scholarly journals Medical Students' Awareness of Smell Loss as a Predictor for Coronavirus Disease 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Turki Aldrees ◽  
Sharif Almatrafi ◽  
Turki Aldriweesh ◽  
Mohammad Mokhatrish ◽  
Abdulaziz Salamh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Pathophysiological Mechanism ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Early Presentation ◽  
Taste Dysfunction

Background: Anosmia has been reported as an early presentation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the pathophysiological mechanism of olfactory dysfunction is still unclear.Aim: The aim of this study to evaluate the knowledge regarding common symptoms, anosmia, treatment options, and PPE among medical students in three different universities of Saudi Arabia.Methods: This cross-sectional survey conducted among medical students in Saudi Arabia. Google Forms was used to create the survey. The questionnaire included demographic information, knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, sources of information, and the level of awareness of specific symptoms (loss of smell and taste).Results: A total of 494 students completed the questionnaire. The majority of the participants were aware of common COVID-19 symptoms like fever and cough (79.8 and 67.2%, respectively), but less than half were aware that smell or taste dysfunction might be a symptom of COVID-19 (44.3 and 30.2%, respectively). The present study revealed that the source of information also plays a critical role in medical students' awareness regarding the symptoms of COVID-19. Students using international organization's websites, medical databases, or published research had better knowledge of anosmia as a COVID-19 symptom compared to those who used WhatsApp, Google, or unofficial social media pages. In our study, a minority (11.9%) of the participants relied on unofficial social media pages as the main source of their information.Conclusion: Saudi medical students understand that smell or taste dysfunction can be a potential symptom of COVID-19, but this knowledge was not as widespread as the knowledge regarding the most common COVID-19 symptoms.

scholarly journals Survey of young people in one region of the UK on accessing COVID-19 information (SOCIAL)

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000942
Author(s):  
Oliver G P Lawton ◽  
Sarah A Lawton ◽  
Lisa Dikomitis ◽  
Joanne Protheroe ◽  
Joanne Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young People ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Education Gaps ◽  
The Uk

COVID-19 has significantly impacted young people’s lives yet little is known about the COVID-19 related sources of information they access. We performed a cross-sectional survey of pupils (11–16 years) in North Staffordshire, UK. 408 (23%) pupils responded to an online survey emailed to them by their school. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data. Social media, accessed by 68%, played a significant role in the provision of information, despite it not being considered trustworthy. 89% felt that COVID-19 had negatively affected their education. Gaps in the provision of information on COVID-19 have been identified.

scholarly journals The Lifestyle of Saudi Medical Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 7869
Author(s):  
Khalid A. Bin Abdulrahman ◽  
Ahmad M. Khalaf ◽  
Fahad B. Bin Abbas ◽  
Omran T. Alanezi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Drinking Patterns ◽  
Cross Sectional

This study was conducted to investigate medical students’ lifestyle habits, including sleep quality, eating and drinking patterns, physical activity, and social status. Method: This research project is part two of a multi-institutional cross-sectional observational study conducted among medical students from six medical colleges in Saudi Arabia between September and December 2019. Results: 675 medical students were enrolled electively into the lifestyle study. About half of this number were male students and the majority were aged 18–24 years. Most students (87.6%) slept between 4–8 h a day and over 44% were dissatisfied with their sleep. Only 28.1% had three meals a day; about 40% of them usually or always skipped breakfast. A total of 44% usually or always ate fast food and 44.7% drank 2 L of water per day. Moreover, male students were significantly consuming more fast food than females, p < 0.001. The majority (63.3%) revealed they usually or always drink black coffee daily. Females were significantly more inclined to regular coffee consumption than males, p < 0.001. Only 4.3% exercised for 30 min or more daily. The majority (65%) of the students were introverted; they had few close friends. Yet, 81% were somewhat satisfied or satisfied with their social life. Male students were significantly more satisfied with their social life than females, p = 0.001. Only 4.6% smoked cigarettes daily whereas 7.1% smoked e-cigarettes daily. In contrast, only 0.3% used shisha (hookah) daily. Male medical students were substantially more inclined to e-cigarette use than females (p < 0.001). The top five leisure activities of a medical student were surfing social media (75.9%), watching movies (61.3%), hanging out with friends (58.1%), spending time with their family (55.4%), and browsing the Internet (53.6%). Female medical students were significantly more inclined to surf social media than male medical students, p = 0.022; also, watching movies was preferred for females compared to males, p = 0.006. Conclusion: This study revealed that the majority of these medical students in Saudi Arabia exhibited healthy lifestyles to some extent, and these health-promoting behaviors differed based on sex, especially concerning physical activity and eating patterns. The findings of this study provide relevant information for future actions that will be geared towards effectively decreasing the occurrence of chronic illnesses and improving future doctors’ well-being.

scholarly journals Physical Activity and Attitudes Toward Social Media Use of Active Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mezna A. AlMarzooqi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Background: Social media became an integral part of the lives of people because it encourages social relations and shares interests, activities, and real-life connections. As quarantine and lockdown orders are prolonged, many people, as well as those physically active individuals, typically responded to this stressful condition by using social media platforms.Objective: This study aimed to examine the level of physical activity of physically active individuals and their attitudes toward social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among physically active individuals in Saudi Arabia between June 2020 and July 2020. An online survey was employed among eligible participants who completed a self-administered questionnaire that covered reasons for physical activity and attitudes toward social media platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: Of these 323 participants, 29.1% were in the age group of 18–24 years, 66.6% were women, and 67.8% were single. The proportion of participants whose metabolic equivalent of tasks-min/week from vigorous activity &lt;1,680 was 31.9%, and all of the participants follow people or pages in social media related to sports teams and fitness models. The average number of hours spent on social media per day was 2.95 ± 0.90 h. The majority of the participants showed positive attitudes toward social media used for exercise and physical activity. Of the eight variables, age, level of physical activity, and the average of hours spent on social media emerged as significant predictors of attitudes toward the use of social media (P &lt; 0.05).Conclusions: The present survey results indicate adverse consequences of home quarantine as reflected by a small proportion of participants who had differences in levels of vigorous activities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Social media appears to be a key avenue to promote and disseminate health interventions to promote physical activity during this COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Public Awareness of Sepsis Compared to Acute Myocardial Infarction and Stroke in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Questionnaire Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nourah Al-Orainan ◽  
Adel Mohamed EL-Shabasy ◽  
Khawlah Alamin Al-Shanqiti ◽  
Rawan Awad Al-Harbi ◽  
Hadeel Rajeh Alnashri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Data Entry ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Early Presentation ◽  
Correct Definition

BACKGROUND Sepsis is a state of organ dysfunction caused by an impaired host response to infection. It is one of the leading causes of death globally. Sepsis, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and stroke share the primary management requirement of rapid intervention. This could be achieved through early presentation to the hospital, which demands previous knowledge of the disease to ensure better outcomes. OBJECTIVE Our study aimed to assess the level of public awareness of sepsis compared with AMI and stroke. METHODS This was a cross-sectional survey study performed in June and July 2018, with 1354 participants from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, aged ≥18 years. Data entry was performed using Microsoft Excel and statistical analysis including chi-square tests and multilogistic regression was performed using SPSS software. RESULTS A total of 1354 participants were included. Only 56.72% (768/1354) had heard of the term “sepsis” and 48.44% (372/768) of these participants were able to correctly identify it. In addition, 88.33% (1196/1354) had heard the term “myocardial infarction” and 64.63% (773/1196) knew the correct definition of that condition. Stroke was recognized by 81.46% (1103/1354) of participants and 59.20% (653/1103) of these participants correctly identified the condition. The difference between those who had heard of these diseases and those who knew the correct definition significantly differed from the values for awareness of sepsis and its definition. CONCLUSIONS We found that public awareness and knowledge of sepsis are poor amongst the population of Jeddah compared with the awareness and knowledge of AMI and stroke. This lack of knowledge may pose a serious obstruction to the prompt management needed to limit fatal outcomes.

scholarly journals The Lifestyle of Saudi Medical Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid A Bin Abdulrahman ◽  
Ahmad Mamoun Khalaf ◽  
Fahad Bassam Bin Abbas ◽  
Omran Thabet Alanazi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Coffee Consumption ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: This study was conducted to investigate medical students' lifestyle habits, including sleep quality, eating and drinking pattern, physical activity, and social status. Method: This research project is part two of a multi-institutional cross-sectional observational study conducted among medical students from six medical colleges in Saudi Arabia between September and December 2019. Results: 675 medical students were enrolled electively into the lifestyle study. About half of this number were male students, and the majority aged 18-24 years. Most students (87.6%) slept between 4-8 hours a day, and over 44% were dissatisfied with their sleep. Only 28.1% had three meals a day; about 40% of them usually or always skipped breakfast. While 44% usually or always eat fast food, 44.7% drink 2 liters of water per day. Moreover, male students were significantly consuming fast foods than females, p&lt;0.001. The majority (63.3%) revealed they usually or always drink black coffee daily. Females were significantly more inclined to regular coffee consumption than males, p&lt;0.001. Only 4.3% exercising for 30 minutes or more daily. The majority (65%) of the students were introverted; they had few close friends. Yet, 81% were somewhat satisfied or satisfied with their social life. Male students were predicted to be significantly more satisfied with their social life than females, p=0.001. Only 4.6% smoked cigarettes daily. Whereas 7.1% smoke e-cigarette daily. In contrast, only 0.3% use shisha (hookah) daily. Male medical students were substantially more predicted to be inclined to e-cigarette use than females (p &lt;0.001. The top five leisure activities of a medical student are surfing social media (75.9%), watching movies (61.3%), hanging out with friends (58.1%), spent time with their family (55.4%), and browsing the internet (53.6%). Female medical students were significantly more inclined to surfing social media than male medical students, p=0.022; also, watching movies was preferred for females compared to males, p=0.006. Conclusion: This study revealed that the majority of medical students in Saudi Arabia exhibited healthy lifestyles to some extent, and these health-promoting behaviors differed based on gender, especially concerning physical activity and eating patterns. The findings of this study provide relevant information for future actions that will be geared towards effectively decreasing the occurrence of chronic illnesses and improving future doctor&rsquo;s well-being.

scholarly journals Level of Knowledge in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Canadian Medical Students

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kacper Niburski ◽  
Rachel Vaughan ◽  
Elitsa Papazova ◽  
Keith J. Todd
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public Consumption ◽  
New Information ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
Public Health Information ◽  
Use Of Social Media

AbstractBackgroundDuring health crises medical education is often derailed as was the case during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Medical trainees face the daunting task of having to gather, filter and synthesize new information about the evolving situation often without the standardized resources they are used to.MethodsWe surveyed Canadian medical students, in the hardest hit province of Quebec, on how they were acquiring knowledge as well as what they knew of the pandemic. Google Forms was used, with the survey being distributed to each medical school in Quebec (McGill, ULaval, Udem) both through email and through social media pages for each class year. Two analyses, Mann-Whitney and ANOVA tests, were performed for year of study and degree obtained.ResultsWe received responses from 111 medical students from three universities, which represents 5% of the students invited to complete the survey. Students reported using mass media most frequently (83%) and also had a high rate of use of social media (to gather information about the pandemic. They rated these resources low in terms of their trustworthiness despite the high rates of use (average 2.91 and 2.03 of 5 respectively). Medical students also endorsed using more formal resources like public health information, scientific journals and faculty-provided information that they trusted more, however, they accessed these resources at lower rates. Of note, medical students had correct answered 60% of COVID-19 prevention strategies, 73% clinical correct answers, 90% epidemiological correct answers. Additionally, students who were training in the larger city of Montreal, where the worst of the outbreak was focused, tended to significantly perform better (p<0.0001) than their colleagues who were not located there.ConclusionThese finding indicate a wide use of information resources intended for public consumption rather than more rigorous and trustworthy sources. Furthermore, there seems to be a knowledge gap amongst medical students responding to this survey that suggests an opportunity to improve the delivery of educational content during this rapidly evolving pandemic.

scholarly journals P49 Exploring medical student confidence in social media health advocacy through the lens of a pandemic

BJS Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vigneshwar Raj Veerappan ◽  
Ruksana Begum ◽  
Abdullah Raja ◽  
Tanjim Quddus ◽  
Rahul Senan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
National Study ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Advocacy ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Introduction Social media facilitates the rapid spread of information and misinformation to the public. Medical students as healthcare professionals in training have a responsibility to support public health advocacy. As such, it is important to understand whether medical students feel comfortable to use social media as a tool to promote public health. There is little literature evaluating this. The covid-19 pandemic gives us a unique opportunity to characterise this relationship. Methods This is a cross sectional survey-based study run by the student surgical society at Hull York Medical School. Data will be collected on confidence of medical students in receiving, appraising and resharing information on social media. The study will first be run as a single centre study. Following data collection and analysis, will be promoted to other student surgical societies across the UK to be run as a collaborative national study. Results Primary Objective How confident are medical students in receiving, appraising and resharing information they receive on social media?: Secondary Objective: Is there a relationship between years of training or postgraduate/undergraduate status and confidence in using social media amongst medical students? How often do medical students use social media as their primary source of information? Is there adequate education on how social media can be used to combat misinformation?: Conclusion: The covid-19 pandemic allows a unique opportunity to characterise the relationship between medical students, social media, and health advocacy. Understanding this relationship will help guide medical education to incorporate social media as an effective tool in healthcare.

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