Road traffic crashes represent a substantial global public health issue. In Saudi Arabia, which is the focus area of this research, road traffic crashes kill over 130,000 people annually, accounting for almost 5% of deaths in that country. A cross-sectional study with 316 participants holding a valid Saudi driver’s license was conducted via the internet from December 2019 to March 2020 to collect information about the prevalence of risky driving habits among Saudi drivers. The sample was predominantly men and aged between 20 and 39, which is representative of the population of drivers in Saudi Arabia. Drivers generally reported engaging in safe behaviors, although they did state that they drove above the legal speed limit, drove aggressively around slow drivers, and became distracted while driving with some frequency. Multivariate analyses suggested men took more risks than women and younger drivers took more risks than older ones. We conclude that the behavior among drivers in Saudi Arabia generally matches those in other cultures and countries, with men and young adults taking the most risks while driving. Preventative strategies should be developed and implemented in Saudi Arabia.

Bulimia nervosa is characterized by disturbed body image, repetitive binge eating, and compensatory behaviours such as self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, or fasting. Body image dissatisfaction and eating disordered behaviours (e.g. food restriction, purging, and binge eating) can affect men and women of varied ages, races, and cultural backgrounds. Body dissatisfaction is defined as a negative subjective evaluation of the weight and shape of one’s own body. Body dissatisfaction predicts the onset, severity, and treatment outcomes of eating disorders. A core component of body dissatisfaction is appearance-based social comparisons. In this context a study on self-perception of body image of women in Riyadh in 2018 revealed that a sudden spurt in obesity after marriage is leading to shift of higher percentage of women from positive to negative perception. Overall, an underestimation of body weight in terms of BMI was found among the participants. Such misconceptions should be addressed in view of the high obesity prevalence. It was also evident that positive and negative body image perception will lead to eating disorders in adolescents.

Purpose: This study compared the most used sources of information by caregivers for scheduled childhood vaccination in Saudi Arabia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the effect of this decision-making. Methods: An electronic survey was administered to 577 caregivers of children aged ≤ 2 years residing in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic curfew. The sources of information on childhood vaccination considered by the caregivers and their influence on the caregivers’ decision to delay scheduled vaccination were assessed and statistically analyzed. Results: Most participants (90.8%) were mothers aged 32.6 ± 5.7 years. Before the pandemic, most caregivers sought information about children’s vaccinations personally from the healthcare workers, or trustworthy sources, including the Ministry of Health (MOH), MOH call center 937, and MOH Sehha app. However, during the pandemic, there was a noticeable decrease in the searches for health information through professional consultations (in person and health websites) and a significant increase in the use of social media platforms. Twitter was the most used platform (29.9%) and the use of Snapchat was significantly higher during the lockdown period compared to its use before the pandemic (21.9% vs 17.2%, P < 0.001). The use of social media not only increased the level of fear among the caregivers but also had a negative effect on their decisions about children’s vaccinations. Searches on YouTube and Facebook particularly increased the odds of delaying vaccinations by 2.63 times (P = 0.008) and 3.66 times (P = 0.025), respectively. Conclusion: During the pandemic, caregivers’ health-information seeking behavior was directed towards social media networking. In Saudi Arabia, YouTube and Facebook, in particular, played an important role in the caregivers’ decision-making about childhood vaccinations. The results of this survey provide valuable information on how to reach the Saudi population and launch an effective awareness campaign using the most commonly accessed and influential sources of information.

Background: In light of the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, individuals’ access to and use of health information are transforming. ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, provides immediate responses to health queries, with the potential to influence health-related attitudes, thereby raising concerns related to privacy, reliability, and security. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the perceived usefulness, risks, anxiety, and social influence of ChatGPT on health attitudes among users and nonusers in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey based on a validated tool. In total, 337 participants aged 18 years and older responded to questions assessing their perceptions of ChatGPT on health-related attitudes. Results: Data showed that 76.1% (194/255) of the respondents used ChatGPT, with the majority being younger and more highly educated. The main uses for health-related purposes were health education (43/194, 22.2%) and physical activity guidance (31/194, 16%). The analysis showed that users considered ChatGPT useful for health-related decisions, with 45.9% (89/194) finding it easy to learn and use, but concerns about privacy (106/194, 54.7%) and reliability (87/194, 44.9%) remained. Among nonusers, security risks ( 63.9%) were the major barrier to using AI-based tools for health purposes, and 68.9% (61) found such tools attractive and engaging. There were no statistically significant differences between users and nonusers across all examined sociodemographic characteristics ( P >.05). Conclusions: The study established the potential of ChatGPT in improving health decision-making and revealed cultural, privacy, and trust issues that may affect its implementation. These findings underscore the importance of strengthening the security of AI-based applications to enhance public acceptability of related health policies and to support the safe integration of tools such as ChatGPT into the health care system.

Patient compliance following periodontal therapy is extremely important in predicting the prognosis of the disease and maintaining treatment outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the perception of periodontitis patients about treatment outcomes. A cross-sectional study was conducted among periodontitis patients in a single dental center through a pre-validated questionnaire that was distributed to each participant in the waiting area of periodontal clinics by utilizing a convenience sampling technique. Median and interquartile ranges were used in addition to frequency and percentages. Bivariate analyses were performed using the Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis test. Among the 300 male and female participants, the median score (interquartile range) of the current level of pain revealed that males experienced more pain than females, with a median score of 5 (0–7) for males and 4 (0–6) for women. However, the median (interquartile range) for desired and expected pain levels in both genders was 0 (0–1), 0 (0–4). There were significant differences in median score ratings between males and females for expected, distress, success, and importance levels (p-value < 0.05). Patients with periodontitis provided valuable insights into the experiences of individuals undergoing treatment for periodontal disease, indicating overall patient satisfaction with the expected levels of periodontal outcomes.

Background: One Health (OH) integrates human, animal, and environmental health to address complex public health threats. This review aims to reflect on OH research activities in Saudi Arabia, identify gaps, and outline strategic requirements for human, animal, and environmental health that are crucial to addressing global health challenges across nations. Methods: Seven electronic databases were searched for published studies between 1983 and 2024 that addressed human-animal-environment health interventions in Saudi Arabia. Studies included empirical, surveillance reports, and public health initiatives with overt intersectoral interests. The data were thematically coded, and bibliometric mapping was performed using VOSviewer and Tableau. Result: A total of 115 studies met the eligibility criteria. Most of the publications concerned human health, while environmental health was the least represented sector. The most common OH topics were zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), vector-borne diseases, and food safety. Since 2015, the common operations have been genomic diagnostics, geographic information system (GIS) mapping, and multisectoral surveillance methods. The majority of the study's findings stated that implementation challenges arise from disjointed surveillance, governance, and coordination. Conclusion: The paper presents a systematic compilation of the development of OH research in Saudi Arabia, defining the sectors involved, shifts in activity, and gaps in the system over the four-decade period. The review combines thematic, methodological, and governance approaches and goes beyond traditional disease-based research to address pragmatic priorities in multisectoral surveillance, universal integration, and preparedness. The derived results provide policy-relevant information for reinforcing OH delivery across Saudi Arabia and the neighbouring region.