IntroductionThe levels of physicians' job satisfaction and burnout directly affect their professionalism, punctuality, absenteeism, and ultimately, patients' care. Despite its crucial importance, little is known about professional burnout of the physicians in Saudi Arabia. The objectives of this research are two-fold: (1) To assess the prevalence of burnout in physicians working in primary health care centers under Ministry of Health; and (2) to find the modifiable factors which can decrease the burnout ratio.MethodologyThrough a cross-sectional study design, a representative sample of the physicians working in primary health care centers (PHCCs) Jeddah (n=246) was randomly selected. The overall burnout level was assessed using the validated abbreviated Maslach burnout inventory (aMBI) questionnaire. It measures the overall burnout prevalence based on three main domains i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Independent sample T-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multivariate regression analysis were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Version 22, IBM, Armonk, NY).ResultsOverall, moderate to high burnout was prevalent in 25.2% of the physicians. Emotional exhaustion was noted in 69.5%. Multivariate regression analysis showed that patient pressure/violence (p <0.001), unorganized patients flow to clinics (p=0.021), more paperwork (p<0.001), and less co-operative colleague doctors (p=0.045) were the significant predictors for high emotional exhaustion. A positive correlation was noted between the number of patients per day and burnout. The patient’s pressure/violence was the only significant independent predictor of overall burnout.ConclusionEmotional exhaustion is the most prominent feature of overall burnout in the physicians of primary health care centers. The main reasons include patient’s pressure/violence, unorganized patient flow, less cooperative colleague doctors, fewer support services at the PHCCs, more paperwork, and less cooperative colleagues. Addressing these issues could lead to a decrease in physician’s burnout.

Objective More than half of the world’s population live in areas with a potential risk of acquiring dengue fever (DF). Health education interventions are effective, barring a language communication gap. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of health education in the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) towards DF control and prevention in public and private schools. Materials and methods We assessed the DF control and prevention strategy KAP of students of eight public and private schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia before the dengue health education intervention sessions (pre-I) and three months following the education intervention sessions (post-I) using the same closed-ended validated questionnaire. Schools and students were selected by a multistage stratified random sample method. Statistical analysis was done using the paired and independent T-test in IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results We found a significant mean difference in the overall knowledge (pre-I, 7.86 ± 2.61; post-I, 10.94 ± 2.35), attitude (pre-I, 5.16 ± 1.50; post-I 6.23 ± 1.30), and practice (pre-I, 2.96 ± 1.33; post-I, 3.94 ± 1.12) scores. Private schools scored better post-intervention scores in knowledge and practice compared to public schools in local and English language medium. Conclusions Health education programs are essential for DF prevention and management. Institutes whose populations consists of students with various language backgrounds should not be ignored. Bilingual educational sessions are important in such private institutes. Our results indicate additional emphasis is required on putting interventional knowledge into practice.

Introduction:The current study aims to assess the level of patients’ satisfaction and the factors contributing to patients’ satisfaction toward family physicians (FPs) consultation, visiting primary healthcare centers (PHCCs) working under Ministry of Health, Jeddah.Materials and Methods:In this cross-sectional study conducted in Jeddah from November 1, 2016 to March 1, 2017, we used consultation satisfaction questionnaire and its four subscales with standard cutoffs. These subscales include general satisfaction, professional care, depth of relationship, and length of consultation. Mean scores along with standard deviation of these subscales were measured. Independent sample t-test, ANOVA, and multivariate regression analysis were performed to test the association between satisfaction level and predictors.Results:Overall, patients’ satisfaction was 60%. Around 74% of patients were satisfied with the professional care and 58% with the depth of the relationship. Around 60% of patients need more consultation time with the physicians. Knowledge about the presence of FP in the nearest PHCCs was around 70%. Multivariate regression analysis for the overall high satisfaction showed that the most important predictors of this high satisfaction level are regular visits to a particular FP (P < 0.001), distance from the PHCC (P = 0.044) and gender of the patient (P = 0.027).Conclusion:This study concluded that satisfaction with the FP's consultation is acceptable but needs improvement. Lower satisfaction was reported among males, patients living at a distance from PHCC and who had less knowledge about the presence of FP in their nearest PHCC. Such study data are vital for any corrective measures to boost satisfaction in patients attending PHCCs.

IntroductionJunk food (JF) consumption trend is increasing in all parts of the world. The transition in lifestyle and dietary habits is leading to many non-communicable diseases. The objectives of this study are twofold: (1) To examine the prevalence of junk food consumption and factors associated with consuming junk food among Saudi adults in Jeddah; and (2) to compare the trends of junk food consumption among males and females in Jeddah.MethodologyThis cross-sectional study was conducted in five different Primary Health Care centers (PHCCs) of Jeddah working under Ministry of Health. The subjects were men (n = 146) and women (n = 254) aged 18-67 years visiting these centers. Structured validated close ended questionnaire was filled by all the participants. Data analysis was done using SPSS. Chi-square was applied to analyze the difference between male and female JF consumption and multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to examine the risk factors.ResultsOverall the JF consumption in subjects with mean age 33.69 ± 12.29 years was highly prevalent in both genders (86.5%); (men = 85.6% and women = 87.4%). Controlling for some demographic and socioeconomic variables, increased junk food consumption was independently associated with education (OR = 2.47, 95% CI: 1.088-5.605, p = 0.031), individuals who had limited time (OR = 3.82, 95% CI: 1.690-8.642, p < 0.001), for the change of routine and taste (OR = 7.64, 95% CI: 3.145-18.563, p < 0.001 and OR = 11.031, 95% CI: 4.219-28.843, p < 0.001, respectively).ConclusionThe study findings provide evidence on the high prevalence of junk food consumption among Saudi adults. Junk food has influence in the dietary patterns of Saudi adults and this trend is likely to rise. This growing widespread use of junk food is of concern which may cause obesity-related non-communicable diseases.