Publications by authors named "Nora A Althumiri"

Background: Weight regains after bariatric surgery presents a significant challenge to long-term weight management and overall health outcomes. While clinical and surgical factors influencing bariatric outcomes have been extensively reviewed, there remains a notable gap in understanding how behavioral factors-specifically dietary habits, psychological influences, and lifestyle choices-impact long-term weight maintenance. This systematic review addresses this gap, highlighting the unique role of these behavioral factors in sustaining weight loss post-bariatric surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study analyzes trends in obesity prevalence in Saudi Arabia from 2020 to 2023 using data from the Sharik Health Indicators Surveillance System, focusing on health, behavior, and psychological factors in adults living with obesity.
  • - Data from over 92,000 participants showed slight fluctuations in obesity rates, with a peak of 22.2% in 2020 and a low of 21.4% in 2023; participants with obesity had higher fruit and vegetable consumption but engaged less in physical activities and reported more depression and anxiety.
  • - The findings emphasize the need for ongoing health promotion and disease prevention strategies to address the behavioral and socio-economic factors influencing obesity, highlighting the importance of continuous monitoring and research to inform health
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: This study aims to explore the essential competencies, leadership development strategies, skills, values, and personal characteristics required for pharmacists aspiring to leadership positions in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: Semi-structured, in-depth interviews, conducted either in person or via video, were selected to confidentially explore the leadership traits and strategies of pharmacists. The study included twelve pharmacists, consisting of 7 males and 5 females, with varying levels of experience: 3 aspiring leaders, 5 current leaders, and 4 retired leaders.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The study aimed to assess the national attitudes toward individuals with mental health illnesses in Saudi Arabia, exploring the relationship between these attitudes and various sociodemographic factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional design with computer-assisted telephone interviews was employed, covering all 13 administrative regions in Saudi Arabia. A total of 4,533 adults agreed to participate, and their attitudes toward people with mental illnesses (PWMI) were measured using an 11-item scale.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine, for the first time, the mental health literacy of the Saudi general population. Additionally, we aim to identify demographic factors associated with elevated mental health literacy scores.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a phone interview survey with quota sampling was conducted for equal distribution of sexes, age and administrative regions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This research aimed to culturally adapt and validate the MIAS scale for Arabic-speaking individuals within the Saudi Arabian general population, with an emphasis on cultural, societal, and individual nuances.

Methods: An initial pilot testing with a small group ensured the scale's clarity. Subsequently, two cross-sectional studies involving 189 participants to assess structural validity of the Arabic MIAS scale, and 38 participants to assess the test-retest reliability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There is a paucity of research dedicated to exploring behavioral change in patients following bariatric surgery. However, there is a need for comparison analysis of individuals with obesity who have received surgical treatment and those who have not opted for any surgical procedures for weight loss. This study is designed to scrutinize the lifestyle choices, behavioral patterns, psychological elements, and eating habits of individuals who have undergone bariatric surgery, in contrast to those with obesity who have not undergone such a procedure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The consumption of soft and energy drinks poses a significant risk for non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. Studies in Saudi Arabia have reported elevated consumption of soft/energy drinks, but nation-wide data is not available. Therefore, this study aims to explore the prevalence of soft and energy drinks consumption and its associated factors among a representative sample of Saudi adults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study aimed to validate the Arabic Version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (Arabic-MHLS) among the Saudi Arabian general population, assessing its internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and structural validity.

Methods: A total of 700 Arabic-speaking Saudi adults were randomly selected to complete the electronic questionnaire in May 2023, which generated 544 participants. Data were coded and stored in the ZdataCloud research data collection system database.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Sexual health is a necessary part of any society because it significantly influences the quality of life. Women's knowledge regarding STIs and safe sex practices in Saudi Arabia has not been thoroughly investigated; therefore, this study aims to investigate and measure the knowledge and the determinants of sexual health and STIs among women in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This study is a nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted through phone interviews in Saudi Arabia in 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The aim of this research is to perform a comparative examination of lifestyle habits and dietary consumption between obese and non-obese subjects who have undergone bariatric surgery. This is done with the intent of investigating the disparities in obesity outcomes attributable to these elements.

Method: This study involves a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data obtained from the Sharik Diet and Health National Survey (SDHNS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between nine social media platforms use and health-related behavior, including fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, tobacco use, and risk factors including depression and obesity.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from the Sharik Health Indicators Surveillance System (SHISS). Participants 18 years and older were recruited via phone-interviews.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There is still paucity on the effects of dietary and supplemental fatty acid on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this review is to systematically review and summarise the effect of fatty acids intake on liver-related outcomes in adult patients with NAFLD.

Methods: The review was conducted using Cochrane CENTRAL Library, Scopus, Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Web of Science.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Saudi population is at high risk of multimorbidity. The risk of these morbidities can be reduced by identifying common modifiable behavioural risk factors. This study uses statistical and machine learning methods to predict factors for multimorbidity in the Saudi population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Mental 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.

Methods: A 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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Hypercholesterolemia (HC) is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of death worldwide. Many factors can contribute to HC, including advanced age, chronic diseases (such as diabetes and nephrotic syndrome), and the use of certain medications.

Aim: Our goal was to compare the sociodemographic, behavioral, and other comorbid conditions of adult participants living with HC in Saudi Arabia to the general population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Periodontal disease is associated with other non-communicable diseases including diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis, hypertension, and respiratory tract infections. This association merits careful study of the general population's awareness level in order to leverage the current state of science to improve general health and quality of life. This study included 502 residents of Saudi Arabia who received computer-assisted interviews to fill up the survey.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Public health surveillance systems should be evaluated periodically, and the evaluation should include recommendations for improving the system's quality and efficiency. Each surveillance system may have a unique situation in which evaluating its quality depends on its methodology, aims, and other factors, such as the frequency of repeating the survey in the case of survey-based surveillance.

Objective: As the consistency of the surveillance system to capture demographic data and its sensitivity to monitor the intended health-related event are important indicators of the quality of the surveillance system, the aim of this article is to evaluate the Saudi Arabia Mental Health Surveillance System (MHSS) in terms of consistency and sensitivity via the scientific hypothesis testing process.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Bariatric surgery is known as the most effective treatment resulting in long-term weight loss for obesity. However, behavioral changes, including food preference, food allergies, and consumption, between groups of patients who underwent bariatric surgery in comparison with people who did not have bariatric surgery have not been fully discussed in the literature.

Objective: The aim of this article is to describe patient-reported changes of perception related to food preferences, consumption, and food allergies in participants who underwent bariatric surgery and to compare their food consumption with participants who did not have bariatric surgery in Saudi Arabia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Obesity affects more than one-quarter of adults in Saudi Arabia and is on the rise. A significant proportion of overweight and obese individuals misperceive their weight, and this misperception can affect their likelihood to exercise, consume healthy foods, or change unhealthy dietary habits. This study examines the prevalence of weight misperceptions in a national sample of Saudi adults and explores weight misperception association with sociodemographic factors, behavioral factors, and health status.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Weight stigma (WS) in the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia, is widely ignored. People with obesity are blamed for their weight, and there is a common perception that weight stigmatization is justifiable and may motivate individuals to adopt healthier behaviors. The authors of this study aimed to explore WS prevalence and factors associated with WS in a large nationwide study of Saudi Arabian adults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Although some studies have explored the effects of responses to COVID-19 on mortality, there are limited data on their effects on more immediate health risk factors and the trends of chronic diseases.

Objective: To explore the prevalence of some behavioral health risk factors, intermediate risk factors, and chronic diseases at different timepoints during 2020 using the data available from a currently used surveillance system in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This study undertook a secondary analysis of data from the Sharik Health Indicators Surveillance System (SHISS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations' mental health has started to emerge. : To describe the mental health trends of the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) between May and August 2020. It also compares the results with pre-COVID-19 results and identifies risk factors associated with increased likelihood of being at risk of MDD and GAD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF