scholarly journals Knowledge, Attitude and Awareness towards Corneal Donation in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulrahman Mohammed Al-Amri ◽  
Faisal Misfer Alqahtani ◽  
Hassan Abdullah Alqahtani ◽  
Mansour Salem Alqahtani ◽  
Mohammed Moshabbab Alqahtani ◽  
...  

Background: Corneal transplantation is the mainstay procedure performed for sight restoration in patients with corneal blindness, which can be caused by infection, corneal dystrophy, degenerative disorders such as keratoconus or traumatic causes. Most corneal transplants in Saudi Arabia are performed using imported corneas. Aims: To determine the level of knowledge and awareness and the factors affecting corneal donation in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional approach was used targeting the population of Aseer region aged 18 years and above. The data were collected using electronic self-administered questionnaire. The tool covered the participants’ biodemographic data, knowledge related questions and willingness of corneal donation and factors affecting such attitudes. Results: Of the 641 participants, 66.1% were males, 47.6% were in the age group 20 – 30 years and 19.2% claimed to have enough knowledge about corneal donation. The mean knowledge score (SD) was 2.13 (1.757) out of 8. Regarding participants’ attitude, 26.7% were willing to donate their own cornea. The willingness was significantly associated with good level of knowledge (p = 0.008). Females were more inclined to donate their corneas than males (30.9% vs 24.5%, p = 0.025). Conclusion: The study revealed a low level of knowledge of corneal donation in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. Approximately one quarter of the participants reported willingness of corneal donation. Lack of knowledge was the main barrier, as it was reported by almost two thirds. Key words: Cornea, Donation, Awareness, Penetrating Keratoplasty, Saudi Arabia

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e031305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nedal Al-Rawashdeh ◽  
Rana Damsees ◽  
Majed Al-Jeraisy ◽  
Eman Al Qasim ◽  
Ahmad M Deeb

ObjectivesClinical trials (CTs) are considered an important method for developing new treatments and providing access to potentially effective drugs that are still under investigation. Measuring the public’s knowledge of and attitudes toward CTs is important for assessing their readiness for and acceptance of human drug testing, which has previously not been assessed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The objective of this study is to explore the Saudi public’s knowledge of and attitudes toward CTs as well as participation in trials to test new or approved drugs.DesignCross-sectional.SettingThe 2016 Al Jenadriyah cultural/heritage festival in Riyadh, KSA.ParticipantsParticipating booths and exhibition halls, as well as festival visitors, were approached to participate in the study.Primary and secondary outcome measuresKnowledge of and attitudes toward CTs.ResultsThe final number of participants was 938. The responses were converted to a percentage mean score (out of 100) for each knowledge-related response and attitude. The total mean knowledge score was 56.8±24.8 and the attitude-related score was 61.5±28.0. Although most of the participants supported testing approved or off-label and new drugs on adult and paediatric patients, only a third (30.5%) agreed that new drugs could be tested on healthy volunteers. The results indicated that gender, educational level, income, medical background, age and health insurance were independently associated with the level of knowledge of CTs. In terms of attitudes toward CTs, the factors that were independently associated were gender, educational level and medical background.ConclusionsThe Saudi public has a low level of knowledge and a moderately positive attitude toward CTs. There is a moderate positive correlation between the two factors such that as knowledge of CTs increases, the Saudi public will hold more positive attitudes toward CTs.


Pharmacy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Syed Faisal Zaidi ◽  
Rayan Mgarry ◽  
Abdullah Alsanea ◽  
Sakar Khalid Almutairi ◽  
Yaser Alsinnari ◽  
...  

Introduction: Various drug–food interactions exist that may hinder treatment and can sometimes be lethal. Our aim was to assess the level of public knowledge and awareness in Jeddah city, Western Saudi Arabia, about drug–food interactions, along with the effects of demographics on their knowledge. Methods: A survey questionnaire was administered in this cross-sectional study to participants spread across multiple locations in Jeddah, including in malls and public gatherings. Participants included both males and females. Sample size was calculated through Raosoft® software. Data analysis was executed using IBM Statistic SPSS and the level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 410 people participated in the study and only 92.68% (380) of responses were enrolled in the study; 7.32% (30) were not enrolled due to the exclusion criteria. Surprisingly, only six out of eighteen questions regarding drug–food interactions in the administered questionnaire were correctly answered by 380 participants. Data indicated that the participants had a poor to intermediate level of both knowledge and awareness with respect to drug–food interactions. Furthermore, participants showed moderate to strong awareness of the effects of alcohol and tea generally, and their interaction with medication. Conclusion: Participants in our study showed inadequate knowledge of basic and fundamental information about drug–food interactions, which highlights the dire need to increase awareness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saran Tenzin Tamang ◽  
Thinley Dorji ◽  
Sonam Yoezer ◽  
Thinley Phuntsho ◽  
Phurb Dorji

Abstract Background The third Sustainable Development Goal for 2030 development agenda aims to reduce maternal and newborn deaths. Pregnant women’s understanding of danger signs is an important factor in seeking timely care during emergencies. We assessed knowledge of obstetric danger signs using both recall and understanding of appropriate action required during obstetric emergencies. Methods This was a cross-sectional study among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Bhutan’s largest hospital in Thimphu. Recall was assessed against seven obstetric danger signs outlined in the Mother and Child Health Handbook (7 points). Understanding of danger signs was tested using 13 multiple choice questions (13 points). Knowledge was scored out of 20 points and reported as ‘good’ (≥80%), ‘satisfactory’ (60–79%) and ‘poor’ (< 60%). Correlation between participant characteristics and knowledge score as well as number of danger signs recalled was tested using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Association between knowledge score and participant characteristics was tested using t-tests (and Kruskal-Wallis test) for numeric variables. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics associated with the level of knowledge ('good’ versus ‘satisfactory’ and ‘poor’ combined) were assessed with odds ratios using a log-binomial regression model. All results with p < 0.05 were considered significant. Results Four hundred and twenty-two women responded to the survey (response rate = 96.0%). Mean (±SD) knowledge score was 12 (±2.5). Twenty women (4.7%) had ‘good’ knowledge, 245 (58.1%) had ‘satisfactory’ knowledge and 157 (37.2%) had ‘poor’ knowledge. The median number of danger signs recalled was 2 (IQR 1, 3) while 68 women (20.3%) could not recall any danger signs. Most women were knowledgeable about pre-labour rupture of membranes (96.0%) while very few women were knowledgeable about spotting during pregnancy (19.9%). Both knowledge score and number of danger signs recalled had significant correlation with the period of gestation. Women with previous surgery on the reproductive tract had higher odds of having ‘good’ level of knowledge. Conclusions Most pregnant women had ‘satisfactory’ knowledge score with poor explicit recall of danger signs. However, women recognized obstetric emergencies and identified the appropriate action warranted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-311
Author(s):  
Hafiz A. Makeen ◽  
Saad S. Alqahtani ◽  
Nawazish Alam ◽  
Santhosh J. Menachery ◽  
Rabea M. Ageeli ◽  
...  

Natural and artificial food colors are widely used in a variety of food products. This study was designed to assess the awareness and perception of coloring agents present in food and beverages on children's behavior among people of Jazan, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted on representative samples of 387 married people from different places in Jazan region of Saudi Arabia from August to December 2019. The study utilized a validated questionnaire consisting of 12 questions to gather the information from 387 participants (52.9% males and 47.03% females). Approximately 77% were young adults; belong to age group of 26-45 years (P = 0.000). Majority (40.5%) of them had four or more children (P = 0.000). While significant level of knowledge about the use of foods and beverages containing coloring agent was found in the participants (P = 0.001), they were not aware that it may affect the child's health. Only 24.7% were able to tell the name of a coloring agent (P = 0.001). Significant percentage (88.9%) of parents reported about child hyperactivity after consumption of specific type of food and beverages, particularly fizzy drinks (35.61%), chocolates (31.82%), and sweets and candy (30.3%). Target populations were considered to be aware of presence of coloring agent in food and beverages used by their children regularly but they are not much aware of its harmful effect on long-term use.


1970 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 141-150
Author(s):  
Mausumi Basu ◽  
Palash Das ◽  
Biman Roy ◽  
Jayanta Kumar Baruah

Background: Diseases affecting the cornea constitute a major cause of blindness. Corneal transplantation offers the potential for sight restoration. Due to non-availability of healthy cornea, many people continue to live in a dark world.Objectives: To assess the awareness and perception of undergraduate medical students towards eye donation.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students of Kolkata on August 2010 using a pre-designed, pre-tested, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Epi-info software package version 6.04.Results: Almost all (98.9%) participants knew that eyes can be donated and 70.8% were aware at the time of eye collection. However, only 43.7% respondents knew whom to approach for pledging their eyes for donation; 80.7% were either willing (76.0%) or had already pledged (4.7%) to donate their eyes. Television was the major source (78.1%) of information on eye donation. Nobility was the main motivation (87.7%) and 75.5% felt the need for helping the blind. Of these medical students, 19.3% were unaware and did not pledge eye donation due to objection by family members and dislike of the idea of separating their eyes.Conclusion: The present study revealed that medical students were well aware of eye donation with a favorable attitude towards it and most of them were inclined to pledge for eye donation. The perceived reasons for not donating eyes need to be considered while creating awareness about eye donation in the community. Students can be actively involved as volunteers in eye donation campaigns and after proper training in counselling techniques, they can act as counsellors for eye donation activities.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e051277
Author(s):  
Jinghan Qu ◽  
Wei Zuo ◽  
Shaohong Wang ◽  
Liping Du ◽  
Xin Liu ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo evaluate pharmacists’ knowledge, perceptions and practices towards generic substitution in the 11 pilot locations in China.DesignAn online cross-sectional survey using questionnaires was conducted. A convenience sampling technique was implemented to recruit pharmacists.Setting and participantsThe study took place in medical institutions of 11 pilot locations that participated in the pilot national centralised procurement programme in 2019. Two thousand two hundred and ninety-one pharmacists including hospital pharmacists or community pharmacists based on health-systems or clinics participated in the study.ResultsMost of the participants had the good knowledge of requirements for evaluating the quality and efficacy of generic drugs (n=2118; 92.4%), and the definition of generic drugs (n=2078; 90.7%). In terms of perceptions, 67.3% of respondents were of the opinion that generic drugs are equally as effective as the brand-name drugs, and 69.0% of respondents were of the opinion that generic drugs are as safe as brand equivalents. A high percentage of participants supported the policy of generic substitution (n=1634; 71.4%). A significant positive correlation was demonstrated between total knowledge score and total perception score (ρ=0.267; p<0.001). Efficacy, safety and the direction of national policies and hospital regulations were the main factors affecting pharmacists’ willingness to dispense generic drugs.ConclusionsThe study identified gaps in respondents’ knowledge and perceptions of generic substitution. Pharmacists who are more knowledgeable in generic drugs tend to hold a more supportive attitude towards generic substitution. Although it appeared that pharmacists in China have largely accepted generic substitution, they still have concerns regarding the reliability and quality of generic drugs. The current issues need to be addressed for the realisation of the true value of generic drugs as part of the country’s healthcare cost-containment strategy as well as the implementation of generic substitution policy in China.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-28
Author(s):  
Alisha Dhungana ◽  
Kalpana Jnawali

Introduction: Infertility is the global public health problem with adverse social and economic consequences. World Health Organization states that infertility affects 1 in every 10 couples worldwide. This study was carried out with an objective to find out the level of knowledge and belief regarding infertility among undergraduate students. Methods: This was a cross-sectional and quantitative study, carried out among 420 undergraduate students of 7 selected colleges of Pokhara Metropolitan city from July to September 2019. Study populations were selected through simple random sampling method. Data collection was carried out using self-administered questionnaire. Results: Study revealed that 51.9% students had good level of knowledge with the female students having greater knowledge (57%) than male (48%). The study found that students’ knowledge score related to infertility was significantly associated with gender (p<0.05) and parental advices (p<0.05). Conclusions: More than half of the participants had good level of knowledge. Female students were more knowledgeable than male students. Less than half of the participants had ever attended on sexual and reproductive training programs.


Author(s):  
Hope Inegbenosun ◽  
Clement Chinedu Azodo ◽  
John Chukudi Anionye ◽  
Collins Usunobun Inegbenosun ◽  
Obinna Chukwunwike Njoku

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection rate and mortality among Nigerian health care workers appear to be on the increase. Aside from health workers, it has caused millions of infections and deaths worldwide.  This study determined the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of nursing and midwifery students towards COVID-19 in a North-Eastern Nigerian state.Methods: A total of 156 respondents were involved in this institutional-based cross-sectional study, conducted after the lockdown period. A total of 17 questions were used to assess the KAP with knowledge appraised with 12 questions, attitudes with 2 questions, and practices with 3 questions.Results: The majority of the students (53.80%) possessed a good level of knowledge regarding COVID-19, while 40.4% had fair knowledge regarding COVID-19 with only 5.80% having poor knowledge of COVID-19. The mean knowledge of COVID-19 in this study was 9.40±1.353 with an overall 78% correct answer rate. A vast majority of the respondent (82.7% and 98.1%) had strong confidence in Nigeria and believed that the pandemic will soon be over, respectively. Only a few avoided large gatherings of people (30.8%) with the vast majority reporting to have worn a mask when going out (84.6%) and washing their hands with running water and soap frequently as recommended (73.1%). In multiple logistic regression analyses, the COVID-19 knowledge score (OR: 0.39-0.40, 95%CI: 0.26 – 0.62, P<0.05) was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of negative preventive practices towards COVID-19.Conclusions: The participants in this study showed good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices toward COVID-19. There is still a need to strategize and implement periodic educational interventions and training on infection control practices among healthcare workers including students. 


Author(s):  
Ravi Ranjan ◽  
Munmee Das ◽  
Shubhabrata Das

Background: The anganwadi worker (AWW) is the backbone of integrated child development services (ICDS) for delivering the services of the program. Being a key functionary, her level of knowledge regarding various components of ICDS is linked to the ultimate outcome of the ICDS program. Thus, this study was aimed to assess the level of knowledge among AWW regarding services of ICDS.Methods: This was a cross sectional study in which level of knowledge regarding ICDS among anganwadi worker was assessed using structured questionnaire. The primary outcome of the study is the knowledge of AWW about ICDS component services. Descriptive statistics was presented as frequency and percentage for categorical variable. The knowledge of AWW was assessed by knowledge score made under all the themes of the questionnaire and was presented as mean and median score. Analysis was done in STATA version 14.2.Results: Nearly 55% of the respondents were not aware about ICDS services. Whereas majority had knowledge on growth monitoring and immunization respectively, above the median score, only 39% of AWW had knowledge on nutritional supplementation above median score. The variables such as education level and training of AWW showed significant association with the knowledge of ICDS components.Conclusions: There is need for improving knowledge and awareness about various ICDS components and the training quality provided to AWWs.


Author(s):  
Yifan Jin ◽  
Xiaoqin Luo ◽  
Zheng Feei Ma ◽  
Zihan Dong ◽  
Richard Carciofo ◽  
...  

Lack of iodine knowledge might be a risk factor for inadequate iodine intake in populations. Therefore, we aimed to determine the relationship between iodine knowledge and intake in young Chinese adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Suzhou, China. Iodine intake was assessed using a validated 33-item iodine-specific Chinese food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and iodine knowledge was determined using a Chinese iodine knowledge questionnaire. A total of 150 participants (mean age 20.3 years) completed the study. The median iodine intake plus iodized salt was 260 μg/d, indicating iodine sufficiency (>150 µg/d). The median iodine knowledge score was 16/24, suggesting a medium level of knowledge. The majority of participants correctly recognized fish and seafood (95%) and iodized salt (83%) as the most important dietary iodine sources. After adjusting for age and sex, studying in the science cluster and having received iodine education were the predictors of having a higher iodine knowledge score, with adjusted odd ratios (OR) of 4.33 (1.49, 12.61) and 2.73 (1.21, 6.14), respectively. In conclusion, young Chinese adults had an adequate iodine intake despite a medium iodine knowledge score. This study provides support that iodine fortification in China has been successful, but further research is required to more fully substantiate this finding.


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