Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease that mainly affects elderly due to over use of joints. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge of OA among Saudi adults in region of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted during the period January-August 2021 in Tabuk city, Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was given to participants to evaluate their understanding of OA. The questionnaire included questions about demographic information, basic knowledge of the disease, attitudes toward the disease and patterns of practice.
Results: The questionnaire had 420 respondents. Around 80.5% were females. The participants were aged 18 and above, with 43.1% belonging to the 18- to 24-year-old age group, 16.4% were between 35 and 44 years old, 15.2% were from 25 to 34 years old, and the remaining 12.4% and 12.9% were from 45 to 55 and 55 and above age groups, respectively. The mean knowledge score was 8.03 (SD = 2.1, range = 0-13), which indicated an average knowledge. The mean score of attitude was 29.8 (SD = 4.6, range = 15-40), which indicated a good attitude. The mean score for practice was 7.3 (SD = 1.0, range = 3-8), which indicated a very good practice.
Conclusion: In general, the study showed that the knowledge of Tabuk population was average which indicated a need for further education of the public.
Key words: Osteoarthritis, Tabuk, knowledge, practice, attitude, rheumatology
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