BackgroundDementia is a public health concern and the main cause of impairment and dependency among the elderly worldwide. It is characterized by a progressive decline in cognition, memory, and all domains of quality of life with preserving the level of consciousness. Accurate measurement of dementia knowledge among future health professionals is required to improve targeted educational initiatives and supportive care of patients. This study aimed to assess knowledge of dementia and its associated factors among health college students in Saudi Arabia. MethodsA descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among health college students from various regions in Saudi Arabia. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and dementia knowledge were gathered using a standardized study questionnaire Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS) distributed on different social media platforms. Data analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) statistical software. A P-value of <0.05 was considered significant. ResultsA total of 1,613 participants were included in the study. The mean age was 20.5 ± 2.5 years (range 18-25 years). The majority of them were males (64.9%), and females represented 35.1%. The mean knowledge score of the participants was 13.68 ± 3.18 (out of 25). According to DKAS subscales, we found that the respondents scored the highest in care considerations (4.17 ± 1.30) and the lowest in risks and health promotion (2.89 ± 1.96). Furthermore, we found that the participants with no previous dementia exposure had a significantly higher level of knowledge than those with previous dementia exposure. In addition, we found that both genders, aged 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 years; the geographic distribution of respondents; and previous dementia exposure significantly affected the DKAS score. ConclusionsOur findings showed that health college students in Saudi Arabia had poor knowledge about dementia. Ongoing health education and comprehensive academic training are recommended to improve their knowledge and provide competent care for dementia patients.

BackgroundPatellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common cause of knee pain. This condition can restrict daily activities by trying to avoid activities that aggravate their pain. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PFP and knee pain and its associated factors among Saudi young adults. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia. A validated translated Arabic questionnaire was used. Data was collected through an online self-administered questionnaire. Saudi young adults of both genders aged between (18 to 40 years) were included. The mean ±SD was described for continuous variables, whereas categorical variables were reported using frequencies and percentages. The chi-square test was used for descriptive analysis. ResultsA total of 1558 subjects were enrolled in the current study. About 663 (42.6%) were males and 895 (57.4%) were females. Of the total participants, 718 (46%) were within the age group of 18 to 25. The overall prevalence of PFP among the current study participant was found to be 30.3%. The prevalence of PFP among males was found to be 31.4% and the prevalence of PFP among females was found to be 29.5%. The overall prevalence of knee pain among study participants was found to be 13.2% as 205 of the participants reported knee pain. The prevalence of knee pain among males was found to be 14% and the prevalence of knee pain among females was found to be 12.3%. The multivariate analysis included the following variables: age, gender, and marital status. The following factors predicted higher rate of PFP: being 18 to 25 years old (pvalue < 0.001, odds ratio = 1), being 26 to 35 years old (p-value = 0.001, odds ratio = 1.689). ConclusionThe prevalence of PFP and knee pains was found to be relatively high in Saudi Arabia. Age less than 40 years old was found to be associated with a higher prevalence of PFP and knee pain when compared to other age groups.

Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer. Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) is a specific subgroup of PTC. Given their small size, PTMCs are often asymptomatic and behave benignly. This puts physicians in a challenging situation about how to prevent overdiagnosis and overtreatment of PTMC. This study aimed to assess the preferences regarding the route of PTMC diagnosis and treatment among Saudi Arabia's general population.Methods: This is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based-study conducted among the general population in Saudi Arabia. The target subjects were the general population of Saudi Arabia both genders and different age groups from various regions of Saudi Arabia (Western, Central, Eastern, Southern, and North). Participants who did not complete the questionnaire or did not agree to participate were excluded. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed on different social media platforms to collect data from different regions. Data analysis was conducted by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 24.0 version (IBM Inc., Chicago, USA) statistical software. A Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables.Results: A total of 1,428 participants were included. The majority of them were females (64.4%), and most of them were aged between 19 and 25 years. Moreover, we found that 4.8% of the study population had a medical history of thyroid cancer. Our results revealed that more than half of respondents (54.6%) would select surgical operation immediately if they have a thyroid nodule less than 1 cm in maximal diameter, which turns out to be a PTC. The vast majority of participants (90.1%) would prefer to do cytologic confirmation immediately if they have a thyroid nodule less than 1 cm in maximal diameter, which has suspicious characteristics of PTC in neck ultrasound examination. Regarding PTMC operation, 59.8% of responders were more concerned about complications than recurrences. We found that neither age nor gender significantly affects decision-making for management or operative extent for PTC. There was a significant difference between age and decision-making for the diagnosis of suspicious thyroid nodules (p value = 0.041). Conclusion: Our results concluded that most of the participants preferred to select immediate surgery and cytologic confirmation regarding the management and diagnosis of PTC. More research is advised. The need to inform patients about their disease state and treatment options should be highlighted more.