Background and Aim: Alternative treatments for respiratory disorders attempt to prevent or relieve symptoms and enhance functions. Furthermore, substantial evidence shows that several herbal medicines have been clinically effective against respiratory disorders. Thus this study assesses the Saudi students’ use, beliefs, and practices related to herbal and dietary supplements for the possible prevention of respiratory infections. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was designed using Google Forms to collect the data from the healthcare and non-healthcare students currently pursuing their courses at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The data was collected over 4 months, from November 2021 to February 2022, using convenience sampling with a 25-item questionnaire. A statistical package for social sciences, SPSS 26, was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 274 participants responded to the study. The mean age of the respondents was 21.9 ± 3.08 (mean (SD)). The prevalence of herbal medicine (HM) was found to be 62.7% (n = 172). Around 48.5% (n = 133) of the respondents occasionally used some form of HM during the period of an illness associated with a respiratory infection. About 66% of the respondents agreed that using HMs prevents or controls respiratory symptoms and strengthens immunity. A majority (75.2%) of the respondents agreed that ginger extract possesses antiviral and immunity-boosting properties, followed by garlic extract (59.5%), cinnamon (39.4%), and lemongrass (38.3%). In addition, between 37% and 45.6% of the respondents agreed that vitamin C and vitamin D intake helps in boosting immunity and reducing the likelihood of developing respiratory infections. The overall mean of the positive beliefs and practice score was 9.6 (range 0-14). The mean positive beliefs and practice scores were significantly higher for males (11.4 ± 3.2) compared to females (8.6 ± 3.6) (P < .001). The numbers were not significantly different regardless of the source of information (9.6 ± 3.5), respondents being in health colleges (8.9 ± 4.1) or non-health colleges (9.8 ± 3.7), them being previously or currently infected (9.7 ± 3.8), the absence of infection (9.7 ± 3.8), or the respondents possessing a history of chronic diseases (10.5 ± 3.9) or not (9.5 ± 3.7) (P > .05). Conclusions: This study found a relatively high prevalence of herbal and dietary supplements’ use, positive beliefs, and practices to strengthen one’s immunity against respiratory symptoms.

Background and objectives. Lack of knowledge and awareness about the disease is generally associated with wicked health outcomes. Diabetes is a chronic endocrine disease, affecting people of both genders and across all age groups, and is currently considered a major public health challenge globally. This study aims to assess the public’s knowledge, awareness, and associated demographic factors among general community. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out for over 4 months from May to August 2020 using a self-administered, anonymous online questionnaire. All adults of both genders were invited to participate in the study. Individuals who are able to read and understand the English language were included in the study. Data were descriptively analyzed using a statistical package for social science version 26 (SPSS). Results. A total of 427 subjects responded to the questionnaires. More than half of them were male 253 (59.3%), while 174 (40.7%) were female, approximately 49% had a university degree, and 196 (45.9%) were postgraduates. The mean age of the participants was 25.7 ± 6.2 (mean ± SD). Most of them were single 230 (53.9%). The majority of the respondents 367 (85.9%) had heard of hyperglycemia, while a comparable number of 366 (85.7%) were aware of it being a lifelong disease. About 305 (71.4%) of participants knew that genetic factors were associated with hyperglycemia, and more than half of 250 (58.5%) knew that diabetes causes foot problems. There was a significant association between the cause of diabetes with income and educational status ( p  < 0.05) and diabetic complications with age, education, and family income ( p  < 0.05). Conclusion. In conclusion, there is a need for greater awareness and additional education regarding hyperglycemia among the general community in the state of Telangana, India, to reduce the incidence of diabetes and associated risk factors. Public health campaigns that encourage healthier lifestyles might help achieve this aim.

Introduction: Determining students’ readiness for e-learning is critical to implementing more effective education and performance. Nursing education in Saudi Arabia continues to struggle with a shortage of technical tools to enable teaching and acquiring critical nursing skills. Aim: To assess the level of e-learning readiness and academic performance and their association in nursing students and to determine the factors associated with e-learning readiness and academic performance. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, multisite study was conducted on a convenience sample of nursing students (N = 139) attending nursing programs from multiple public and private universities in Saudi Arabia. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection from May 2020 to August 2020. Multivariate analyses were run using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The mean age of the study participants was 27.3±6.34 years. The total average of e-learning readiness was 4.16 (SD=0.54). Bivariate analyses showed that age was associated with both e-learning readiness (r=0.175, p=0.03) and academic performance (r=0.341, p<0.001). Employment status, level of education, and previous experience with e-learning displayed significant association with e-learning readiness (p<0.05). In multivariate analyses, only previous experience with e-learning had positively influence on students e-learning readiness (b=0.188, p<0.05). Technology access subscale (b=0.206, p<0.05) and level of education (b=0.323, p<0.05) had both positive impacts on students’ academic performance. Conclusion: The e-learning readiness score was high among the nursing students, especially if they were employed or had previous experience with it. Access to technology improved students’ academic performance. The current e-learning mechanism may need some developments in order to meet students’ different needs.

Aim To assess the prevalence of minor and serious cyberloafing behaviours among nurses and examine the impact of the nursing stressors on nurses' cyberloafing behaviours. Background Cyberloafing could have a negative influence on employees' job performance, but it also has been argued that it could serve as a coping mechanism to deal with stressful work environments. Design A cross‐sectional descriptive, correlational design. Methods Data were collected between September and December 2020 from a convenience sample of staff nurses (N = 291) providing care at a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. Sample characteristics, nursing stressors and cyberloafing behaviours information were collected using self‐reported questionnaires. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Findings Nurses in Saudi Arabia exhibited low levels of minor and serious cyberloafing behaviours. However, they engaged more frequently in minor cyberloafing behaviours more than serious cyberloafing behaviours. Stressors and Internet usage frequency influenced the frequency of minor and serious cyberloafing behaviours. Level of education and nationality impacted serious cyberloafing behaviours only. Conclusion Nursing stressors were associated with cyberloafing behaviours. Other studies on cyberloafing and job stress yielded inconsistent results. Efforts should be taken to avoid the adverse effects of cyberloafing by establishing a clear policy on using the advanced technology for non‐work purposes.

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