Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Glasgow, 2007. / Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Faculty of Law, Business and Social Sciences, Department of Management, University of Glasgow, 2007. Includes bibliographical references. Print version also available.

Parents are historically the decision makers related to vaccinations with infants and children. Over the past few years, healthcare providers have been facing a growing number of parents who are questioning the safety and the need for routine vaccinations. Studies conducted in Saudi Arabia revealed that not all Saudi-born parents support childhood vaccination and eventually delay their children vaccination. Understanding the cultural influences on parents in Saudi Arabia about the adherence to childhood vaccination program is crucial for health and safety of the whole society. The purpose of this study was to explore experiences of Saudi-born parents who have delayed vaccinations for their children prior to school age. Through a Heideggerian hermeneutic interpretive phenomenological method and the lens of caring theory, this research sought to uncover the essence of Saudi-born parents’ lived experiences where they were allowed to speak and provide their perspectives in their own words. Leininger’s Culture Care Diversity and Universality Theory was used as the theoretical framework guiding this study. Leininger’s Sunrise Enabler-Model provided a framework for assessing the sociocultural aspects of Saudi-born parents that may have influence the vaccine delays for their children. The nine participants provided a rich and thick description of the phenomenon in this study from which three essential themes emerged. The three essential themes were: 1) struggling with barriers, 2) seeking vaccine information (Formal and Informal) and their influence on participants’ decision, and 3) hesitating to vaccinate. Study findings explored cultural factors such as knowledge, access to healthcare centers, work responsibilities, and social media that influenced vaccinating children prior to school in Saudi Arabia. Greater understanding of delays in child vaccination by Saudiborn parents equips nurses in addressing cultural perspectives to reduce communicable diseases amongst children. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The aim of this study was to investigate the vitamin B-6 status of Saudi adult males and compare the status between rural and urban subjects. Fifty-one adult male subjects were recruited from urban (n=31) and rural (n=20) populations of Riyadh. These subjects were reclassified to cigarette smokers (n=19), water pipe smokers (n=5) and non-smokers (n=27). The study also investigated the intake of macronutrients and selected micronutrients. In addition, the study investigated other health indicators including Body Mass Index (BMI), hematocrit, hemoglobin, plasma alkaline phosphatase activity and albumin concentration, urinary creatinine and urea nitrogen excretion. The mean of vitamin B-6 intake, B-6 to protein ratio, plasma pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) concentration and urinary 4-PA excretion in urban group were 2.18 ± 0.62 mg/day, 0.022 ± 0.008 mg/g, 39.3 ± 18.0 nmol/L and 4.6 ± 2.3 μmol/day, respectively. In rural group, these measures were 2.15 ± 0.65 mg/day, 0.021 ± 0.004 mg/g, 40.5 ± 14.6 nmol/L and 4.4 ± 2.3 (μmol/day, respectively. These measures indicated adequate status with no significant difference between the two groups. The mean intake of calcium, folate, vitamin D, zinc and dietary fiber was lower than recommendation of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) in both groups. Health indicators were within normal range except for BMI, which indicated a prevalence of overweight and obesity in both urban (27.1 ± 5.5 Kg/m²) and rural (28.2 ± 6.0 Kg/m²) subjects. Comparison of the three smoking groups showed that the water pipe smokers compared to cigarette smokers and non-smokers groups had significantly higher mean intake of vitamin B-6 (2.51 ± 0.73 mg/day), which resulted in higher concentrations of plasma PLP, pyridoxal (PL), red blood cells PLP and urinary 4-PA (54.9 ± 23.1 nmol/L, 21.5 ± 10.0 nmol/L, 33.7 ± 8.5 nmol/L and 6.9 ± 4.7 μmol/day, respectively). Cigarette smokers had significantly lower concentration of plasma PLP (30.9 ± 12.5 nmol/L) compared to non-smokers (40.0 ± 12.9 nmol/L) without a significant difference in vitamin B-6 intake. Hematocrit and hemoglobin were significantly higher in smokers (50 ± 3% and 167 ± 11 g/L, respectively) compared to non-smokers (48 ± 3% and 160 ± 9 g/L, respectively). The results of this study suggest that vitamin B-6 status of adult males in Riyadh is adequate with no urban vs. rural variation. / Graduation date: 2004