Vaccination has a major role in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. The behavior toward accepting the COVID-19 vaccine is complex and multifactorial, while the level of acceptance and hesitancy depends on many factors. This study aims to measure the level of vaccine acceptance among Jazan University students and identify its predictors. In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire based on the health belief model (HBM) was sent through social media “WhatsApp” to two strata of students selected by convenient sampling. The overall desire to get vaccinated was noted in 83.6% of participants, and 16.4% reported no desire to be vaccinated. The constructs of the HBM were shown to significantly predict vaccine acceptance with the exception of “perceived susceptibility”. In conclusion, the level of acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among Jazan University students was relatively high. The HBM constructs are important predictors of the vaccination behavior with the exception of the construct “perceived susceptibility”.

Diabetes is an important global health concern. According to the World Health Organization, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has 2.8 to 4.3 million diabetic patients between the ages of 27 to 60 in the year 2022. Medical nutrition therapy an essential component of diabetes management, helps improve diabetes outcomes by assisting patients in achieving a target glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of <7. This study aimed to describe the pattern of food consumption in the study population and determine its association with glycemic control. This was a cross-sectional study among health facility attendees at the Endocrinology and Diabetes Center (EDC) in Jazan, KSA. A total of 315 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) were enrolled using a systematic random sampling technique. Sociodemographic and dietary habit information gathered through face-to-face interviews, anthropometric measurements, and HbA1c were collected from medical records. Participants were mostly females (55.6%), and more than half of them were above 50 years of age. More than 90% of the patients had poor HbA1c levels, and 2-thirds of the patients were overweight and obese (43.8% and 37.1%, respectively). The most consumed foods were bread (8 times/week) and coffee/tea and vegetables (7 times per week), and the least consumed was soda beverages (once/week). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that the consumption of fruits (consumed 5 times/week) significantly decreased HbA1c, while the consumption of pastries/pizza (consumed twice/week) significantly increased it. The pattern of consumption of fruits and vegetables in the study population conformed to the recommended levels, and that of fruits showed a statistically significant association with the control of HbA1c. Another food item that has a significant negative effect on HbA1c is pastries/pizza. Further studies that include more potentially confounding variables, such as treatment type, are needed.