Health literacy as mediator between perception of illness and self-medication behaviour among outpatients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: implication to primary healthcare nursing.

INTRODUCTION: Perception of illness (PI) and self-medication (SM) have been thoroughly explored in the existing literature. However, there is a lack of understanding about the mediating effect of health literacy on PI and SM in a non-homogenous population like Saudi Arabia. As such, primary healthcare nurses who have constant interaction with the outpatients have difficulty addressing self-medication. This study aimed to investigate health literacy as mediator between PI and SM among outpatients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional approach and was conducted at 10 major primary healthcare (PHC) clinics serving 30 million individuals in 13 different regions of KSA. The 424 outpatients who participated in this study were selected through convenience sampling. Data collection started in November 2022 and concluded in February 2023. RESULTS: The mean of the Brief Health Literacy Screening Tool, self-medication scale (SMS), and PI scores were 13.01 ± 3.32, 27.46 ± 7.01, and 45.56 ± 7.69, respectively. There was a significant relationship between the age and BRIEF scores (p = 0.039), and the level of education was significantly related to all variables, as were nationality and BRIEF scores (p = 0.001). Finally, occupation was significantly related to BRIEF and SMS scores (p = 0.001 and 0.003, respectively). Completing college and being non-Saudi had positively significant effects on health literacy (p < 0.01). The structural equation model (SEM) found no effect of PI on health literacy or SM behaviour (p = 0.263 and 0.84, respectively), but health literacy did have an effect on SM behaviour (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Health literacy is an important factor in self-medication behavior and that PI is not directly related to health literacy or self-medication behavior, but that health literacy does influence self-medication behavior. Therefore, primary healthcare givers should promote public health literacy alongside the control of other conditions as one of the most effective ways to decrease the prevalence of self-medication and the risks associated with it.

Sociocultural and perceived public image of nurses among nursing students: the mediating role of self-concept.

BACKGROUND: Studying the public perception of nurses among nursing students is vital in establishing strategic solutions to recruit and retain more students in nursing programs and to contain nurses in the health care system. AIM: This study aimed to determine the mediating role of self-concept in the relationship between sociocultural and perceived public image of nurses. METHODS: This study employed a correlational approach using convenience sampling of 1390 participants. This study was conducted at six large universities in three regions of Saudi Arabia (central, northern, and eastern). Student nurses in their second to fourth years of study were included as participants, with an 89.7% response rate. Data were collected from January to April 2023. RESULTS: A significant positive relationship was observed between sociocultural factors and self-concept (r = .685, p = .0001). In addition, there was a significant positive relationship between self-concept and public image (PI) (r = .352, p value = 0.0001). Furthermore, there was a significant positive relationship between sociocultural and public image (r = .456, p = .0001); sociocultural had a direct effect on self-concept (ß = 0.324, SE = 0.098, t = 9.429, p < .0001) and public image (ß = 0.605, SE = 0.038, t = 22.617, p < .0001). Furthermore, sociocultural had an indirect effect on public image through self-concept (H6) (ß = 0.389, SE = 0.123, t = 12.766, p < .0001). DISCUSSION: The study findings suggest that nursing school programs should take measures to foster a supportive environment that promotes self-concept and public image, while also being mindful of the sociocultural background. This would also open the scope for further research on the matter involving multiple centers. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the need for programs to boost self-concept and public image that consider sociocultural influences. These 'findings have crucial implications for student nurses' social and psychological wellbeing as they improve the understanding of how sociocultural affects self-concept and public image.

Relationship between the Health Literacy and Self-Medication Behavior of Primary Health Care Clientele in the Hail Region, Saudi Arabia: Implications for Public Health.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Because they are unaware of the potential adverse effects of medications, people frequently self-medicate as a form of self-care. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with health literacy and the propensity to self-medicate among the primary healthcare clientele of the city of Hail, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This research employed a cross-sectional approach with the participation of 383 primary health center clientele of the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia. Participation was enacted via convenience sampling from December 2022 to February 2023. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The investigation utilized descriptive statistics as well as multiple linear regression and correlation for the data analysis. RESULTS: Participants who were aged 30 years and above, single, had a college degree, were non-Saudi, had a white-collar occupation and received information from the internet/Google/YouTube had a significant relationship (p < 0.05) with health literacy. On the self-medication scale (SMS), there were significant relationships with age, marital status, educational level and occupation (p < 0.05). The nationality and source of information factors related to health had a positively significant effect on health literacy (p < 0.01), while middle age (24-29 years) had a positive effect on the self-medication scores (p < 0.01). There was a significant positive correlation between the health literacy screening scale (BRIEF) and the self-medication scale (SMS) scores (r = 421, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Age of 30 years old or above, single status, a college degree, non-Saudi status, white-collar occupation and receiving information from the internet/Google/YouTube were all significant for health literacy. There were also significant relationships with the SMS scores for age, marital status, educational level and occupation. The factors affecting health literacy were older participant age, nationality and the source of information regarding health. Conversely, among the participants, being in the middle-aged group (24-29 years) was a factor that affected their self-medication scores. There was a significant positive correlation between the health literacy screening scale (BRIEF) and the self-medication scale (SMS).

Structural equation modeling of the relationship between nursing students' quality of life and academic resilience.

Objective: Across the Middle Eastern countries, there is a lack of studies exploring the connection between the quality of life (QoL) and academic resilience of nursing students. This study determines the association between nursing students' profile variables and their QoL and academic resilience (AR). Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design with structural equation modeling (SEM) was adopted. This study was conducted at the College of Nursing at the University of Ha'il, KSA. Survey questionnaires using the 12-item Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale (BBQ) and 30-item Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30) were utilised to collect data from nursing students (n = 384). SEM via latent variable analysis (lavaan) software version 0.6-7 was used for statistical derivation and analysis. Results: SEM revealed no correlation with QoL and AR when compared using the participants' profile variables (gender, year level, and enrolled units). There was a correlation between the grade point average (GPA) and QoL. However, no association was found between QoL and AR. Conclusion: GPA exhibited a positive correlation with QoL; thus, nursing students with higher GPA have a more stable and desirable QoL. Additionally, our findings illustrate the individuality of nursing students despite their shared characteristics.