Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices regarding Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Saudi Arabia Community in 2017

Abstract

Background: Despite the improvements in the health care education of management in KSA, the prevalence of tuberculosis remains alarming. Objectives: Evaluation of the knowledge, attitude and practice among Saudi population regarding pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: A multi-center community cross sectional study was assessed among random sample of 2056 adult Saudi subjects from different regions in KSA. All participants filled out a questionnaire that included questions about demographics, awareness, attitude and practice about pulmonary tuberculosis. Results: Most of participants (76.8%) had general knowledge about TB disease and only 23.2% haven’t heard about TB before. The majority of Saudi adult (74.9%) have inadequate knowledge about TB and only 25.1% have good knowledge regarding TB. The attitude of respondents about TB was negative among most of them while most of participants had a good practice level but it needs to be increased. There was a significant association between young age and high educational degree with good knowledge about TB. Conclusion: KAP of Saudi population toward TB seems to be facing some challenges in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The awareness, attitude and practice need to be significantly evaluated in different studies to improve control policies for reducing the disease incidence in our society. The prevention of TB and management are based on good knowledge and education of Saudi population thus the health authorities should intensify efforts and arranging specific educational programs about the disease and the consequences of spreading infection among large sector of the population . Also, means of discovery, medication should receive special attention by the governmental medical authorities.