Parental awareness and knowledge of first aid for children in Saudi Arabia: a multiregional cross-sectional study

BackgroundFirst aid (FA) knowledge is crucial for parents to effectively respond to pediatric emergencies, and it can potentially save lives and reduce injury severity. Despite the high rates of childhood accidents such as burns, choking, and drowning, limited data exist on parental awareness of FA in Saudi Arabia across various situations. The aim of this study was to assess parental knowledge and awareness regarding FA for children in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis cross-sectional study using a self-administered electronic questionnaire was conducted via social networking sites between March and April 2024. The questionnaire was developed from a literature review and validated by experts. A total of 1,421 parents aged ≥18 years and residing in Saudi Arabia participated. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe participants were predominantly women (59.3%), Saudi nationals (85.1%), married (90.6%), and university graduates (68.3%). While 73.6% believed they had good FA knowledge, only 25.6% had attended a formal FA course. With regard to knowledge gaps, 44.12% parents incorrectly believed that they should encourage a choking child aged <1 year to cough, while 61.44% incorrectly believed that ice should be applied to burns; only 51.02% parents knew that cool water should be run over burns. Logistic regression analysis showed that non-Saudi nationality and previous FA experience were significant predictors of willingness to attend FA courses (p = 0.045 and p = 0.012, respectively). Barriers to FA knowledge included underestimation of the problem (39.3%) and lack of information from healthcare personnel (28.1%). Preferred methods for gaining FA knowledge were inclusion of FA in educational curricula (59.7%) and programs in primary healthcare centers (19.5%).ConclusionThere are significant gaps in parental knowledge regarding FA for children in Saudi Arabia. These gaps need to be addressed through structured educational programs and accessible resources in order to enhance preparedness for pediatric emergencies among parents. Recommendations include implementation of FA training programs, integration of FA into school curricula, development of educational materials in Arabic, and promotion of mandatory FA training during prenatal and postnatal care visits

Severe depression and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in Scotland: a 20-year national cohort study

BackgroundUnderstanding cause of death in people with depression could inform approaches to reducing premature mortality.AimTo describe all-cause and cause-specific mortality for people with severe depression in Scotland, by sex, relative to the general population.MethodWe performed a retrospective cohort study, using psychiatric hospital admission data linked to death data, to identify adults (≥18 years old) with severe depression and ascertain cause-specific deaths, during 2000–2019. We estimated relative all-cause and cause-specific mortality for people with severe depression using standardised mortality ratios (SMRs), stratified by sex using the whole Scottish population as the standard.ResultsOf 28 808 people with severe depression, 7903 (27.4%) died during a median follow-up of 8.7 years. All-cause relative mortality was over three times higher than expected (SMR, both sexes combined: 3.26, 95% CI 3.19–3.34). Circulatory disease was the leading cause of death, and, among natural causes of death, excess relative mortality was highest for circulatory diseases (SMR 2.51, 2.40–2.66), respiratory diseases (SMR 3.79, 3.56–4.01) and ‘other’ causes (SMR 4.10, 3.89–4.30). Among circulatory disease subtypes, excess death was highest for cerebrovascular disease. Both males and females with severe depression had higher all-cause and cause-specific mortality than the general population. Suicide had the highest SMR among both males (SMR 12.44, 95% CI 11.33–13.54) and females (22.86, 95% CI 20.35–25.36).ConclusionPeople with severe depression have markedly higher all-cause mortality than the general population in Scotland, with relative mortality varying by cause of death. Effective interventions are needed to reduce premature mortality for people with severe depression.<br/

Knowledge and Skills of Special Education Teachers in Implementing Evidence-Based Practices

This study aimed at knowing the reality of special education teachers’ knowledge and skills in implementing evidence-based practices, the factors contributing to this knowledge, and its impact on implementing these practices. The mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was used with its two phases: In the quantitative phase, a descriptive survey was used through a questionnaire that was distributed to (311) male and female teachers in the three school levels in Riyadh. Results showed that the teachers’ knowledge of evidence-based practices was medium. However, the results revealed that their implementation skills level of evidence-based practices was low. There were statistically significant differences in the responses about the knowledge and skills of special education teachers in applying evidence-based practices according to the variable of gender in favor of females, academic degree in favor of postgraduate, and training courses in favor of those who attended training courses. In the qualitative phase, data was collected by interviewing five teachers. The results showed that the motives towards knowledge of evidence-based practices were motivation and openness, while the hindrances were modernity and lack of confidence in research. A number of recommendations were presented, most importantly, the need for knowledge support for teachers through postgraduate courses and professionalization, supporting research, and emphasizing the skills necessary for implementing them. Keywords: Special education, evidence-based practices, knowledge, skills, educational programs

Modeling the factors influencing secondary students' performance in stem subjects

STEM education plays a key role in influencing and orienting students' interests towards STEM fields and careers. This influence is multifaceted, involving not only STEM content and experiences but also teachers, schools, and personal factors. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors impacting the academic performance of 951 tenth grade students in STEM subjects (physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and information technologies) who are attending public and private schools in two provinces of Turkey. Using a correlational research model, the study assessed how students' personal characteristics, teacher effectiveness and school characteristics affect achievement in STEM courses. Data were collected using the 'Factors Affecting STEM Achievement Questionnaire (FA-STEM-A)', a 20-item questionnaire divided into three sub-dimensions. Analyses focused on the relationships between student characteristics, teaching quality, school infrastructure and STEM performance. Structural equation modelling revealed that positive student characteristics, especially fondness for STEM subjects and confidence in STEM abilities, moderately increase achievement. In contrast, negative factors attributed to teachers and schools, such as inadequate classroom activities, lack of educator expertise, inadequate technological resources, and large class sizes, hindered student performance. These findings emphasize the important influence of both inherent student qualities and external educational conditions in determining STEM education.Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia [PNURSP2024R583]The authors express their gratitude to Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2024R583) , Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

An evaluation of postnatal depression among women in Kuwait: findings from a web-based survey

OBJECTIVE: To measure the prevalence and associated factors, and experience of women about screening for postnatal depression in Kuwait. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in which a sample 158 women who had recently attended obstetric clinics in Kuwait during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait was included. Data were collected during January 2021 to the last week of May 2021 using a validated questionnaire comprising of two parts, sociodemographic part also including questions about COVID-19, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The questionnaire was distributed through healthcare providers to the eligible women who had recently given birth in Kuwait. Women were also snowballed through those who answered the questionnaire. The statistical significance of observed differences between variables was analyzed using the Chi-squared test. RESULTS: Postnatal depression was found in 31 (19.6%), highly possible in 23 (14.6%), and probable in 52 (32.9%) women in our study. A large proportion of the women (105 or 66.5%) said that they were not aware of a screening process for postnatal depression, whereas only 5.7% said that they had been screened for it. In the sample, 97 (65.1%) women who were not screened had Postnatal depression (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: Maternal postnatal depression was high in Kuwaiti women who were either in their third trimester or had just given birth to a baby. The lack of awareness about the screening process and extremely low levels of screening for postnatal depression indicates the need to improve these women’s access to adequate screening services around pregnancy

The Benefit of Health Education Among Population, and the Role of Pharmacist, Nurses and Physicians in Health Education

Education on health and health promotion are two processes that are intertwined and may overlap with one another. The process of defining messages that are intended to enable individuals to take greater control over and improve their own health is referred to as health education. The first thing that has to be done in order to begin the process is to get an understanding of the fundamental cause of the disease process that is considered. There is a significant contribution that the collaboration of physicians, pharmacists, and nurses makes to the provision of patient care and education

An addressable packing parameter approach for reversibly tuning the assembly of oligo(aniline)-based supra-amphiphiles

An addressable packing parameter approach was developed for reversibly tuning the self-assembly of oligo(aniline)-based supra-amphiphiles.</p