Methods: We assessed study-related records to determine the pace of data collection, response from potential participants, and feedback following data and sample collection. Overall and stratified measures of data and sample availability were summarised. Crude prevalence of key risk factors was examined.
Results: Approximately half (49.5%) of invited individuals consented to participate in this study, for a final sample size of 203 (161 adults and 42 children). Women were more likely to consent to participate compared with men, whereas children, young adults and individuals of Malay ethnicity were less likely to consent compared with older individuals or those of any other ethnicity. At least one biological sample (blood from all participants - finger-prick and venous [for serum, plasma and whole blood samples], hair or urine for adults only) was successfully collected from all participants, with blood test data available from over 90% of individuals. Among adults, urine samples were most commonly collected (97.5%), followed by any blood samples (91.9%) and hair samples (83.2%). Cardiometabolic risk factor burden was high (prevalence of elevated HbA1c among adults: 23.8%; of elevated triglycerides among adults: 38.1%; of elevated total cholesterol among children: 19.5%).
Conclusions: In this study, we show that it is feasible to create biodata resources using existing HDSS frameworks, and identify a potentially high burden of cardiometabolic risk factors that requires further evaluation in this population.
Design: A multicenter prospective follow-up study.
Setting: Tertiary care teaching hospital and its associated private dialysis centers.
Participants: This study included 145 euvolemic eligible hypertensive patients. Various sociodemographic, clinical factors and drugs were investigated and analyzed by using appropriate statistical methods to determine the factors influencing hypertension control among the study participants.
Results: On baseline visit, the mean pre-dialysis systolic and diastolic BP (mmHg) of study participants was 161.2 ± 24. and 79.21 ± 11.8 retrospectively, and 30 (20.6%) patients were on pre-dialysis goal BP. At the end of the 6-months follow-up, the mean pre-dialysis systolic BP and diastolic BP (mmHg) of the patients was 154.6 ± 18.3 and 79.2 ± 11.8 respectively, and 42 (28.9%) were on pre-dialysis goal BP. In multivariate analysis, the use of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) was the only variable which had statistically significant association with pre-dialysis controlled hypertension at baseline (OR = 7.530, p-value = 0.001) and final (OR = 8.988, p-value size and longer follow up time is needed to confirm the findings of the current study.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
SETTING: Probability proportionate to size was used to randomly select two schools in Selangor state, Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: A total of 513 adolescents (58.9% women and 41.1% men) aged 12-16 years were recruited.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Weight, height, WC and BP of the adolescents were measured. The predictive power of anthropometric indices was analysed by sex using the receiver operating characteristic curve.
RESULTS: BMI and WHtR were the indices with higher areas under the curve (AUCs), yet the optimal cut-offs to predict high BP using the 95th percentile were higher than the threshold for overweight/obesity. Most indices showed poor sensitivity under the suggested cut-offs. In contrast, the optimal BMI and WHtR cut-offs to predict high BP using the 90th percentile were lower (men: BMI-for-age=0.79, WHtR=0.46; women: BMI-for-age=0.92, WHtR=0.45). BMI showed the highest AUC in both sexes but had poor sensitivity among women. WHtR presented good sensitivity and specificity in both sexes.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that WHtR might be a useful indicator for screening high blood pressure risk in the routine primary-level health services for adolescents. Future studies are warranted to involve a larger sample size to confirm these findings.
METHODS: The present meta-analysis was conducted between January 2000-August 2019. Articles related to the subject matter were obtained by searching Scopus, Sciencedirect, SID, magiran, Barakat Knowledge Network System, Medline (PubMed), and Google Scholar databases. The heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated using I2 index and the data were analyzed in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.
RESULTS: In a study of 3948 individuals aged 50-90 years, the overall prevalence of severe depression in Iranian older adult was 8.2% (95% CI, 4.14-6.3%) based on meta-analysis. Also, in order to investigate the effects of potential factors (sample size and year of study) on the heterogeneity of severe depression in Iranian older adult, meta-regression was used. It was reported that the prevalence of severe depression in Iranian older adult decreased with increasing sample size and increasing years of the study, which is significantly different (P
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and predictors of poor sleep quality among secondary school students in Gombak District, Selangor.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Gombak District. The sample size was 1,092 based on two group comparison formula. Students were selected using sampling with probability to proportionate to size. Selfadministered pretested questionnaires were used to collect the data. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was performed to determine the association between individual categorical variables and sleep quality. Variables with p-value <0.25 were selected to be subjected into multivariate logistic regression to determine the predictors.
RESULTS: The response rate was 93.0%. The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 24.0% (95% CI = 21.5, 26.6). Based on the analysis of simple logistic regression seven variables that were significantly associated with poor sleep quality were age, gender, marital status of parents, depression, anxiety, stress and academic performance found fit in the model. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the significant predictors of poor sleep quality were age, marital status of parents, depression, anxiety, stress and academic performance. Factors that were not statistically significant were gender, religion, ethnicity, parent's educational level and family income.
CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of poor sleep quality among adolescents is high. The predictors of poor sleep quality are age, marital status of parents, depression, anxiety, stress and academic performance.
METHODS/DESIGN: The study will be a prospective randomized controlled trial comparing an intensive tobacco-related education program versus non-tobacco-related training on pharmacists' tobacco-use-related knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and skills. Community pharmacists practicing in Qatar will be eligible for participation in the study. A random sample of pharmacists will be selected for participation. Consenting participants will be randomly allocated to intervention or control groups. Participants in the intervention group will receive an intensive education program delivered by a multi-disciplinary group of educators, researchers, and clinicians with expertise in tobacco cessation. A short didactic session on a non-tobacco-related topic will be delivered to pharmacists in the control group. The study has two primary outcomes: post-intervention tobacco-related knowledge and post-intervention skills for tobacco cessation assessed using a multiple-choice-based evaluation instrument and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), respectively. The secondary study outcomes are post-intervention attitudes towards tobacco cessation and self-efficacy in tobacco-cessation interventions assessed using a survey instrument. An additional secondary study outcome is the post-intervention performance difference in relation to tobacco-cessation skills in the practice setting assessed using the simulated client approach.
DISCUSSION: If demonstrated to be effective, this education program will be considered as a model that Qatar and the Middle East region can apply to overcome the burden of tobacco-use disorder.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03518476 . Registered on 8 May 2018. Version 1/22 June 2018.
METHOD: Baseline data from a large study entitled Evaluation of Enhanced Primary Health Care interventions in public health clinics (EnPHC-EVA: Facility) were used in this analysis. Data from 40 public primary care clinics were collected through retrospective chart reviews and a patient exit survey. We calculated the ICCs for processes of care, clinical outcomes and patient experiences in patients with T2D and/or hypertension using the analysis of variance approach.
RESULTS: Patient experience had the highest ICC values compared to processes of care and clinical outcomes. The ICC values ranged from 0.01 to 0.48 for processes of care. Generally, the ICC values for processes of care for patients with hypertension only are higher than those for T2D patients, with or without hypertension. However, both groups of patients have similar ICCs for antihypertensive medications use. In addition, similar ICC values were observed for clinical outcomes, ranging from 0.01 to 0.09. For patient experience, the ICCs were between 0.03 (proportion of patients who are willing to recommend the clinic to their friends and family) and 0.25 (for Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care item 9, Given a copy of my treatment plan).
CONCLUSION: The reported ICCs and their respective 95% confidence intervals for T2D and hypertension will be useful for estimating sample sizes and improving efficiency of cluster trials conducted in the primary care setting, particularly for low- and middle-income countries.
METHODS: A knowledge attitude perception questioner was adopted from a previous study conducted in Greece by Panagakou et al. Raosoft online sample size calculator calculated the sample size by adding the total estimated Makkah population of 5,979,719 with a response rate of 30%, 5% margin of error and 99% confidence interval. Based on the described criteria five hundred & fifty-eight was the required sample size of the study. Incomplete questioners were excluded from the statistical analysis. SPSS version 21 was used to analyse data and to produce descriptive statistics.
RESULTS: Most of the mothers (95%) responded among parents. 67% had no health insurance to cover medications costs. Most of them (74%) were related to medium income level. Seventy per cent of the parents believed physicians as a source of information for judicious antibiotics use. Interestingly, only 8% were agreed that most of the upper respiratory tract infections are caused by viral reasons. Majority of Saudi parents (53%) expect pediatricians to prescribe antimicrobials for their children for symptoms like a cough, nose discharge, sore throat and fever. Moreover, most the parents had the poor knowledge to differentiate commonly used OTC medications for URTI and antibiotics like Augmentin (Co-amoxiclav), Ceclor (cefaclor) and Erythrocin (Erythromycin). While comparing males and female's knowledge level, few males have identified Amoxil (Amoxicillin). Similarly, parents of age 20-30 years have good knowledge about the antibiotics.
CONCLUSIONS: Majority of Saudi parents believe in pediatricians and use antibiotics on physician's advice. Most of them expect antibiotics from their physicians as a primary treatment for upper respiratory tract infections. There is need for more educational activities to parents by the pharmacists to prevent antibiotics overuse among children.