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Assessment of knowledge about childhood autism spectrum disorder among healthcare workers in Makkah- Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT: Objective:To measure the knowledge of healthcare professionals about increasingly prevalent Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) along with perceptions around its management and prognosis and comparison across various specialties. Methods:This Cross sectional survey based comparative analysis took place at Maternity and Children Hospital and King Faisal Hospital Makkah from December 2017 to May 2018. The validated self-administered "Knowledge about childhood autism among health workers" questionnaire was used along with additional questions regarding perceptions about ASD. The mean and mean percent scores were calculated. Chi squared test and ANOVA were applied to find the association between quantitative and qualitative variables respectively. Results:Out of 162 participants, 153 returned the questionnaire and 147 were included in final analysis. Physicians constituted 81.6% (120) of participants. The mean score for participants was 9.80(S.E.M ±0.32) where non-physicians yielded higher mean score (11.2±4.41) as compared to physicians (9.6±3.28) (p=0.113). Psychiatrists had highest score of 16/19 while general physicians had lowest (6/19). Participants with more years of experience had higher mean scores (p-value = 0.01). About 72.10% (106) of participants opted for medication as a treatment option. Nearly 38.1% (56) of participants were skeptical about improvement of ASD with early interventions. Conclusion:There is a lack of knowledge about ASD amongst healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. Experienced professionals working with ASD children can be utilized to deliver targeted trainings nationwide.

SUBMITTER: Hayat AA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6659086 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul-Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Assessment of knowledge about childhood autism spectrum disorder among healthcare workers in Makkah- Saudi Arabia.

Hayat Aalia Akhtar AA Meny Areej Habib AH Salahuddin Nabila N M Alnemary Faisal F Ahuja Kumar-Ricky KR Azeem Muhammad Waqar MW

Pakistan journal of medical sciences 20190701 4

<h4>Objective</h4>To measure the knowledge of healthcare professionals about increasingly prevalent Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) along with perceptions around its management and prognosis and comparison across various specialties.<h4>Methods</h4>This Cross sectional survey based comparative analysis took place at Maternity and Children Hospital and King Faisal Hospital Makkah from December 2017 to May 2018. The validated self-administered "Knowledge about childhood autism among health workers" ...[more]

PMID: 31372123

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Project description:Background:Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have social and cognitive disabilities. For parents, these behaviors can lead to humiliation, social exclusion, and isolation. Stigma is a problem that not only may affect the individual with high functioning autism, but has the potential to extend to their family as well. Indeed, research indicates that the parents of children with disabilities (including ASD) commonly experience stigmatizing reactions from others. Aim of work:To determine the prevalence of self and enacted stigma among parents of ASD children from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and recognize possible risk factors and causes of stigmatization. Material and methods:An observational cross-sectional study involving the parents of ASD children from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. About 163 participants were included from the Centre for Autism Research (CFAR) at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH & RC) in Riyadh. The primary material used for data collection was a five-point scale questionnaire developed by the investigator. The questionnaire consisted closed ended questions related to the participants' demographic data, autistic child, family life, resources, and social experiences as a parent. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and appropriate statistical analysis, using Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS), version 22. The level of significance was P value?<?.05. Results:The findings of this work indicated that 55 (33.7%) of the parents scored more than 3 in answering questions related to felt stigma; 82 (50.3%) were fathers. On the other hand, 108 (66.3%) did not feel stigmatized being a parent of autistic child. Forty-two (25.8%) of the parents scored more than 3 in answering questions related to enacted stigma, whereas 121 (74.2%) did not face enacted stigmatization being a parent of autistic child. There was a strong tendency for mothers (41, 75%) to feel more self- and enacted stigmatized than fathers (P?<?.05). Moreover, the gender of the autistic child, consanguinity, severity of the ASD, and the monthly income of the family showed no significant difference in the parents who scored more than 3 for felt- or enacted stigmatization (P?>?.05). Conclusion:Among participated parents of children with ASD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 33.7% of them experienced stigmatization, and mothers felt more self- and enacted stigmatized when compared to fathers. Public awareness among people in Saudi Arabia have been increased and, thus, negative stigmatization has decreased among parents in the country. A high level of felt stigma suggests the need for psychological intervention for the family to help cope with this new situation. A higher level of enacted stigma suggests the need for their rights (individuals with ASD) and increased awareness in the society. It is recommended that further research is needed in different centers in Riyadh and other regions of Saudi Arabia to investigate the prevalence of stigma in parents of autistic children.

Project description:IntroductionPublic awareness regarding COVID-19 plays an important role in controlling the virus' spread and treating infected people. A high level of awareness among the public will help to implement preventive measures, particularly in the most populated regions, such as Makkah, Saudi Arabia. COVID-19 is an infectious disease and the Saudi Arabian government has taken serious precautions and implemented several preventive measures. In addition, The Ministry of Health (MOH) has launched many awareness campaigns and provided COVID-19 vaccines for free.The objectivesTo assess the Public's level of health awareness and knowledge toward SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 vaccines among residents of Makkah, Saudi Arabia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in the Makkah region from February 23 to March 2, 2021. The questionnaire was generated using a Google form and distributed online through social platforms such as Twitter and WhatsApp. The questionnaire consisted of five sections and six hundred participants have answered and completed all questions. Then, All data were imported into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using the statistical tools SAS version 9.4 and SPSS version 25 software.ResultsA total of 600 participants from the Makkah region were found to have a high level of awareness and knowledge about all aspects of SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 disease. For example, all participants considered coronavirus to be contagious, and 89.8% of them knew that COVID-19's symptoms are similar to those of seasonal flu. Most respondents showed a high level of awareness regarding the main factors of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Over 98.7% of respondents were aware of the role of gatherings and events in further spread of the virus. The participants showed a good level of awareness about other preventive measures, such as maintaining social distancing and wearing a mask. However, the respondents considered COVID-19 vaccines to be effective, but some of them were not aware of their side effects, and 38.8% planned to receive a vaccine.ConclusionThe residents of Makkah showed a high level of awareness about these aspects; an excellent awareness level was noted for SARS-CoV-2, means of transmission, disease symptoms and prevention of viral spread. On the other hand, the participants had less knowledge regarding COVID-19 vaccines; hence, more effort is required to educate people about the safety and benefits of the vaccines.

Project description:BackgroundMobile phones have become part of everyday life with a potential risk for microbial transmission. Makkah is a mass gathering city that may act as hotspots of disease transmission. The contact between public and both visitors and pilgrims to Makkah can't be overlooked, and any small outbreak within the public can be transmitted rapidly to them.AimWe aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of general population towards infection transmission via mobile phones in Makkah and different characteristics relevant to KAP scores.MethodsA cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted on general population in Makkah city using a snowballing sampling method. Participants answered questions about their KAP towards infection transmission via mobile phone. The overall KAP scores were graded as good, fair, and poor and explored against different population characteristics using suitable statistical methods.ResultsThe study included 385 participants aged 15-64 years. About 88.8% owned personal mobile phone, 3.9% encountering a patient with infections transmitted via mobile phones, and 60.5% know nothing about potential role of mobile phones in infection transmission. Only 16.6% had good knowledge, 64.1% with positive attitudes, and 55.3% reported poor practices. The mean knowledge score was significantly higher among young adults (p = 0.002) and those with higher education (p = 0.005). Their mean attitude and practice scores were significantly higher among older adults (p < 0.001 and p = 0.015), female (p = 0.001 and p = 0.022), and those with higher education (p = 0.036 and p = 0.041) respectively.ConclusionThe overall public knowledge and practices towards the role of mobile phones in infection transmission in Makkah was below average though they have positive attitudes. Raising public awareness is important to decrease the possibility of cross-contamination via mobile phones and to develop adequate preventive strategies in a mass gathering setting like Makkah city.

Project description:BackgroundBlastocystis species (sp.) are gastrointestinal protozoan parasites with high prevalence rates worldwide. Blastocystis sp. show extensive genetic diversity with 17 different subtypes (STs) described to date. A few studies have investigated the prevalence and STs of Blastocystis sp. in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we aimed in this study to identify and characterize subtypes of Blastocystis sp. in the City of Makkah, Saudi Arabia.MethodsStool samples were collected from 140 patients who presented to King Abdulaziz Hospital, Hera General Hospital and Modern Medical Center in Saudi Arabia. Different microscopic examination methods of patients' stools and molecular analyses (using primers targeting SSU rRNA gene) were performed to identify and characterize STs of Blastocystis sp.ResultsOur microscopic examination of stool samples showed that 96/140 patients (68.6%) had Blastocystis sp. infection. Clinical examination of infected patients revealed that 81 patients were symptomatic, whereas 15 were asymptomatic. Next, we isolated DNA from Blastocystis sp.-positive stool samples followed by PCR amplification of small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene and sequence analysis. Our sequence analysis showed that subtype 3 (ST3) was the most prevalent (53.13%) followed by subtype 1 (ST1) (45.83%), whereas subtype 2 (ST2) was the least prevalent (1.04%). Moreover, our results showed that all three STs resulted in more symptomatic than asymptomatic cases. Finally, we identified novel haplotypes which comprised of 8 ST3, 6 ST1, and one ST2 haplotypes.ConclusionOur identification of several haplotypes in patients' stools confirms the genetic diversity of Blastocystis sp. and may explain the reported low host specificity and differential pathogenicity of Blastocystis sp. We believe that additional molecular epidemiological and genomic studies are needed to understand the prevalence and pathogenicity of different subtypes in humans and animal hosts.

Dataset Information

Assessment of knowledge about childhood autism spectrum disorder among healthcare workers in Makkah- Saudi Arabia.

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Assessment of knowledge about childhood autism spectrum disorder among healthcare workers in Makkah- Saudi Arabia.

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