The Lifestyle of Saudi Medical Students

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.

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The Lifestyle of Saudi Medical Students

10.20944/preprints202105.0695.v1 ◽

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<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% 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 <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’s well-being.

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

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.707921 ◽

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 <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 < 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.

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The mental health and well-being benefits of exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study of medical students and newly qualified doctors in the UK

Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) ◽

10.1007/s11845-020-02423-z ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Conor Coyle ◽

Hanya Ghazi ◽

Ioannis Georgiou

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Medical Students ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Impact ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mood Score ◽

The Uk ◽

Mental Well Being

Abstract Background University students have been uniquely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is currently little data upon the measures that medical students and newly qualified doctors have taken to help their mental well-being and mood during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim We aimed to identify the activities respondents found beneficial for their well-being and mental health and recorded a mood score from survey respondents. Methods A nationwide study was completed to investigate the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon medical students and newly qualified doctors (interim foundation year one). We received 2075 respondents from across the UK. Results Physical activity was found to be the most common activity used by the survey respondents to help with their mental well-being (80.1%) (medical students, 83.7%; interim foundation doctors, 72.3%). Participants who stated that exercise helped their well-being had a mean score (SD) of 52.3 (20.7) which was significantly higher (P = 0.048) than those who reported that they did not exercise (49.8 (21.1)). Respondents who stated they had used exercise to help with their mental well-being had (on average) a higher mood score than those who did not. This was seen in both the medical student and interim foundation doctor subgroups. Discussion Exercise can help to benefit the well-being of medical students and interim foundation doctors. It is hoped that higher education providers and employers recognise the importance of promoting physical activity for the well-being of their students and staff, respectively.

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Psychosocial effects of social media on the Saudi society during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0248811 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. e0248811

Author(s):

Mohammad Ahmed Hammad ◽

Turki Mahdi Alqarni

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Well Being ◽

World Health ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Government ◽

Anxiety Depression

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been posing a substantial challenge to human survival and well-being, which rely on the actions and behaviors of individuals. It is essential that accurate information is distributed; however, misinformation has been spread via social media. Consequently, the resulting panic has to be addressed while putting essential public health measures in place. It is also important to explore the link between the social media exposure and well-being. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to identify the levels of anxiety, depression, and social isolation among individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we explored the relationship between exposure to misleading social media news and anxiety, depression, and social isolation. A cross sectional design was employed to collect data from 371 Saudi participants (aged 16–60 years), using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Results showed that the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and social isolation was 47.82%, 47.57%, and 46.42%, respectively. Further, more than 83% of the participants reported using social media frequently during the pandemic. We found that exposure to misinformation via social media has a significant positive relationship with anxiety, depression, and social isolation. However, Due to the cross-sectional nature of this study it cannot be determined whether social media causes negative mental health outcomes, or if individuals experiencing greater depression, anxiety and social isolation turn to social media more than others, or if some third variable might explain both. Based on our findings, we present specific suggestions related to the COVID-19 pandemic to the government of Saudi Arabia. Minoring and filtering out misleading information with the cooperation of the World Health Organization (WHO) can promote the spread of accurate news in Saudi Arabia.

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The Influence of Gender on the Choice of Radiology as a Specialty Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study

Interactive Journal of Medical Research ◽

10.2196/14666 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. e14666 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ahmed H Abduljabbar ◽

Sara F Alnajjar ◽

Hussein Alshamrani ◽

Lujain F Bashamakh ◽

Hisham Z Alshehri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Specialty Choice ◽

Female Students ◽

University Hospital ◽

Male Students ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference

Background Medical undergraduates are the future doctors of the country. Therefore, determining how medical students choose their areas of specialty is essential to obtain a balanced distribution of physicians among all specialties. Although gender is a significant factor that affects specialty choice, the factors underlying gender differences in radiology are not fully elucidated. Objective This study examined the factors that attracted medical students to and discouraged them from selecting diagnostic radiology and analyzed whether these factors differed between female and male medical students. Methods This cross-sectional study conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, used an electronic questionnaire sent to medical students from all medical years during February 2018. Subgroup analyses for gender and radiology interest were performed using the chi-square test and Cramér’s V test. Results In total, 539 students (276 women; 263 men) responded. The most common factor preventing students from choosing radiology as a career was the lack of direct patient contact, which deterred approximately 47% who decided against considering this specialty. Negative perceptions by other physicians (P<.001), lack of acknowledgment by patients (P=.004), and lack of structured radiology rotations (P=.007) dissuaded significantly more male students than female students. Among those interested in radiology, more female students were attracted by job flexibility (P=.01), while more male students were attracted by focused patient interactions with minimal paperwork (P<.001). Conclusions No significant difference was found between the genders in terms of considering radiology as a specialty. Misconception plays a central role in students’ judgment regarding radiology. Hence, early exposure to radiology, assuming a new teaching method, and using a curriculum that supports the active participation of students in a radiology rotation are needed to overcome this misconception.

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Impact of long duty hours on education and well-being of diagnostic radiology residents: A national survey in Saudi Arabia

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.12669/pjms.38.3.4440 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Ayman S Alhasan ◽

Shahad M Alahmadi ◽

Yara A Altayeb ◽

Tareef S Daqqaq

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

National Survey ◽

Social Life ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Well Being ◽

Diagnostic Radiology ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Duty Hours ◽

Radiology Residents ◽

The Impact

Objectives: The primary purpose of this study was to assess and report the perceived negative impact of long duty hours on education and personal well-being among medical trainees in the diagnostic radiology residency training program in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire (sent by email) with eight indicators related to the education and well-being of radiology residents in Saudi Arabia during the academic year 2019–2020. Participants were given a five-point Likert response format for each indicator. The relative importance index (RII) was calculated to rank the different indicators. Results: Our of 337 residents, 116 diagnostic radiology trainees completed the survey, with a response rate of 34.4%. A total of 102 (87.9%) indicated their preference for 16-hour shifts instead of the currently implemented 24-hour duty system. Using the RII, three items related to the post-duty day ranked at the top of the list. The negative impact on sleep rhythm during the post-call day ranked first (mean 4.23 ± 1.02, RII 0.84), followed by the impact on social life, family activities, and exercise during the post-call day (mean 4.09 ± 1.06, RII 0.81). The third highest ranking factor was missing academic activities on the post-call day (mean 3.91 ± 1.15, RII 0.78). There was no relationship between negative perception and gender (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The 24-hour duty system had a negative impact on radiology residents’ education and personal well-being, especially for items related to the post-call day. Reforming duty hours should be considered to promote residents’ well-being. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.3.4440 How to cite this:Alhasan AS, Alahmadi SM, Altayeb YA, Daqqaq TS. Impact of long duty hours on education and well-being of diagnostic radiology residents: A national survey in Saudi Arabia. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(3):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.3.4440 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Medical Students' Perception of the Educational Environment at Al-Nahda College by using DREEM inventory

10.21203/rs.2.9765/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Hamdan Z. Hamdan ◽

Marwa Yassin Ibrahim ◽

Rania Hessian Mohamed ◽

Liza Hassan Ali ◽

Yassir Mohamed Alhassan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Clinical Stage ◽

Well Being ◽

Educational Environment ◽

Male Students ◽

Social Self ◽

Self Perception ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Survey Tool ◽

Better Than

Abstract Background: Educational environment encompasses everything that are found and occurs inside the school of Medicine. It affects the students’ ability to achieve their academic goals, feeling of academic satisfaction and well-being. Assessment of the educational environment of paramount-importance for all stake-holder, administrators and educators in the academic field. The aim of this study to measure the student perception towards the educational environment in Al-Nahda college. Methods: This is an institutional based cross-sectional study conducted in Al-Nahda College between January and February 2018. Study population were 634 medical students. Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was used as a survey tool for this study. Students’ responses were entered to the computer and analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL, USA). Results: A (83.9%) pre-clinical and (16.1%) clinical stage participated in this study from all academic levels. Three hundred and sixty (56.9%) were male students, while the rest were female (43.1%). The overall mean (SD) DREEM score in this study is 130 (34.2), which indicates more positive educational environment than negative. Likewise, students’ perception for teachers, Students’ academic self-perception, Students’ perception of atmosphere and Students’ social self-perception. However, students’ perception for learning shows negative indicator. Students’ female gender have significantly higher mean (SD) overall DREEM score than male students [136 (31.5) Vs. 129 (35.5); P= 0.008], respectively. Female scored higher than male in subclass students’ perception for teachers, Students’ academic self-perception and Students’ social self-perception, [28.8 (7.8) Vs. 27.1 (8.5); P= 0.024]; [22.2 (5.6) Vs. 21.0 (7.2); P= 0.017]; [19.8 (4.9) Vs. 18.8 (5.4); P= 0.019], respectively. The foreign students perceived the overall educational environment better than Sudanese students [135.6(31.7) Vs. 131.3 (34.8); P=0.049]. Conclusions: The educational environment is perceived positive in Al-Nahda College. Four out of five inventory subscale were perceived positive, while only students’ perception of learning sub-scale was perceived negative. Female students and non-Sudanese students perceived the educational environment better than the male students and Sudanese students. The perception of clinical students did not differ from that of pre-clinical students.

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Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Herbal Medicine Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia

RADS Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.37962/jpps.v9i1.476 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 25-39

Author(s):

Syed Faisal Zaidi ◽

Muhammad Anwar Khan ◽

Sheikh Abdul Saeed ◽

Khalid Al Zahrani ◽

Adel Al Ahmadi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Medical Students ◽

Herbal Medicine ◽

Medical Curriculum ◽

Herbal Medicines ◽

Medical Practitioner ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Male Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Knowledge Attitude And Practice

Background: Herbal medicine is becoming increasingly popular among the general population. Before consulting a medical practitioner, patients already try home remedies. Therefore, it becomes more pertinent that the medical students as future doctors, must possess some knowledge of the herbal medicine. In Saudi Arabia, no study has yet evaluated this aspect in medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with 240 medical students at a Health Sciences University. The survey questionnaire was validated, and descriptive/inferential statistics analyses were conducted by SPSS. Results: Data showed 50/240 students (20.8 %) used herbal medicines and majority 36 (72%) used it without consultation with doctors. Moreover, male understanding of the sources of herbal medicine was less compared to females' (p < 0.05). In terms of attitude, majority agreed with the benefits of herbal medicines in the maintenance and promotion of health (123, 51.3%) and to treat illness (127, 52.9%). However, medical students did not want to use herbal medicines (122, 50.8%) or recommend it to their families (161, 67.1%). A significant number of the respondents (160, 66.7%) opined that the herbal medicines could be taken with conventional or allopathic medications. Male students were significantly more inclined towards use of herbal medicine than their female counterparts (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Medical students were found to be unaware of some important aspects regarding herbal medicines, like use of herbs with drugs without consultation. Inclusion of proper courses on alternative medicine in medical curriculum can fill this gap and clarify the misconceptions among medical students.

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Sociodemographic and body image measures associated with overall and domain-specific physical activity among a group of Malaysian university undergraduates

Journal of Health Research ◽

10.1108/jhr-01-2021-0015 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Rosnah Sutan ◽

Kamilah Muhammad Amir ◽

Azmi Mohd Tamil

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Image ◽

Social Life ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Male Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Domain Specific ◽

University Undergraduates

PurposeThis study aims to determine the prevalence of overall and work, transport and leisure domain physical activity (PA) and their associated factors among Malaysian university undergraduates.Design/methodology/approachThis is an online cross-sectional study, which gathered data on sociodemographic parameters, PA and body image. Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) was used to collect data on PA while Multidimensional Body-Self Relation Questionnaire-Appearance Scale (MBSRQ-AS) for body image constructs. Three faculties were chosen through stratified random sampling where all its undergraduates were invited. A total of 898 students responded, of which 718 were accepted for analysis.FindingsPrevalence of overall work, transport and leisure domain PA among the students was 82.2%, 47.8%, 36.1% and 51.4% respectively. Overall PA was associated with male students (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.840, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.182–2.865); work PA was associated with the Malay race (AOR: 1.728, 95% CI: 1.240–2.409) and having part-time jobs (AOR: 3.098, 95% CI: 1.680–5.714); transport PA was associated with medical faculty (AOR: 1.677, 95% CI: 1.214–2.317) and leisure PA was associated with male students (AOR: 3.836, 95% CI: 2.746–5.360) and high overweight preoccupation (AOR: 1.486, 95% CI: 1.089–2.028).Research limitations/implicationsSelf-reported variables may be subjected to overestimation and bias.Practical implicationsDistributions of PA and its associated factors may be used as guidance for health promotions catering to university students.Social implicationsFactors affecting PA among the youth are correlated with social life events.Originality/valueFocus on domain-specific PA in association with body image measures may add values to existing PA studies, which is lacking in Malaysia.

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The development and validation of a social media fatigue scale: From a cognitive-behavioral-emotional perspective

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0245464 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. e0245464

Author(s):

Shiyi Zhang ◽

Yanni Shen ◽

Tao Xin ◽

Haoqi Sun ◽

Yilu Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Social Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Dimensional Structure ◽

Negative Feeling ◽

Three Dimension ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional

Social media fatigue (SMF), which refers to social media users’ tendency to withdraw from social media because of feeling overwhelmed, is closely related to individuals’ social life and well-being. Many studies focused on understanding SMF and exploring its enablers and influences. However, few pieces of research administered a standard measurement of SMF. This study aimed to develop and validate a measure of SMF, and a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1599 participants in total. Semi-structured interviews of 30 participants were firstly conducted as a pilot study, and an initial version of the social media fatigue scale (SMFS) with 24 items was generated. Then, both exploratory factor analysis (N = 509) and confirmatory factor analysis (N = 552) as well as reliability and validity analysis (N = 508) were conducted and a 15-item SMFS was finally developed. The results demonstrated that: 1) SMF was a multi-dimension concept including a cognitive aspect, an emotional aspect and a behavioral aspect; 2) the three-dimensional structure of the SMFS (cognitive-behavioral-emotional structure) fitted the data well; 3) the McDonald’s Omega coefficients for the SMFS was 0.83, suggesting that the SMFS was reliable; 4) criterion validity was satisfactory as indicated by both the significant correlations between self-rated scores of fatigue and total SMFS scores and the significant regression model of SMF on social media privacy, social media confidence, and negative feeling after comparison. Based on the Limited Capacity Model, the present study expanded SMF from a unidimensional model to a three-dimension model, and developed a 15-item SMFS. The study enriched the existing knowledge of SMF, and coined a reliable and valid tool for measuring it. Besides, concluding the typical characteristics of SMF, the study may provide some inspiration for both researchers and social media managers and operators in mitigating SMF.

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