No abstract

Background: Viral influenza, one of the global public health problems is specifically important in Saudi Arabia due to high susceptibility of transmission in hajj and umrah seasons (Islamic pilgrimage to the Mecca), as it has the ability to spread widely to a large proportion, in addition the disease has a higher rate of complications that might lead to death. Vaccination is an important strategy in prevention of viral influenza. Design and methods: The study aimed to describe the association between uptake of influenza vaccine with knowledge as well as identify the barriers that prevent vaccination among Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) non-health colleges students. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was undertaken, including 385 students from non-health colleges using a convenience sampling technique. Data was collected using an Arabic self-administered online questionnaire Analysis done by JMP program. IRB approval as well as informed consent were taken. Results: The uptake of the influenza vaccine was 15.3% in the current year and 56.8% in the previous years. No significant association was found between knowledge, and uptake of the vaccine. For the unvaccinated students, the most common encounter barriers stated by study population were concerns regarding the vaccine effectiveness, reduction of immunity the uncertainty of complete protection in a percentage of 12.0% for all. Conclusions: Although the level of vaccine uptake is low for this year, it is not associated with knowledge. There were some barriers that need to be tackled by health education programs.

Female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) is a hybrid term used to express a wide variety of procedures altering or removing the external genitalia of women for non-medical reasons [1,2]. These procedures change normal genital functioning, leaving women at high risk of infections, urinary complications and increased risk of gynaecological, sexual and obstetric complications [3][4][5]. One modelling analysis across six African countries estimated 130,000 lost life years due to obstetric haemorrhage associated with FGM/C [6].

Background Despite the negative effects of tobacco use, Saudi Arabia is one of the leading causes of death globally. In Saudi Arabia, 17.1% of both sexes and 3.0% of females aged 15 or older smoke. One common way to consume tobacco is through a shisha (waterpipe). This study aims to measure the knowledge of the negative health effects and attitudes toward shisha use among health college students at Princess Nourah University (PNU) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Method A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at PNU’s health colleges, with the 525 student participants selected evenly from each college by using cluster sampling into five health colleges(College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Nursing, Dentistry, Medicine and Pharmacy), data was collected by a pretested, structured questionnaire and was coded, entered and analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v.20. Results 15.4% is the percentage for who had a history of smoked shisha. The percentage of current smokers was 4.19%. There was no association between the knowledge and shisha smoking practice ( P = .603). Conclusion In conclusion, the percentage of shisha smoking was high, in spite of having a high level of knowledge. Also, the knowledge toward shisha smoking and shisha practice was not associated. In contrast to a study conducted in USA which showed a slight association between the knowledge and smoking practice. (44)

Purpose Majority of the assessments, appraisals and placements have been disturbed, with some being cancelled, postponed, or modified in design. New approaches for assessment should be well-thought-out. This work attempts at capturing the collective wisdom of educators in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), providing an understanding of the online assessment conceptual framework in the era of COVID-19 that tells the story rather than determining cause and effect, and identifying the biggest gaps that derail the digital transformation. Methods A qualitative inductive study using the grounded theory approach was implemented following a synchronous virtual online meeting, a summary of the reflections as well as experiences of medical education experts was prepared. Data for this qualitative study were collected from the meeting. The meeting was video-recorded and transcribed by the researchers. Thematic analysis was performed by three separate researcher coders. The authors then discussed together until they reached a consensus. Results Three main thematic areas were identified: 1) feasibility, 2) exam fairness/equity and 3) acceptable graduate attributes, society/community acceptance. Conclusion The COVID-19 era necessitated revisiting of our assessment strategies to cope with new changes within the available context. Rapid adaptation is required.