Second-Hand Smoking among Intermediate and Secondary School Students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Second-hand smoke (SHS) is an important public health problem worldwide. The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of SHS exposure and its associated risk factors among intermediate and secondary school students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013 among 3400 students from 34 intermediate and secondary schools in Madinah City, Saudi Arabia. Data about sociodemographic and smoking-related factors and SHS exposure were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the 3210 students analyzed, the prevalence of SHS exposure was 32.7% 49.3%, and 25% inside, outside, and both inside and outside the home, respectively. The highest risk of SHS exposure was associated with the adolescent's smoking status, parental smoking, close friends smoking, and family structure. The risk was markedly increased in association with parental smoking for exposure inside the home (OR = 6.49; 95% CI = 5.44-7.73) and with close friends smoking for exposure outside the home (OR = 4.16; 95% CI = 3.54-4.77). The risk of SHS, however, was lower among adolescents having knowledge about smoking and highly educated parents. CONCLUSION: The study revealed a considerably high prevalence of SHS both inside and outside the home among adolescents. Knowledge and beliefs about SHS exposure are the main preventable approach.

Perceptions, barriers, and practices of medical research among students at Taibah College of Medicine, Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Research is an extremely crucial element in the advancement and improvement of health care services provided to the public. AIM: To assess perceptions, barriers, and practices of medical research among students at Taibah College of Medicine, Madinah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional, self-administered, validated, pretested, and structured questionnaire was completed by 233 medical students (third, fourth, and fifth study year). The questionnaire consisted of demographic data, students' attitude, practices, and barriers. The collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods including predictive logistic regression models. The level of statistical significance was defined as P#0.05. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 64.7% (233/360). The mean age of the studied students was 22.6±1.1 years, of them 50.1% were males and 48.9% were females. The average attitude score was significantly higher among fourth- and fifth-year medical students compared with that of the third-year students. There has been a statistically significant difference between male and female students regarding their practice of medical research where the higher percent of students reported participation in previous medical research was among female students (79%). The most important obstacle predictors implicated in not conducting research among all the studied students were inadequate facility for research, lack of interest by faculty or guide, and unavailability of the samples or patients. CONCLUSION: The students in the study showed a moderately high positive attitude toward medical research. Addressing and solving perceived students' barriers by faculty staff and administrators are essential in order to ensure an improvement in research activities among medical students.