A cross-sectional assessment of knowledge, awareness of risk factors, and perceptions of thyroid disease (TD) among adults living in Saudi Arabia - A community based study

Riyadh A Alhazmi; Abdullah M Alobaid; Saqer Mohammed Althunayyan; Wajid Syed; Mahmood Basil A Al-Rawi

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1041745

A cross-sectional assessment of knowledge, awareness of risk factors, and perceptions of thyroid disease (TD) among adults living in Saudi Arabia - A community based study

Front Public Health. 2022 Nov 23:10:1041745. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1041745. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Riyadh A Alhazmi¹, Abdullah M Alobaid², Saqer Mohammed Althunayyan², Wajid Syed³, Mahmood Basil A Al-Rawi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Emergency Medical Service Department, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Trauma and Accident, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Optometry, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: The incidence of thyroid diseases has tripled in the last three decades, and the prevalence is rising rapidly irrespective of gender and genetics. This study aimed to assess the Knowledge, awareness of risk factors, and perceptions of thyroid disease among the Saudi Community in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional, online web-based, survey type study was conducted between November 2021 to January 2022 among residents living in Saudi Arabia. Individuals aged ≥ 18 years who expressed a willingness to complete the survey were included. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were carried out to determine the factors associated with knowledge of thyroid using SPSS version 26.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, U.S.).

Results: Among the participants, the majority of them were females than males (77.5 vs. 22.5%). A total of 78.2% (n = 566) of them were aware of the thyroid. Nearly 44% (n = 312) of respondents are aware that a lump in the neck or swelling is a sign of thyroid disease, followed by pain in the neck 24.6% (n = 178), and difficulty in swallowing 23.8% (n = 172). The mean knowledge score of the thyroid was 4.1 (SD = 3.09), while the score of the mean perception was 33.02 (SD = 6.41). The mean knowledge scores were significantly associated with having previous knowledge of thyroid disease (t = 5.08; p = 0.0001). The gender of the participant and the presence of chronic diseases were found to have no impact on the knowledge score of the thyroid disease (t = -1.18; p = 0.235; t = 1.005; p = 0.315). Additionally, the perceptions score was not significantly associated with the demographics of the participants (p = 0.05).

Conclusion: In this study, Saudi adults reported varying levels of knowledge and perceptions of thyroid disease. Having previous knowledge of the thyroid was significantly associated with the knowledge score. It is necessary to educate people about this rising disease.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; awareness; neck pain; risk factors; thyroid disease; treatment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Risk Factors
Saudi Arabia / epidemiology
Thyroid Diseases* / epidemiology