Family and Community Medicine

Background: To formulate all intervention strategies for hypertension in the community, it is essential to quantify the magnitude of the disease and its risk factors. The patterns of physical activity have not been studied in terms of their being a risk factor or a predictor of hypertension in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional study using the STEP-wise approach of adults and a multistage, stratified, cluster random sample.

Faculty of Medicine, King Fahad Medical City (KFMC) has adopted the problem based learning (PBL) curriculum. This study investigates the educational environment in the school, it also compares the educational environment prevailing in problem based learning curriculum with that of conventional and outcome based curricula. A cross sectional study included one hundred and thirty seven males and females medical students (years 1, 2 and 3).

OBJECTIVE: To develop a valid and reliable assessment tool for endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected prospectively in an observational study through evaluations at two tertiary academic institutions, ie St. Paul's Sinus Centre, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and King Fahd Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2006 to December 2009.

The rise in adolescent smoking is a public health concern in Saudi Arabia. Several studies have demonstrated that receptivity to tobacco advertising is strongly associated with smoking initiation. Public health practitioners have begun to use counter advertising to prevent the initiation of smoking. This study aimed to assess the effect of anti-and pro-smoking advertisements on smoking habits of adolescents in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES:

To identify the changing trends and crucial preventive approaches to road traffic accidents (RTAs) adopted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) over the last 2.5 decades, and to analyze aspects previously overlooked.
METHODS:

This systematic review was based on evidence of RTAs in KSA. All articles published during the last 25 years on road traffic accident in KSA were analyzed. This study was carried out from December 2013 to May 2014 in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, KSA.
RESULTS:

Road traffic accidents accounted for 83.4% of all trauma admissions in 1984-1989, and no such overall trend was studied thereafter. The most frequently injured body regions as reported in the latest studies were head and neck, followed by upper and lower extremities, which was found to be opposite to that of the studies reported earlier. Hospital data showed an 8% non-significant increase in road accident mortalities in contrast to police records of a 27% significant reduction during the years 2005-2010. Excessive speeding was the most common cause reported in all recent and past studies.
CONCLUSION:

Disparity was common in the type of reporting of RTAs, outcome measures, and possible causes over a period of 2.5 decade. All research exclusively looked into the drivers' faults. A sentinel surveillance of road crashes should be kept in place in the secondary and tertiary care hospitals for all regions of KSA.

Background: Smoking behavior is related to numerous factors, including psychosocial parameters. This study investigated the association between family context factors and smoking among male adolescents. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, school-based study was conducted during 2014. The study sampled 900 students from intermediate and secondary schools in Madinah City, Saudi Arabia. Data concerning smoking status, sociodemographic, parental and friends' smoking behavior, and family factors were collected using a selfadministered questionnaire. These data were employed to estimate the prevalence of smoking using appropriate statistical analyses including multivariate logistic regression. Results: Of 900 students, 870 completed the study questionnaire (96.7%). Of the respondents, 181 students (20.8%, 95% CI=18.1%-23.5%) were current smokers, and a much higher prevalence was observed among adolescents with most or all of their friends smoking (48.1%) and those living with neither parent (47.4%). The adjusted risk of smoking increased significantly among adolescents who lived with neither parent (OR=3.3; 95% CI=1.1-9.2) and among those who reported little or no parental supervision (OR=1.5; 95% CI=1.0-2.1). Conclusions: Family context factors are associated with an increased risk of smoking behavior among male adolescents in 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.

In the last decade, public health (PH) has come to the frontlines in Saudi Arabia. The recent outbreak of a novel corona virus (MERS-CoV) highlighted the importance of PH services and the need for a competent PH workforce. The urgency and panic induced by infectious disease outbreaks explain the heightened interest. Decision makers' interest in public health was observed through a series of decisions, including creating a position for Deputy Minister for Public Health, changing the name of ''Directorate of Primary Healthcare Centers'' to ''Directorate of Public Health'' in all health regions and initiating a special scholarship program to prepare health administration professionals in collaboration with US-based universities. A distinguished group of PH leaders in Saudi Arabia was gathered in a structured workshop that was organized by the Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, college of medicine to discuss the current status and future needs of PH education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The workshop highlighted the need for PH education development and outlined the challenges ahead. The main challenges laid out by participants in the workshop were the development of an appropriate PH curriculum, appropriate training spots for practical placement, the development of research priorities for PH to satisfy the needs of PH programs and agencies, attracting the most qualified academic staff, the enrolment of highly motivated students and finally, the establishment of a quality assurance program to ensure the quality of PH education programs. The development of a framework for graduate competencies in PH was perceived to be a top priority. Moreover, setting a PH workforce surveillance system, building partnership between PH academic institutions and PH services providers, implementing national campaigns to explain what PH is about and illuminating the role of PH workers were also of utmost importance.

Although the prevalence of adolescents' cigarette smoking has increased in recent decades, little is known regarding its epidemiology in certain Saudi regions, including the Madinah region. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of adolescent cigarette smoking in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.