Saudi patient knowledge and awareness regarding smoking as a risk factor for urological diseases

Urol Ann. 2022 Jan-Mar;14(1):67-72. doi: 10.4103/UA.UA_92_20. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Abstract

Aim: Our aim was to evaluate Saudi patient knowledge and awareness regarding smoking as a risk factor for bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Settings and design: This quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted across three major tertiary hospitals in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia.

Material and methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 539 patients in the urology outpatient clinic.

Statistical analysis: Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Studies 21.0. For descriptive statistics, the frequency was calculated for all study variables. Chi-squared test was used for categorical variables. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 539 urological patients completed the questionnaire. There were 460 (85.4%) male and 79 (14.6%) female respondents. Only 60.9%, 41.2%, and 36.9% of participants were aware that smoking was a risk factor for ED, kidney cancer, and bladder cancer, respectively.

Conclusions: The knowledge and awareness were low among urological patients regarding smoking as a risk factor for urological diseases.

Keywords: Bladder cancer; Saudi Arabia; erectile dysfunction; knowledge and awareness; smoking.