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Background: Social phobia is quite a common disorder, with frequent severe alteration of social adaptation and quality of life. It seems important to find the prevalence of social phobia among the young university students at King Khalid University and explore the associated sociodemographic variables, family characteristics and risk factors. The factors identified may help in primary and secondary prevention of social phobia and improve the quality of life of young students considered to be the future of any community. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 550 students at the College of Education at King Khalid University during the academic year 2016-2017. The personal characteristics questionnaire, the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), and the Social Phobia Risk Factors Questionnaire (SPRFQ) were used in this study. Results: The highest prevalence of social phobia was recorded in younger age (33.8%) and students leaving alone (30.5%). In relation to family characteristics, a higher prevalence was found among students who lost both parents (100.0%), those with separated parents (70.3%), and students with big family size (64.1%). At the same time, the lower prevalence was recorded in students with educated fathers and mothers, fathers with a professional job and employed mother. The risk factors associated with social phobia were identified as; fathers having mental disorders (100.0 %), a problem within a family and between parents, firstborn child, a student with shyness, those socially withdrawn, restrained and students with fear or anxiety. Conclusion: The prevalence of social anxiety disorder among students at King Khalid University at Abha is high. Most of the risk factors identified were modifiable, and effective community-based awareness programs may improve mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some countries were previously struggling with inadequate medical waste management and have been now hit hard by an unexpected boost in the volume of biomedical waste due to the new coronavirus pandemic. In this context, we sought to evaluate the KAP (Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice) of the healthcare workers who dealt with biomedical waste, including COVID-19 waste, and its management in Aseer Region of Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study was conducted among Healthcare Workers in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia (13 governorates), the study conducted during a 3-months period, using an online self-designed questionnaire by convenience sampling. Data was analyzed by using statistical software IBM SPSS version 26. More than half were males (59.1%) and 44.7% were aged 18-29 years. The mean (±standard deviation) score for overall knowledge (0-15) was 11.42 (±4.33), and 5.62 (±3.96) for overall practice. The majority agreed that the prevention of hospital-acquired infection is one of their important tasks. A total of 176 responded that they reused masks. Half of the HCWs (55.1%) stated that the hospital surfaces/equipment was being properly disinfected in their institution. Participants reported the use of gloves (84.2%), gown (71.2%), eye protection (56.9%), and N-95 Mask (51.3%) while handling BMWs. This study draws the attention of the concerned governments and local administrative levels for thorough implementation of the commanded policies with the reach of overall enhancement in the BMW segregation and management in everyday practice, which will be of tremendous assistance yet after the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]