Public knowledge, attitude, and practice towards Helicobacter pylori infection in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed Saudi Arabia\'s general public knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours about H. pylori infection. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August' 2023 and included 1,164 participants of the Saudi population. Data for the study were gathered through the utilization of a well-structured questionnaire. Results: Almost 703 participants (60.4%) had good knowledge of H. Pylori, while 461 (39.6%) had poor knowledge. Two factors were found to be significantly associated with knowledge including age (P=0.001) and regional differences (P=0.001). Around 66.7% participants aged 46-50 years and 75% from the Northern region demonstrated a good knowledge. Family and friends were the participants\' most common source of information (34.4%), while mass media was the least used source (3.9%). Conclusion: Most participants had a reasonable understanding of the H. pylori infection. Nonetheless, there were some knowledge gaps among certain regions. The study findings highlighted the importance of implementing targeted education programs to address the identified knowledge gaps.