Parents awareness toward antibiotics use in upper respiratory tract infection in children in Al-Qassim region, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate parents' awareness toward antibiotics use in upper respiratory tract infection in children. Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted in Al-Qassim using validated and translated questionnaire whish was distributed using what's app. over a period of 3 months, extended from May 2018 to July 2018. Results: The number of respondents were 405, majority 81% chose physicians as the main source of information about antibiotic use. Forty-four percent of parents agreed that most URTIs are viral in origin and self-limiting without needing antibiotics. However, 19% of parents believed that antibiotics should be given to all children who have a fever. Fifty two percent were aware that inappropriate use of antibiotics reduces antibiotic efficacy and drives bacterial resistance. Sixty percent of participants chose antibiotics as the treatment they anticipated to be recommended. Fever was the dominant symptom among others of URTI, that would make (21.7%) always ask physicians to prescribe antibiotics. Parents who never asked paediatricians to prescribed antibiotics for their children were (36.5%). The attitude and practice of the participants were associated with the number of children they had; parents with five children or more had a lower attitude and practice score. Conclusion: this study found that majority of the participant were educated but with poor attitude and practice. Although parents are concerned about the use of over counter antibiotics, often demand it. Considering that parents are unaware of indications and subsequent complications of using over counter antibiotics, they often request mentioned drugs, showing concern nonetheless. the need to understand parents' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding the use of antibiotics for URTIs is required in creating suitable interventional educational programs and raise awareness to avoid futile antibiotic use

Saudi women’s physical activity habits during pregnancy

Background:Despite many benefits of physical exercise to women during pregnancy, the majority of Saudi women do not engage in an adequate amount of activity because of common barriers such as fatigue, lack of motivation, and childcare. The purpose of this study was to estimate the proportion of Saudi women who get adequate exercise during pregnancy as well as to evaluate their knowledge of, attitude toward, and barriers to physical exercise during pregnancy.Methods:This study had a cross-sectional design. Data were collected retrospectively (average time: 1 year after the birth), using translated questionnaires (English to Arabic), from primary health care centers and from the Maternity and Children Hospital in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Logistic regression was employed to assess the a priori correlates of adequate exercise during pregnancy (primary outcome).Results:The sample included 274 women, who had a mean age of 31.9 years. A majority of the women thought that physical exercise during pregnancy was necessary and had high knowledge levels (mean = 77; median = 75) about types and amount of physical activity. Less than half of the women were either walking (26%) or exercising (42%) adequately (i.e. ⩾150 min/week). Age (odds ratio: 1.79), number of pregnancies (odds ratio: 2.41), attitude toward exercise (odds ratio: 2.71), and self-rated health (odds ratio: 2.50) were significant correlates of adequate exercise during pregnancy. Among those who reported no physical exercise during pregnancy ( n = 68), the following barriers were most common: tiredness (25.0%), fear (18.1%), dislike of exercise (16.7%), and lack of information (16.7%).Conclusion:For Saudi women, interventions are needed during pre-natal checkups to promote and maintain adequate physical activity levels during pregnancy.</jats:sec