Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26247471›Full record

ArticlePloS one2015

Khat Chewing Habits in the Population of the Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

Mohamed Salih Mahfouz, Bahaa-eldin E A Rahim, Yahya M H Solan, Anwar M Makeen, Rashad Mohammed Alsanosy

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

33 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Association Between Habitual Khat (Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dentistry · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Hepatitis Associated withJournal of clinical medicine · 2025
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Substance misuse disorder in Saudi Arabia: A comprehensive examination of current demographic patterns, trends, and intervention requirements.Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society · 2024
    Article
  10. Clinicopathological Characteristics, Prognostic Factors, and Treatment Outcomes of Patients with Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated with Glossectomy: A Tertiary Oncology Center Experience.Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery : official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India · 2024
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Factor analysis - Eating patterns among khat chewers.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2022
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Mohamed Salih MahfouzFamily and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; University of Gezira, Gezira State, Wad-Medani, Sudan.
Bahaa-eldin E A RahimPopulation Health Research Unit, Medical Research Center, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Yahya M H SolanDepartment of Primary Healthcare, Ministry of Health, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Anwar M MakeenFamily and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; Population Health Research Unit, Medical Research Center, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Rashad Mohammed AlsanosyFamily and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; Substance Abuse Research Center, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The use of khat (Catha edulis) is a major public health and social problem that is believed to be growing globally. The khat chewing habit is prevalent in all areas of the Jazan region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). However, few studies have been conducted at the community level to investigate the khat chewing habits in this area. This study was conducted with the aim of assessing the prevalence and predictors of khat chewing among the Jazan community population. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample (n = 4,500) of the Jizani population who attended primary heath care centers in Jazan region. The participants were selected using a two-stage cluster random sampling. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The overall lifetime prevalence of khat chewing was 33.2% (95% CI 31.8-34.7) and was significantly higher for males 42.2% (95% CI 40.4-43.9) than for females 11.3% (95% CI 9.6-13.1) (P < 0.001). Current khat chewers accounted for 28.7% (95% CI 27.4-30.1) of the population sampled; 36.9% (95% CI 35.2-38.6) of whom were males, which is a significantly higher percentage than the 8.7% (95% CI 7.3-10.4) of current khat chewers who were females (P < 0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis suggests that the most important independent predictors of khat chewing were having a friend who chewed khat (OR = 20.1, P < 0.001), participant's smoking status (OR) = 3.9, P < 0.001), friend's smoking status (OR = 2.2, P < 0.001), gender (OR = 2.2, P < 0.001) and educational level (OR = 1.5, P < 0.05). A large proportion of the Jizani populations chew khat. Government and non-governmental organizations NGOs should design and strengthen community prevention programs to curb the high prevalence of khat use.

Indexed as

HabitsAdolescentAdultAgedCathaChildCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMasticationMiddle AgedPrevalenceSaudi ArabiaSex Factors

Identifiers

PMID26247471
PMCPMC4527766

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.