Arabia.  Materials and methods This investigation was a cross-sectional study targeting pregnant women in the Jazan region. Data was collected via an Arabic self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of four main components measuring demographic data, presence of pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms, knowledge, attitude, and practice of the participants concerning pelvic floor muscle training. Chi-squared test was used to test the association between measured demographic factors and level of knowledge. Results A total of 183 pregnant women were recruited. The mean age of the participants was 27.4 years (standard deviation (SD): 5.3). The median number of pregnancies was 2 (interquartile range (IQR): 1-3), and the mean duration of current pregnancy was 20.9 (SD:11.1). The majority of pregnant women complained of lower abdomen pain with variable degrees. Nearly half of the sample complained of having either urinary or fecal incontinence with variable degrees of severity. The mean score of knowledge was 5 out of 12 and the scores varied between 1 and 11. Only 71 women (38.8%) were confident that pregnant women can exercise pelvic floor muscles. Furthermore, knowledge of the recruited mothers concerning the nature of the pelvic floor muscle exercise was relatively low in comparison to other items. Nearly one-third of the sample either believed that the exercise had no effect or had a worsening effect. Half the sample reported not performing any pelvic floor exercises. Only the practice of the exercise was statistically associated with the level of knowledge, indicating a higher proportion of women with a higher level of knowledge among those who regularly or occasionally perform the exercise. This may suggest that women with a higher level of knowledge are more motivated to exercise (<0.001). Conclusion Several deficiencies in knowledge about pelvic floor muscle exercise were detected among the recruited sample. Though the majority of the sample had an attitude favoring pelvic floor muscle exercise, nearly one-third did not believe pelvic floor muscle exercise can be beneficial. Finally, less than 10% of the sample indicated regular practice of pelvic floor muscle exercise. These findings indicate a need to increase the awareness and adherence of women in Jazan.

Assessment of factors influencing the contribution of primary healthcare physicians in prevention of type 2 diabetes in South of Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: This study was aiming to assess factors influencing the contribution of primary healthcare physicians concerning prevention of type 2 diabetes in the Jazan region, south of Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess physicians' knowledge about evidence-based guidelines concerning diabetes prevention, their attitude towards lifestyle interventions and their practice concerning screening and provision of lifestyle interventions in their clinics. Interviews were conducted to complete a semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis involved reviewing open-ended responses of physicians followed by quantitative analysis to assess level of knowledge, attitudes, and practice adherence. RESULTS: A total of 234 physicians from 127 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in the region were recruited. Knowledge of evidence-based clinical indicators for the prevention of diabetes was limited (mean level of knowledge 3.14/8 [SD: 1.2)]. Recruited physicians did have a positive overall attitude to the influence of lifestyle/behavioural therapy on the prevention of type 2 diabetes. The physicians narrated a variety of factors that might influence the effectiveness of this approach, which were related to the community, the patients and the physicians themselves. Only the association between gender of physicians and their levels of knowledge was statistically significant where odds of greater knowledge were higher among female physicians in comparison to males (odds ratio : 1.8, P value = 0.025). CONCLUSION: Most of the physicians in our sample were misinformed about the components of lifestyle/behavioural interventions for diabetes prevention, which mandates designing and implementing lifestyle medicine programmes for the PHC physicians in Jazan region.

Assessment of Factors Associated with the Effectiveness of Premarital Screening for Hemoglobinopathies in the South of Saudi Arabia.

PURPOSE: Southern region of Saudi Arabia has one of the highest prevalence of sickle cell disease and thalassemia in the kingdom. This study aims to assess the factors associated with the rejection of premarital clinical counselling in the Jazan region. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional investigation conducted in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. The investigation targeted subjects who performed premarital screening and, with their screened partners, were identified as high-risk couples and proceeded with their marriage. Data were collected via a web-based self-administered questionnaire. A section of the questionnaire targeted those who attended the premarital counselling clinic in the Jazan region and assessed the factors that led to the rejection of premarital counselling advice. RESULTS: A total of 413 participants were recruited. The mean age of the respondents was 33 years, and the majority of the respondents were female (62.5%). The majority of the respondents were related to their partners (66.8%) and were carriers of sickle cell disease (67.8%). Among the respondents, only 192 had attended premarital counselling clinics in the Jazan region. More than half of the attendees rejected the premarital counseling advice because they believed that their marriage was their unavoidable destiny. About 30% of the attendees reported that disease complications were not well explained during the counselling. Thirty-five attendees (18.2%) proceeded with the marriage because they thought the risk of transmitting the disease to their children was small and 10 attendees (5.2%) proceeded with their marriage because they believed their children's lives would not be affected by the disease. CONCLUSION: The findings explain the limited influence of the premarital counselling advice in raising the awareness of the attendees about inherited blood disorders. The findings indicate a strong cultural influence leading to the reduced effectiveness of premarital counselling in the Jazan region.

Lifestyle choices and prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases among primary healthcare physicians in the Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: One of the factors that may influence patient adherence to a healthy lifestyle is the adherence of their treating physicians to a healthy lifestyle. This study aimed to measure the lifestyles of primary healthcare center (PHCs) physicians in the Jazan region and to identify the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity among this sample of physicians. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Jazan region which lies in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected via a questionnaire completed during personal interviews. The questionnaire included several components related to physicians' demographics, lifestyles, and history of chronic non-communicable diseases. Descriptive statistics were performed to summarize the overall lifestyle of the physicians and disease prevalence. RESULTS: A total of 234 physicians agreed to participate in this investigation. The age of the participants varied between 25 and 65 years, with a median age of 38. Almost 70% of the physicians reported BMI levels higher than 25, indicating a high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Twenty-seven physicians reported no engagement in any type of exercise while the majority reported engagement with low-intensity exercise. While 56% reported daily consumption of vegetables, only 41.8% of them reported daily consumption of fruits. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia was 10.3%, 8.5%, and 3.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Poor lifestyle choices of the physicians may indicate limited engagement of the physicians in providing effective lifestyle counseling to patients visiting their clinics in PHC settings of the studied community.