Assessment of knowledge and awareness regarding plantar fasciitis among the Qassim population: a cross-sectional observational study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate and assess the knowledge and awareness about plantar fasciitis (PF) among the Qassim population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the general population who lived in the province of Qassim, Saudi Arabia, through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 859 participants were included in this study. Females (50.6%) were slightly more in number than males (49.4%). Most participants were aged 15‒24 years (31.4%), while the age group older than 55 years contained the least participants (7%). Most participants (67.4%) had college degree. Regarding nationality, 833 (97%) were Saudis. When participants were asked about their location, the most common area was Buraydah (52.9%). The results indicated that there was a moderately poor level of awareness among the participants. There was a statistically significant difference between the level of education and awareness. There were no statistically significant differences between other variables (gender, age, nationality, and address) and awareness. Conclusion: Overall this study found that knowledge and awareness of PF was poor in the general population despite the commonness of the disease. It was noticed that there is obvious confusion about the disease and its diagnosis.