Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the general public in Oman regarding the dangers of high salt intake. Methods: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted among the urban population in Oman. Individuals aged ≥18 were invited to join the study. Results: A total of 1,214 respondents (mean age 34 ± 10 years) answered the questionnaire. The majority were male (65.8%), employed (69.4%) and some were hypertensive (14.3%). Most (90.9%) were aware that excess salt can cause diseases such as hypertension and that it is either somewhat important (51.2%) or very important (42.9%) to reduce salt in the diet. However, only 42.2% said that they actively try to reduce salt in their diet. Conclusion: Although most people in urban areas of Oman appear to be aware of the dangers of high salt intake, only a few are actively trying to reduce it. More educational activities are required to improve awareness.Keywords: Cross-Sectional Survey; Sodium; Low Salt Diet; Oman.

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Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices with regards to traditional medicine in Oman and to assess the factors that lead to its use. Methods: This was a cross sectional questionnaire-based study. All Omani nationals above the age of 18 were eligible to be enrolled. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding the knowledge, attitudes and use of traditional medicine. Results: There were 598 (out of 700) responses to the questionnaire (response rate of 85.4%) of which 552 (mean age 33.6±7.7 years; 345 or 62.5% male) were complete. Majority of the respondents (90%) are aware of the different types of traditional medicine(TM). A high percentage (81.5%) feel that it is effective.  67.8% had tried at least one method. These were older (34.5±7.8 years vs 31.8±7.2 years, p<0.001) and mostly male (72.1% vs 42.1%, p<0.001) and in full time employment (73% vs 27%). Herbal medications (65.7%) and traditional massage (60.4%) were the most common form of TM that was practiced. Women tended to go more for herbal medications (69.2%) and massage (63.4%), while, for men cupping was the most popular (65.1%) followed by herbal medications (64.4%) and massage (59.2%).  Back pain was the most common condition for which TM was used with only a small percentage reporting any side effects. Conclusion: There is widespread use of TM among the urban population in Oman. Better understanding of their benefits will help incorporate them into modern health care services. Keywords: Traditional and complementary medicine; knowledge and attitudes

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As per WHO estimates, around 17% of the adult Omani population are hypertensive. However, people with hypertension are often unaware of the diagnosis, and so the May Measurement Month (MMM) programme was set up to raise awareness of the importance of blood pressure (BP) screening. A cross-sectional screening of BP of subjects aged 18 years or more was carried out in May 2018 at various sites in Muscat, Oman. Screening sites were set up at the reception areas of participating hospitals, and at a few public areas such as shopping malls and workplaces of the volunteers. Blood pressure was measured according to a standardized protocol, and hypertension was defined as per the 2018 European Society of Hypertension guidelines. The data were analysed centrally by the MMM project team. A total of 12 689 individuals (mean age 40.6 ± 12.5 years, 72% male) were screened. The crude mean BP of the second and third readings (where three readings were taken, n = 4 738) was 127.1/79.2 mmHg. After multiple imputations, the average age and sex standardized BP was 127.3/80.2 mmHg. Of all participants, 29.8% had hypertension. There were 1 983 patients with a previous diagnosis of hypertension, of whom 1 810 were on antihypertensive medication. A further 1 973 subjects were newly diagnosed with hypertension. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 34.9% had uncontrolled BP readings. Screening programmes such as MMM are useful to identify persons with undiagnosed hypertension. However, more educational activities are required to increase the public awareness regarding the dangers of hypertension.