A physical activity intervention to increase the level of physical fitness among boys aged 14-15 years in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Health.The prevalence of obesity is increasing world-wide and is estimated to continue to increase over the next decade (Hruby & Hu 2015). The focus of this study is on childhood overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabia. Limited research has been conducted and consequently a limited amount of information is available on the level of obesity in Saudi children and adolescence. The project involved the design, development and assessment of a physical activity intervention to improve physical fitness, increase physical activity levels and promote weight loss among school boys aged between 14 and 15 years living in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The study is innovative in that it utilised a popular children’s sport (soccer) in Saudi Arabia to improve levels of physical fitness and that the activity took place out of the school environment in a free government-run facility. The report of research presented in this thesis begins with a comprehensive review of published literature on obesity interventions and school-based PA programs. The project used mixed methods research methodology. Qualitative data were generated from semi-structured interviews with school principals and teachers and used to inform the development of an obesity-related PA intervention program. Quantitative data were collected as part of a randomised controlled trial (RCT). The RCT was used to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of a 12-week PA intervention program based on soccer, conducted in after-school hours at a local government sports centre. The results showed that the intervention group significantly improved in the vertical jump test (p<0.001) and the Illinois agility test (p<0.001) over the 12 weeks (pre-test vs. post- test). Mean scores for the control group did not differ significantly over the 12 weeks (pre-test vs. post-test) in any of the three physical fitness measures or in terms of BMI. The intervention group differed significantly from the control group in terms of mean differences for outcomes in the beep test (p<0.001), vertical jump test (p<0.001), Illinois agility test (p<0.001) and BMI (p=0.006), with the intervention group improving relative to the control group across all four measures. These findings can inform future research on obesity-related PA intervention programs for adolescents in other nations that face a similar childhood obesity pandemic. The study concludes with a number of recommendations, including that the government provide additional sports centres across Saudi Arabia

Healthcare Professionals’ Job Satisfaction at Primary Healthcare Centers in The Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Introduction: A lack of job satisfaction is identified as a primary factor contributing to high staff turnover among healthcare professionals. Objective: To assess the extent of job satisfaction among healthcare professionals in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia.Methods: The study employed a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional research approach. Convenience sampling was employed to select a sample of 300 healthcare professionals from primary healthcare centers in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. A digital survey, including a sociodemographic data sheet and a job satisfaction questionnaire, was distributed to healthcare personnel through various social media channels. The study adhered to all ethical protocols in scientific research, and data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics with the SPSS V 26.0 program.Results: Regarding job satisfaction, 39% of respondents reported a high level of contentment with their work environment, while only 6% indicated a strong sense of dissatisfaction. Notably, the categories of "employees\u27 experience" and "benefits offered by the organization" garnered the greatest mean score and the highest satisfaction levels, with a significant 40% expressing great satisfaction. However, the aspect that received the lowest satisfaction mean score among participants was "workplace flexibility," with only 36% expressing high levels of satisfaction concerning this point. The average score for job satisfaction was 7.32±2.9, indicating a moderate to high degree of satisfaction among professionals.Conclusions: Primary healthcare workers experienced moderate to high levels of job satisfaction. The findings emphasize the importance of implementing a flexible work structure to enhance job satisfaction within the healthcare industr

Present status and future directions of environmental sustainability science of jute agriculture in India: A bibliometric study

Jute, an important natural fiber crop grown in Southeast Asia, particularly in India, Bangladesh, and Thailand, has received considerable attention because to its superior mechanical characteristics, high cellulose content, affordability, biodegradability, and benefits for the environment. The data obtained from Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases from 2004 to 2023, it explores publication trends, active authors, sources, institutions, and countries contributing to the scientific literature. The investigation uses bibliometric tools like Bibliometrix and VOS viewer to map the intellectual structure and research links. The findings show a steady increase in scholarly production, with a noteworthy high in 2022, highlighting growing awareness of jute’s potential as a sustainable substitute for synthetic materials. The finding shows the critical role that Indian contributors and organizations play in developing sustainability study results, as well as worldwide collaborations, especially with nations in South and Southeast Asia. This research illustrates the important of combining traditional knowledge with emerging technology like precision farming and artificial intelligence (AI) to deal with sustainability challenges. It also highlights weakness such a lack of interdisciplinary collaboration and financial support. These findings help to shape sustainable methods in jute agriculture, with implications for protecting the environment and social development

Degree of Satisfaction With Telemedicine Service Among Health Practitioners and Patients in Saudi Arabia

The satisfaction level of patients and physicians with telemedicine services should be comparable to on-site visits if this technology is to be widely adopted. The degree of satisfaction can be used to assess the performance of any healthcare service. Therefore, in this cross-sectional study, we used a five-point Likert scale to evaluate the level of satisfaction with telemedicine by administering survey questionnaires to both patients and physicians online residing across Saudi Arabia. The questionnaires were divided into three parts: consent and summary, demographics, and the survey questions to determine satisfaction level with telemedicine. All statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Version 27. The results showed high satisfaction levels with telemedicine services by both patients and physicians where the age and gender of participants were influential in determining this outcome. Residential areas affected satisfaction levels with telemedicine in physicians but not in patients. Previous experiences with these services influenced the satisfaction of patients with those having previous experience reporting higher satisfaction. However, when the degree of satisfaction between patients and physicians was compared, the results were insignificant showing that the overall perception towards telemedicine usage is similar between healthcare providers and receivers. To conclude, our study showed that the experiences of patients and physicians with telemedicine services are satisfactory; however, certain areas regarding telemedicine usage warrant further improvement