The influence of a diabetes awareness program on diabetes knowledge, risk perception, and practices among university students.

AIM: To compare diabetes mellitus (DM) knowledge, risk perception, and health practices before and after a mass awareness program among Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University students, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A DM awareness program was conducted between November 2020 and February 2021 in three phases (total 13 weeks). The program comprised educational messages, short videos, virtual lectures, and peer-to-peer education. A total of 558 participants (before group, n = 360; after group, n = 198) were included in the study. RESULTS: Majority of the students had normal body mass index (BMI). The knowledge scores were significantly higher after the program (median 16, quartile range 13-18) than before (median 14, quartile range 12-16) (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in risk perception between the two groups (p > 0.05). In addition, increased moderate practice score and decreased poor practice score (p < 0.001) were observed. Factors influencing DM knowledge were higher education and awareness. Factors influencing health practices were higher BMI and knowledge after the program. CONCLUSION: DM awareness program improved DM knowledge and health practices among university students.

Validity and Reliability of the Arabic Translation of Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT1)

@#Introduction: Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT1) is a tool to assess patients’ diabetes knowledge and lifestyle. It comprises two subscales: the DKT1-general and DKT1-insulin-use. This study aimed to translate the DKT1 into Arabic and tested its validity and reliability in the Saudi population. Methods: This single-centre, cross-sectional study examined diabetes-related knowledge and lifestyle of Saudi patients with diabetes who used anti-diabetic medication and/or insulin. The participants’ mean scores for the two subscales of DKT1 were compared according to their type and duration of diabetes, medication use, and levels of education. Internal consistency tests and factor analysis were applied to examine the reliability and validity of the subscales, respectively. Results: In total, 400 individuals with diabetes (mean age 43.8±16.1 years) were enrolled. Of these, 44.2% had type 1 diabetes, and 51% were men. The Arabic version of DKT1 received internal consistency scores with coefficient alpha (95% confidence interval) values of 0.541 (0.472–0.604) and 0.741 (0.699–0.785) for the DKT1-general and DKT1-insulin-use subscales, respectively. The validity test showed that the participants with type 1 diabetes attained marginally higher score in the DKT1-general subscale and significantly higher score in the DKT1-insulin-use subscale than those with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, the scores increased with higher levels of education and longer durations of the disorder. Conclusion: The Arabic translation of DKT1 is an acceptable tool which can be used to measure the effectiveness of diabetes education programmes and would help to identify patient’s education needs.

Sleep duration and quality associated with obesity among Arab children.

The link between sleep duration and obesity has been well established in adults, but several epidemiological studies revealed inconsistent findings in adolescents and younger children. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep length and obesity in Saudi students. A total of 5,877 Saudi students, boys (55.2%) and girls (44.8%), aged between 10 and 19 years were randomly selected from elementary, intermediate, and secondary schools in different regions of Riyadh. A questionnaire on sleep behaviors was given. Anthropometry included BMI and waist and hip circumferences. Sleeping