Objective: Due to introduction of a new curriculum and the related stressors that medical students might encounter, we aimed to assess the quality of the students' learning environment across academic years at Umm Al-Qura University (UQU), by evaluating stress levels, their sources, and impacts on students, to help improve the quality of learning environment and protect students from personal and academic burnout. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in August and September of 2020 on 572 students enrolled in the new Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) curriculum at UQU. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software and two-tailed tests. Results: In total, 46.5% of participants encountered severe stress levels during their studies at UQU. In term of stressor sources, the highest prevalence of severe stress was found among students who lacked learning resources (68.8%), followed by those who complained of ambiguity in teaching, learning, and assessment strategies (64.1%). Self-study strategy issues (58.4%) and difficulty in reading textbooks (58.2%) also ranked high. Anxiety was often reported by the students as an impact of stress (62.9%), followed by mood swings (60%). Severe stress levels showed a statistically significant relationship to gender, being highest among females (P = 0.001). For a solution to manage the stress, 79% of the students suggested a supportive learning environment and identification of students' struggles at early stages. Conclusion: Almost half the medical students were severely stressed after the new curriculum was introduced. Therefore, professors and universities should look out for potential stressors and help students overcome them. Universities can also help by offering counseling services to students, improving the student tutoring system, providing appropriate learning environment and resources, and including stress management courses as a part of the overall curriculum.

Background: Food allergy is a costly health issue that can have a negative impact on a patient's well-being. The current study aims to evaluate the quality of life of patients with food allergies using the healthcare system, coping strategies, management knowledge, and environmental safety. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional, survey-based study, including patients with food allergies in the Makkah region, Saudi Arabia. To achieve the study's aim, an online survey with 21-items was created and distributed between April and June 2021. Data were exported automatically to Excel onto Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for analysis. Results: A total of 90 food allergy patients were included. About two-thirds (67.8%) had anaphylaxis. The most common reported food allergies were eggs and seafood equally (44.4% for each), followed by some types of fruits (41.1%), then nuts (25.6%). Regarding using the healthcare system, (63.3%) were diagnosed with food allergy by a doctor, and only (13.3%) routinely followed up. Excellent management knowledge was detected among (65.6%) of the participants. Around a third (36.7%) have at workplace/school a certified first-aid provider for allergic food reactions. For coping strategies, the patients were open to sharing their health condition with their family and friends (88.9% and 51.1%, respectively) compared to carrying a card or a self-injection of epinephrine (1.1% for each item). Conclusion: The current study revealed excellent levels of knowledge among food-allergic patients. Nevertheless, poor practices toward the healthcare systems and inadequate environmental safety were observed. Educational projects for food-allergic patients are critical.

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