Background and Aims:
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative disease of the knee joint and can cause severe disability. Successful preventive methods depend on a high level of awareness among the general population. Therefore, the current study investigates the awareness about the knee OA among the general population in the Hail region of Saudi Arabia.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Hail region of Saudi Arabia. A total of 268 participants were included in the final survey analysis. A 36-item, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data to measure the knowledge level of the participants regarding OA of the knee. Descriptive analysis, an unpaired sample t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were con¬ducted. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate the demographic variable associated with the total knowledge level.
Results:
Of 268 participants, 61.2 % had a high level of knowledge about OA of the knee. The regression analysis revealed that being female was associated with a higher total knowledge level and that being unemployed was associated with a lower total knowledge level.
Conclusions:
The present study revealed that people have a satisfactory level of knowledge about knee OA in general. However, further research is needed to increase awareness in the subdomain through awareness campaigns.
Key words: Osteoarthritis, Knowledge, Awareness, Knee, Preventive, Saudi Arabia
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