Knowledge of Dietary Supplements among Women in the Aseer Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background: A significant growth in dietary supplement usage has occurred and this trend is particularly evident among females. This underlines the need to establish current knowledge levels among a female participant cohort based in the Aseer Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), along with determining the types of products being used and the typical reasons cited for their consumption. Methods: A total of 173 participants drawn from various age groups took part in this descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The survey was conducted over a three-month period from September to November 2019, using a structured online questionnaire. Results: The results of this research show that dietary supplement usage was highly prevalent among study participants. Young females (18–24 years) demonstrated significantly higher knowledge levels as compared to all other age groups (p<0.001 vs. other participants). Conclusion: This study has clearly shown that the participants in fact have a very varied range of knowledge, very often according to age, about the use of dietary supplements. 18–24-year-olds demonstrated higher levels of dietary supplement knowledge compared to the other age groups.

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Dietary Supplement Use among Primary Health Care Attendants in Abha City, Southwestern Saudi Arabia

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13092968 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 2968

Author(s):

Safar Abadi Alsaleem ◽

Maryam Mohammed Asiri ◽

Mohammed Abadi Alsaleem ◽

Abdulrahman Nasser AlShahrani ◽

Khalid Amer Alamer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Primary Health Care ◽

Dietary Supplements ◽

Dietary Supplement ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Care Staff ◽

Primary Health ◽

Care Workers ◽

Supplement Usage

Dietary supplements are commercially available manufactured products used as an addition to the normal diet and involve vitamins, minerals, herbs (botanicals), amino acids, and various other products. With the use of a cross-sectional survey, the present paper intended to analyze dietary supplement usage and its health and sociodemographic determinants among attendants of primary health care centers in Abha City, southwestern Saudi Arabia. The sample was selected randomly using the two-stage cluster sampling technique. The study included 438 participants (115 males and 323 females). Their ages ranged from 18 to 59 years, with an average of 36.2 ± 11.7 years. The study showed that 330 people used dietary supplementation, giving a prevalence of 75.3% (95% CI: 71.1–79.2%). The most commonly used supplements were multivitamins (215, 65.2%), specific vitamins (60, 18.2%), and mineral pills (38, 11.5%). Advice from health care workers was the most frequent reason for using dietary supplements (49.4%). The majority (71.2%) reported feeling a better quality of life after using dietary supplements. The most frequent disadvantages of using dietary supplements were constipation and headache (30%) and the most frequent advantage was increasing appetite (59.8%). The people who most frequently recommended the use of supplements were health care workers (190, 57.6%), followed by friends or family members (62, 18.8%), and people on social media (43, 13%). Females had a significantly higher probability of using dietary supplements than males did (Cor = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.21–3.27), and those with a chronic disease had a considerably higher likelihood of using dietary supplements (cOR = 3.48, 95% CI = 2.04–6.06). Age, educational level, and marital status were not significantly related with dietary supplement usage. In conclusion, health care workers should focus on females and persons with chronic diseases in their practice. They should provide them with evidence-based advice regarding the use of dietary supplements. Continued medical education training programs tailored to the needs of health care staff addressing this issue should be provided. New guidelines should be developed to help health professionals to provide their patients with comprehensive care at the primary health care level.

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Opinions of healthcare providers on the design of a smartphone application for asthma treatment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine ◽

10.4081/mrm.2020.508 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Hajed M. Al-Otaibi ◽

Khalid A. Ansari ◽

Osama Hamad ◽

Turki M. Alanzi

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Therapeutic Process ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Smartphone Application ◽

Asthma Treatment ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Primary Physician ◽

Global Initiative

Introduction: In several countries of the world, smartphone applications have been designed to contribute to the treatment of asthma. However, none of these applications has been developed in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the objective of this article is to design a smartphone application for the treatment of asthma based on the opinions of healthcare providers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: In order to know the opinion of the healthcare providers from Saudi Arabia about the design of an asthmaApp, we used a purposive sampling method and conducted a cross sectional survey employing a questionnaire which was distributed through the QuestionPro.com website to all healthcare providers working in this country. The questionnaire was sent to 376 healthcare providers and the response rate was 25%. Results: The data indicated that the majority of the respondents opined that the following features were important or very important in the design of a smartphone application for asthma treatment in Saudi Arabia: information about. patient diagnosis (98%), primary physician access information(83%), patient satisfaction with the therapeutic process (91%), push notifications about reminder for drugs (95%), push notification for treatment of inhaler and other drugs (92%), push notifications about reminders of clinic visits and therapy sections (81%), push notifications to ask for help sending SMS to primary physician about patients’ attacks (89%), pathophysiology of asthma (82%), asthma triggers (98%), drug guidelines (94%), drug side effects (93%), number of asthma attacks (98%), medication statistics (88%), visual inputs such as peak flow (91%), data to link patients to healthcare providers and to healthcare centers (82%), and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) references (72%). Conclusions: According to the opinion of the majority of healthcare providers (92%), the proposed smartphone application designed based on medical guidelines will contribute to improve the treatment of patients with asthma in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and will help to reduce the number of asthma cases that need hospitalization, and the number of asthma cases in the emergency departments of the hospitals of the Kingdom.

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Differences in vitamin D status and calcium metabolism in Saudi Arabian boys and girls aged 6 to 18 years: effects of age, gender, extent of veiling and physical activity with concomitant implications for bone health

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980011003612 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. 1845-1853 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Maryam A Al-Ghamdi ◽

Susan A Lanham-New ◽

Jalal A Kahn

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Vitamin D ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Parathyroid Hormone ◽

Bone Health ◽

Age Groups ◽

Hypovitaminosis D ◽

Vitamin D Status ◽

Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽

Cross Sectional

AbstractObjectiveFew data exist looking at vitamin D status and bone health in school-aged boys and girls from Saudi Arabia. The present study aimed to determine the extent of poor vitamin D status in school boys and girls aged 6–18 years and to examine if there was any difference in status with age, physical activity and veiling and concomitant effects on bone.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingJeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.SubjectsA total of 150 boys (7–16 years) and 150 girls (6–18 years) from local schools were divided into age categories: 6–9 years (elementary school); 10–12 years (secondary school); 13–14 years (middle years); 15–18 years (high school).ResultsVitamin D status was significantly lower in girls than boys in all age groups (P < 0·01), with the 15–18-year-old girls having the lowest level (22·0 (sd 9·4) nmol/l) in comparison to the 15–18-year-old boys (39·3 (sd 14·0) nmol/l) and the 6–9-year-old girls (41·2 (sd 9·3) nmol/l). Parathyroid hormone status was highest in the 15–18-year-old girls in comparison to boys of the same age. A total of 64 % of 15–18-year-old girls had 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) status <25 nmol/l in comparison to 31 % in the 13–14 years age category, 26 % in the 10–12 years category and 2·5 % in the 6–9 years category. No boys had 25OHD status <25 nmol/l. Fully veiled girls had lower 25OHD status than partly veiled or unveiled girls (P < 0·05). Low 25OHD and high parathyroid hormone was associated with lower bone mass in the 6–9 years and 13–14 years age groups (P < 0·05).ConclusionsThese data suggest significant hypovitaminosis D in older adolescent females, which is a cause for concern given that there is currently no public health policy for vitamin D in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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Exploring Diabetes Educators’ Core Competencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Current Diabetes Reviews ◽

10.2174/1573399817666210430125505 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

Author(s):

Talal Alharbi ◽

Gayle McLelland ◽

Nikos Thomacos

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Core Competencies ◽

Diabetes Education ◽

Perceived Competence ◽

The Self ◽

Diabetes Knowledge ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽

Knowledge Test ◽

Diabetes Educators

Background: Diabetes education provided by qualified and competent diabetes educators (DEs) is effective in reducing risks of diabetes complications. Globally, the DE workforce comprises a mixture of professions, with the majority being nurses. It is necessary to regularly assess DEs’ competence and knowledge to ensure that quality diabetes education is being delivered. Objective: This study explored the self-perceived competence and the diabetes knowledge of DEs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: This study explored the self-perceived competence and the diabetes knowledge of DEs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), using a quantitative, cross-sectional survey, administered at 20 diabetes centres. A total of 368 DEs were invited to participate in the study. Results: Surveys were completed by 324 DEs (response rate = 88%), 84% (n=271) were nurses. From a possible overall range between 63-252, the mean (M) was 168.59 and standard deviation (SD) was (35.6) hence perceived competence of the DEs was low, Of a maximum possible score of 45 for the diabetes knowledge test, response scores ranged from 9 to 40, with M = 26.2 (6.0). Perceived competence and diabetes knowledge varied depending on age, nationality, educational qualification, primary profession, and whether or not the DE held a specialised diabetes qualification. Conclusion: DEs in the KSA need to develop and enhance their competence and knowledge in order to provide quality diabetes care and education. The low perceived competence and scores in the knowledge test show that intervention measures are needed to regularly assess and improve the core competencies of DEs. Further research is required to identify DEs’ barriers to having sufficient competencies and knowledge.

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Awareness of the Consumption of Dietary Supplements among Students in a University in Saudi Arabia

Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1155/2019/4641768 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jozaa Z. AlTamimi

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Dietary Supplements ◽

Dietary Supplement ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Female Students ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

Electronic Survey ◽

Descriptive Approach ◽

Long Term Studies

The dietary supplement market in Saudi Arabia is growing alongside the number of Saudis consuming dietary supplements. It is therefore increasingly important for healthcare personnel to understand the consumption rate of dietary supplements, whether they are used wisely, and the know-how concerning their use and dosage. The purpose of this study was to clarify the overall awareness of dietary supplement consumption among female students of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Using a descriptive approach, data were collected from 759 female students (mean age = 22.1 ± 1.7 years) via an electronic survey. All participants reported having consumed dietary supplements at some point, and 32.3% were taking them at the time of the survey. They took supplements primarily for aesthetic reasons (e.g., hair and skin health) and preferred purchasing supplements at pharmacies. Nearly all (89.9%) participants could define supplements correctly, and 43.6% reported that supplements improved health. More than half the sample believed that supplements are safe. While a large proportion of participants correctly identified the recommended number of daily servings of fruits and vegetables, relatively few actually consumed that recommended amount. More than one-third of participants consumed more than one type of supplement simultaneously, and more than half reported that they would use supplements when necessary in the future. The results of this study suggest a need for long-term studies on the consumption of nutritional supplements among Saudis and its impact on health.

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Knowledge, Attitude and Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice among Physiotherapists Working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare8030354 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 354

Author(s):

Fatmah Hasani ◽

Joy C. MacDermid ◽

Ada Tang ◽

Michelle Kho ◽

Ahmad H. Alghadir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Evidence Based Practice ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Survey Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Advanced Degrees ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Outpatient Settings

The current study aimed to investigate knowledge, attitudes, and implementation of evidence-based practice among physiotherapists working in Saudi Arabia. A sample of physiotherapists working in various outpatient settings in Saudi Arabia participated in this survey. Sixty-four therapists (30 females, 34 males) completed a 28-item survey questionnaire. Approximately half of the participants indicated that evidence-based practice was useful and important for clinical practice. About 60% of the participants reported that they have adopted the evidence-based practice on a regular basis. Participants who had a membership in a physiotherapy organization and had advanced degrees showed more positive attitudes (t = −2.31, p = 0.02 and t = −2.15, p = 0.04, respectively) and greater levels of knowledge (t = −2.32, p = 0.02 and t = −3.86, p = 0.001, respectively) regarding evidence-based practice terminology. Furthermore, place of training (trained overseas) was associated with a positive attitude towards literature findings (t = 2.26, p = 0.03). The results of this study demonstrated that participants reported that evidence-based practice had not been extensively implemented, despite positive attitudes regarding its implementation among physiotherapists practicing in Saudi Arabia.

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Prevalence of herbal and dietary supplement usage in Thai outpatients with chronic kidney disease: a cross-sectional survey

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1186/1472-6882-13-153 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Mayuree Tangkiatkumjai ◽

Helen Boardman ◽

Kearkiat Praditpornsilpa ◽

Dawn M Walker

Keyword(s):

Chronic Kidney Disease ◽

Kidney Disease ◽

Dietary Supplement ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Supplement Usage

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The effects of topical steroid fears and concerns on patients with eczema: first TOPICOP© scale-based study in Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Research in Dermatology ◽

10.18203/issn.2455-4529.intjresdermatol20210472 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 155

Author(s):

Abdulmajeed A. Alharbi ◽

Ghadah I. Alhetheli ◽

Reema Alqahtani ◽

Mujahid Alshehri

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Age Groups ◽

Topical Steroid ◽

Outpatient Clinics ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Patient Counseling ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Givers ◽

Source Of Information

Background: Topical corticosteroids (TCS) are the main treatment for eczema, which are often required for months (or years) to control the disease. Despite the well-known side effects of TCS, their efficacy and safety are well established when used appropriately. This study was conducted to assess the fears, concerns, and various practices of patients with eczema toward TCS in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted that targeted patients with eczema among all age groups and genders attending the dermatology outpatient clinics. There were no exclusions based on the type, severity, or duration of the disease.Results: A total of 105 patients with eczema were recruited for this study. It was revealed that 46.8% of participants stopped their treatment as soon as possible, which indicates immediate discontinuation of steroids after their eczema flares had subsided and improved. An interesting finding was that 38.3% of participants did not start their TCS treatment until the disease deteriorated rather than when flare-ups occurred.Conclusions: Exaggerated fears about TCS exist among patients with eczema and their care givers. This can result in non-adherence or wasting of many prescribed TCS preparations TCS. It is very important to understand and emphasize on the nature and extent of the prevalence of TCS fears to ensure that prompt, correct advice can be offered. Since dermatologists remain the most trusted source of information, there should be an emphasis on individual patient counseling and increased engagement in social media with pre-planned content.

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Anabolic–androgenic steroids and dietary supplements among resistance trained individuals in western cities of Saudi Arabia

BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation ◽

10.1186/s13102-021-00345-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ameen Mosleh Almohammadi ◽

Anas Mohammed Edriss ◽

Turki Talal Enani

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Dietary Supplements ◽

Anabolic Steroids ◽

Anabolic Androgenic Steroids ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adverse Health Outcomes ◽

Inadequate Knowledge ◽

Therapeutic Measures ◽

Androgenic Steroids

Abstract Background Anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS) contain testosterone-like androgens and are used as supplements to improve performance, therapeutic measures, appearance, and muscular development. Purpose This study aimed to estimate using anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS) and good and bad practices about dietary supplements among resistance-trained individuals. It further seeked to determine the use of common drugs and supplements containing anabolic steroids among resistance-trained individuals (who work out at the sports centre) and assess users' knowledge about its side effects. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the sports centres of the western cities of Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 120 male resistance-trained individuals. Results The majority of the participants (80%) reported that they had not used any hormonal bodybuilding supplement last year, while 20% said they had used such hormonal supplements. Approximately half (52.5%) of participants reported that they always used dietary supplements. A total of 44.2% of participants possessed inadequate knowledge of these products. The main reason behind the use of hormones and supplements was to increase muscle mass. Conclusions A minority of resistance-trained individuals in the studied population frequently misused AAS. However, the results cannot be generalised to the whole of Saudi Arabia. AAS consumption can be reduced by enhancing the level of awareness and knowledge of potential adverse health outcomes.

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