Abstract

Background: Rheumatic heart diseases (RHD) are significant public health concerns worldwide. The present study aimed at assessing the level of parents’ knowledge regarding RHD and its predisposing factors in Saudi Arabia and comparing the knowledge of RHD among different genders, age groups, levels of education, and occupation of the parents.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and parents’ knowledge toward RHD in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.
Results: A total of 430 respondents were enrolled in the study; about 297 (69.1%) were females and 133 (30.9%) were males. The overall knowledge level of parents about RHD was moderate, with 179 (41.6%) of parents having a good knowledge level and 251 (58.4%) having a poor level of knowledge. The mean knowledge score was 5.85 (SD ± 2.26) out of 10. Prior history of sore throat was reported in 332 (77.2%) participants most of them treated the sore throat with antibiotics (74.8%) while 38 (9.8%) used traditional herbs and 22 (5.7%) treated it with salt. There was a significant association between the level of knowledge about RHD and age (p = 0.000).
Conclusions: The present study found moderate overall knowledge level among parents toward RHD. About two-fifths of parents had a good knowledge level and more than half of parents had poor knowledge. The level of knowledge about RHD was significantly associated with age, occupation, and region of residence.

Key words: Parents, knowledge, attitude, rheumatic heart disease, knowledge of parents toward RHD