Determining the Knowledge about Hazards of Heat Exposure and Prevalence of Heat Illnesses among Elderly and pregnant pilgrims attending primary health care Center, Makkah Al-Mokarrama, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

  Background

       Hajj, annually hosted by Saudi Arabia, every year 3-5 million pilgrims with different background and most of them are elderly also pregnant pilgrims from 184 countries in the world congregate in the holy place ‘Haram’ at Makkah in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. During the pilgrimage, they come across a great deal of rough and tough environment, physical hassle and mental stress. Due to the hardship of travel, fluctuation of weather, continuous walking during religious rites at specific time and sites, many pilgrims injury, feel tired, sick, exhausted, heat exposure and heat Illnesses. These may also create complications and overburden the physiological functions including heart, chest, abdominal, and kidney of those who suffer from chronic diseases. Besides the problem of the diseases also found dental inflammation and the appearance of toothache and infections could cause some other significant problems, it should be borne in mind that this figure included elderly hajis that wished to die in the holy cities as well as pregnant mothers and newborn infants.

Aim of the study: To determine the Knowledge about Hazards of Heat Exposure and Prevalence of Heat Illnesses among Elderly and pregnant pilgrims attending primary health care Center, Makkah Al-Mokarrama, Saudi Arabia 2022.

Methods: Across sectional descriptive study conducted among pilgrims who attending at primary Health care Center Makkah city during  July, 2022 to October 2022 Hajj 2022,  Our total Sample size of pilgrims participants were (700)

Results: show distribution of the relation of participant to knowledge about Hazards of Heat Exposure and Prevalence of Heat Illnesses regarding the knowledge the most of participants average knowledge were (45.0%)  followed by weak were (34.0%) but high were (21.0%)  and total were (100.0%) while heave a significant relation were P-value <0.001 and X² 60.62, regarding the score Mean+ SD (9.44±3.254), while Range (5-15).

Conclusion: Both hazards of heat exposure, heat Illnesses, communicable and non-communicable health issues are the most common health problems encountered by pilgrims during Hajj, especially elderly and pregnant pilgrims, need necessity of new research's to find solutions to pilgrims’ health problems during Hajj.