Complementary feeding practices among mothers having children less than two years old attending well-baby clinics in Jazan City, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction: infant feeding practices are important determinants of growth and development not only in infancy but also in later life. The main objective of this study is to describe infant feeding practices and the factors affecting complementary feeding (CF) among mothers in Jazan City. Methods: an observational cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 mothers having children less than 24 months old, attending the well-baby clinics in Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) in Jazan City, Saudi Arabia. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data in a face-to-face interview. Results: on the mother's level of knowledge regarding proper infant feeding, 49% scored high, 41% scored medium, and 9.75% scored low. The mother's educational level, working status, family income, and knowledge source played a significant role in the knowledge scores (p < 0.05 for all). Overall, 15.8% of the mothers never breastfed (BF) their children, 39.8% BF less than six months, 17.5% BF 6-12 months, and 27% BF over 12 months. Breastfeeding feeding (BF) duration is significantly associated with maternal literacy and family income (p = 0.006 for both). Overall, approximately one-third of the women (36.2%) started CF at six months or later, while 63.8% started CF at 4-6 months. Conclusion: Jazan women use some positive infant feeding practices, including breastfeeding. One-third of the women started CF at six months or later, which is considered the optimal time for the CF introduction. More nutrition education is necessary to raise maternal awareness regarding appropriate infant feeding and weaning practices.

Health-related Quality of Life among Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Southern Province of Saudi Arabia using WHOQOL-BREF: A Cross-section Study.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life has become a more important health outcome with advancements in medical therapies and disease management, leading to better lives for people in general, particularly those living with chronic diseases. Diabetes has a direct impact on the physical, psychological, and social aspects of personal health. This study aimed to determine healthrelated quality of life (HRQOL) and its predictors in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 420 patients with type 2 diabetes who presented to primary healthcare centers in Samtah Town, Saudi Arabia, from March 2017 to February 2018. The HRQOL of the study participants was determined using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF. Multi-level linear regression was employed to ascertain the factors associated with HRQOL among patients with type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: Female sex was significantly associated with higher HbA1c, anxiety, depression, and stress scores and a lower HRQL in the physical, psychological, and environmental health subscales than males (P<0.001). All subscales of HRQOL were significantly lower in the > 50 years age group. When compared to those with low levels of education (illiterate, primary, or elementary school), patients with secondary and bachelor's degrees had significantly higher HRQOL in all subscales (P<0.001). In addition, there were significant differences in glycemic control and HRQL with a longer duration of diabetes, the presence of one or more diabetes complications, and the presence of comorbid hypertension (P<0.001). However, no significant differences in the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) index were observed with a longer duration of diabetes and the presence of comorbid hypertension. Patients with diabetes on combined therapy and healthy diet and exercise showed significantly higher HRQOL on physical functioning (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Type 2 diabetes was significantly associated with impaired health-related quality of life and mental health among study participants. Females appeared to have worse quality of life and mental health than males. Age, duration of diabetes, comorbid hypertension, diabetes complications, and level of education were significantly associated with lower HRQOL and mental health scores. Healthy diet and exercise, when combined with hypoglycemic and insulin therapy, were found to improve HRQOL and mental health among patients with diabetes. Scales based on a broad definition of health, such as the WHOQOL-BREF, are appropriate for use in primary care settings and can enhance patient management and care.

A matched comparison of outcomes between percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy and open lumbar microdiscectomy for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation: a 2-year retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Although open lumbar microdiscectomy (OLMD) is considered to be the gold standard method for discectomy, recent progress in endoscopic spinal surgery has increased the popularity of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) for this indication. However, one of the main drawbacks of PELD is incomplete decompression, especially at the start of the surgeon's learning curve. The functional outcomes of PELD and OLMD in patients matched for age, hernia level, and hernia location have not previously been compared. PURPOSE: To compare OLMD with PELD in terms of the clinical outcome and the time to recovery. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, matched cohort study. PATIENT SAMPLE: Data of all patients who underwent elective spinal surgery between January 2015 and June 2017 were extracted from the local database. OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical outcomes were assessed using a 0-to-10 visual analogue scale (VAS) for lower back pain (LBP) and leg pain were scored before surgery and at postoperative day 1 and at each follow-up visit (3, 12, and 24 months), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI: 0%-100%), the length of hospital stay, time to resumption of work, recurrence of Lumbar disc herniation, procedure failures, and complications. METHODS: The participants were matched for age, disc level, and location of the herniated disk (central and paracentral vs. far-lateral). The participants' mean±standard deviation age was 47.09±12.55 (range: 28-70). We compared the various clinical outcomes between the two groups to identify which procedure had better immediate and long-term functional outcomes. The differences in mortality and occurrence of postoperative complications were also compared in patients with PELD versus controls. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients were enrolled (29 with PELD and 29 with OLMD). Both groups reported significant reductions in LBP and leg pain (p<0.01) postoperatively and an improvement in the ODI at 24 months postsurgery. The intergroup difference in the VAS for LBP at 1 day and 3 months was statistically significant (1.48 vs. 3.5, and 1.62 vs. 2.72, respectively; p=0.01 and 0.026, respectively) but the intergroup difference in the ODI was not. The mean length of hospital stay and the time to resumption of work were significantly shorter in the PELD group than in the OLMD group (2.55 vs. 3.21 days, and 4.45 vs. 6.62 weeks, respectively; p=0.037 and 0.01, respectively. There were no significant intergroup differences in terms of complications, recurrence, or procedure failures. CONCLUSIONS: Both PELD and OLMD can provide equivalent, satisfactory outcomes. However, PELD demonstrated several potential advantages, including more rapid recovery and lower LBP early on. Further large-scale, randomized studies with long-term follow-up are now warranted.