Awareness and Perception of Anti-obesity Medications Among Al-Ahsaa, Riyadh, and Hail in Saudi Arabia Populations.

Abstract

Obesity is the most prevalent medical disease afflicting low-, middle-, and high-income nations. Hence, the use of anti-obesity drugs is gaining popularity as an adjuvant treatment for this medical condition, along with diet and lifestyle modifications. Different medications have been approved for the treatment of obesity. So, it is of the utmost importance to know the community's perception and awareness on that matter. An analytical, cross-sectional study design was adopted for this study. The data was collected by distributing an electronic questionnaire to adult males and females aged between 18 and 60 years living in Hail, Riyadh, and Al-Ahsaa, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first section dealt with demographic data; the second section included items for measuring the awareness and general perception of anti-obesity medications; and the last section included one item used to recognize the reasons for refusing to take anti-obesity medications. A total of 1073 participants from Al-Ahsaa, Hail, and Riyadh completed the questionnaire. Out of the total, 55.6% had an overall good awareness level about anti-obesity medications. Regarding information about the drugs, 77.6% think that there is a certain body mass index (BMI) that allows the use of these medications; 31.4% reported a BMI of > 40. In addition, most participants think that these drugs can make them lose 3-8 kg per year. However, 69.3% and 64.5% think that anti-obesity drugs increase the risk of pancreatitis and thyroid tumors, respectively. Lastly, factors that are associated with a good overall awareness level are: females, participants living in Riyadh, post-graduate degrees, and work in the health care field. The overall awareness of anti-obesity drugs was good, particularly in Riyadh, the kingdom's capital. However, the majority of the individuals who had low awareness of these medications would not take them if their doctors prescribed them, mainly due to their concern about the treatment's side effects.