Sleep Quality and Insomnia Prevalence Among a Saudi Population: A Descriptive Study

Mohammed Senitan,1 Nasser F BinDhim,2 Nora A Althumiri3 1Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Informed Decision Making (IDM), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Sharik Association for Research and Studies, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Mohammed Senitan, Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected]: Sleep quality is a critical factor for maintaining physical and mental well-being, with insomnia being one of the most common sleep disorders affecting global populations.Aim: To assess sleep quality and estimate the prevalence of insomnia among the general population across all regions of Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Sharik Diet and Health Survey (SDHS), covering all 13 administrative regions of Saudi Arabia. The sample comprised 6051 participants aged between 18 and 90 years. Sleep quality and insomnia levels were evaluated using structured phone interviews conducted from July to August 2023.Results: The majority of participants did not report suffering from insomnia, with only a small fraction indicating its presence. The prevalence of insomnia, based on participant-reported dissatisfaction with sleep patterns, was relatively low, with 21.5% of respondents reporting dissatisfaction (16.1% “Not Satisfied” and 5.4% “Very Unsatisfied”). Additionally, 42.4% of participants reported being “Not Concerned” about their sleep, while 33.9% experienced no interference with daily life due to sleep issues.Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into sleep quality and insomnia prevalence among the general population in Saudi Arabia. Although the overall prevalence of insomnia is lower compared to previous studies, a notable subset of the population experiences dissatisfaction and concerns regarding sleep. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing socio-economic disparities and mental health factors to improve sleep quality. Future research should focus on longitudinal assessments to better understand the factors influencing insomnia and the effectiveness of intervention strategies.Plain Language Summary: This study looked at sleep quality and insomnia (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep) among adults in Saudi Arabia. Good sleep is essential for both physical and mental health, helping people feel energized and focused during the day. However, insomnia is a common sleep disorder worldwide, impacting millions and leading to problems like fatigue, irritability, and reduced quality of life.The researchers collected data from 6051 adults across Saudi Arabia’s 13 administrative regions through phone interviews. Participants were asked about their sleep patterns, satisfaction with sleep quality, and any concerns related to sleep. The study aimed to understand how many people experience insomnia and factors affecting sleep quality among different groups in the population.Findings showed that while most participants were generally satisfied with their sleep, about 21.5% expressed dissatisfaction, and 42.4% reported no concerns about their sleep. These results suggest that insomnia is less prevalent in this sample compared to other studies, but some people still face sleep difficulties. Additionally, insomnia was more common in certain groups, including people with lower income or those reporting other health issues.This study highlights the need for targeted health programs to address sleep quality and suggests that improving sleep health in the population could benefit overall well-being. The researchers recommend more studies to explore why sleep issues occur and how to effectively support those affected.Keywords: sleep disorders, public health, mental well-being, health disparities, Saudi Arabia population, sleep pattern

National screening for anxiety and depression in Saudi Arabia 2022

BackgroundMental health disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), represent a significant public health concern in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to provide a recent mental health screening prevalence, including anxiety and depression screening in the general public and to explore the associated risk factors.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted, employing a phone interview survey with 6,015 participants, using a quota sampling strategy to ensure equal representation of both sexes and administrative regions. The study assessed the prevalence of MDD and GAD risk and examined demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors associated with these mental health disorders.ResultsThe national prevalence of people at risk of MDD and GAD were found to be 12.7 and 12.4%, respectively. Low diagnosis and treatment rates were observed, with only 1.5 and 0.5% of participants currently diagnosed and treated for depression and anxiety, respectively. Risk factors for MDD and GAD included female sex, lower education and income levels, smoking, and waterpipe use. Protective factors included physical activity, participation in volunteering activities and the practice of daily hobbies in the last 30 days.ConclusionThe relatively high prevalence of MDD and GAD risk and low diagnosis and treatment rates in Saudi Arabia emphasize the need for increased mental health promotion, early detection, and treatment accessibility. The study highlights the importance of addressing modifiable risk factors and fostering protective factors through targeted interventions. Future research should focus on longitudinal associations, potential mediators and moderators, and the development of culturally appropriate and evidence-based interventions to enhance mental health outcomes in the region

What Do Men Want from a Health Screening Mobile App? A Qualitative Study.

There is a lack of mobile app which aims to improve health screening uptake developed for men. As part of the study to develop an effective mobile app to increase health screening uptake in men, we conducted a needs assessment to find out what do men want from a health screening mobile app. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 31 men from a banking institution in Kuala Lumpur. The participants were purposely sampled according to their job position, age, ethnicity and screening status. The recruitment was stopped once data saturation was achieved. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic approach. Three themes emerged from the analysis and they were: content, feature and dissemination. In terms of the content, men wanted the app to provide information regarding health screening and functions that can assess their health; which must be personalized to them and are trustable. The app must have user-friendly features in terms of information delivery, ease of use, attention allocation and social connectivity. For dissemination, men proposed that advertisements, recommendations by health professionals, providing incentive and integrating the app as into existing systems may help to increase the dissemination of the app. This study identified important factors that need to be considered when developing a mobile app to improve health screening uptake. Future studies on mobile app development should elicit users' preference and need in terms of its content, features and dissemination strategies to improve the acceptability and the chance of successful implementation

Demographic, health, and behaviors profile of Saudi Arabia’s aging population 2022–2023

BackgroundThe population aged 60 years and older in Saudi Arabia is rapidly increasing, leading to concerns regarding their health, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle behaviors. Aging is associated with a higher risk of chronic diseases, multimorbidity, and mental health issues, which can significantly affect the quality of life. However, national data on older people in Saudi Arabia remain limited.AimThis study aims to profile older people in Saudi Arabia during the years 2022–2023, focusing on their demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health conditions, and lifestyle behaviors.MethodsData were drawn from the Sharik Health Indicators Surveillance System (SHISS) 2022–2023, a nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted through phone interviews. The final analysis included 2,702 participants aged 60 years and older. Descriptive statistics were employed to summarize demographic, health, and behavioral data.ResultsThe study revealed that over half (52%) of the participants had two or more chronic conditions, with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes being the most common. Mental health assessments indicated that 17.7% of older people were at risk of depression, and another 17.7% were at risk of anxiety. Additionally, the study found low adherence to healthy behaviors, with only 11.1% meeting the recommended fruit and vegetable intake and 20.1% engaging in sufficient physical activity. Furthermore, 67% of older people were classified as overweight or obese.ConclusionOlder people in Saudi Arabia face significant health challenges, including high rates of multimorbidity, mental health risks, and poor lifestyle behaviors. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted health interventions and educational programs tailored to older people, aiming to improve their quality of life and contribute to the national goals outlined in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030

Quantity Over Quality—Findings from a Systematic Review and Environmental Scan of Patient Decision Aids on Early Abortion Methods

Background: The availability and effectiveness of decision aids (DAs) on early abortion methods remain unknown, despite their potential for supporting women’s decision making. Objective: To describe the availability, impact and quality of DAs on surgical and medical early abortion methods for women seeking induced abortion. Search strategy: For the systematic review, we searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE and PsycINFO. For the environmental scan, we searched Google and App Stores and consulted key informants. Inclusion criteria: For the systematic review, we included studies evaluating an early abortion method DA (any format and language) vs a comparison group on women’s decision making. DAs must have met the Stacey et al (2014). Cochrane review definition of DAs. For the environmental scan, we included English DAs developed for the US context. Data extraction and synthesis: We extracted study and DA characteristics, assessed study quality using the Effective Practice and Organization of Care risk of bias tool and assessed DA quality using International Patient Decision Aid Standards (IPDAS). Results: The systematic review identified one study, which found that the DA group had higher knowledge and felt more informed. The evaluated DA met few IPDAS criteria. In contrast, the environmental scan identified 49 DAs created by non specialists. On average, these met 28% of IPDAS criteria for Content, 22% for Development and 0% for Effectiveness. Conclusions: Research evaluating DAs on early abortion methods is lacking, and although many tools are accessible, they demonstrate suboptimal quality. Efforts to revise existing or develop new DAs, support patients to identify high-quality DAs and facilitate non-specialist developers’ adoption of best practices for DA development are neede

How could different obesity scenarios alter the burden of type 2 diabetes and liver disease in Saudi Arabia?

Introduction Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and liver disease, and obesity-attributable liver disease is a common indication for liver transplant. Obesity prevalence in Saudi Arabia (SA) has increased in recent decades. SA has committed to the WHO ‘halt obesity’ target to shift prevalence to 2010 levels by 2025. We estimated the future benefits of reducing obesity in SA on incidence and costs of T2DM and liver disease under two policy scenarios: 1) SA meets the ‘halt obesity’ target; 2) population body mass index (BMI) is reduced by 1% annually from 2020 to 2040. Methods We developed a dynamic microsimulation of working-age people (20-59 years) in SA between 2010 and 2040. Model inputs included population demographic, disease and healthcare cost data, and relative risks of diseases associated with obesity. In our two policy scenarios, we manipulated population BMI and compared predicted disease incidence and associated healthcare costs to a baseline ‘no change’ scenario. Results Adults 1.15 million combined cases of T2DM, liver disease and liver cancer could be avoided by 2040. Healthcare cost savings for the ‘halt obesity’ and 1% reduction scenarios are 46.7 and 32.8 billion USD, respectively. Discussion/Conclusion SA’s younger working-age population is set to meet the ‘halt obesity’ target, but those aged 35-59 are off-track. Even a modest annual 1% BMI reduction could result in substantial future health and economic benefits. Our findings strongly support universal initiatives to reduce population-level obesity, with targeted initiatives for working-age people ≥35 years of age

Characterising smoking cessation smartphone applications in terms of behaviour change techniques, engagement and ease-of-use features

The aim of this study was to assess whether or not behaviour change techniques (BCTs) as well as engagement and ease-of-use features used in smartphone applications (apps) to aid smoking cessation can be identified reliably. Apps were coded for presence of potentially effective BCTs, and engagement and ease-of-use features. Inter-rater reliability for this coding was assessed. Inter-rater agreement for identifying presence of potentially effective BCTs ranged from 66.8 to 95.1 % with ‘prevalence and bias adjusted kappas’ (PABAK) ranging from 0.35 to 0.90 (p 50 % for rewarding abstinence. The average proportions of specified engagement and ease-of-use features included in the apps were 69 and 83 %, respectively. The study found that it is possible to identify potentially effective BCTs, and engagement and ease-of-use features in smoking cessation apps with fair to high inter-rater reliability

Mobile phone-based interventions for smoking cessation

-National Institute for Health Innovation (Auckland Uniservices), New Zealand. -Cancer Council Victoria, Australia

Adherence to daily dietary and activity goals set within a Māori and Pacific weight loss competition.

Background: New Zealand Pacific and Māori populations measure disproportionately high on the international body mass index (BMI). Information is needed on what behavioural weight loss goals to recommend and how to attract and retain them in interventions. Our team weight loss competition trial for participants with a BMI ≥30 used cash prizes to incentivise completion of nine daily behaviour goals. This paper evaluates the theoretical merit of and adherence to these goals. Methods: A qualitative component evaluation methodology was used. Trial data on team activity, demographics and anthropometric outcome data were extracted to determine frequency of daily goal completion by teams throughout the competition and to describe participant characteristics. T-tests were used to compare completion rates of the challenges, challenge completion by day of week and between weekdays and weekends. To examine adherence to the daily challenge activity over 24 weeks the total amount of completed challenges adjusted for number of active teams was plotted by week. A Body Shape Index (ABSI) was used to determine individual anthropometric change from baseline to 8, 16 and 24 weeks. Program documents were analysed to identify barriers to adherence and retention of participants. Results: Of 19 teams (N = 130) who began only five teams performed daily goals across the whole 24 weeks. Adherence was highest during the first 8 weeks. No difference in performance between goals was found suggesting they were equally viable, though tasks worth less points were performed more frequently. Goal completion was higher on weekdays. The behaviour goals appeared to have theoretical merit in that more members of high performing teams experienced a positive change in their ABSI. Conclusions: Incentives offer a promising strategy for encouraging retention in weight loss interventions. This study suggests that participants in a competition will perform incentivised tasks. The findings however, are limited by missing data and high drop out of individuals and whole teams. Further research is needed on how to increase retention.New Zealand Ministry of Healt