Objective: This study aimed to assess awareness and knowledge about the symptoms, risk factors, complications, and management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and the differences between IBD and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), in the Al-Qassim population.
Results: In this cross-sectional study, the data were collected from 648 individuals. The questionnaires were distributed through social media applications, and also online in public places in the Qassim region in the form of an electronic barcode that opened directly to the online questionnaire to reach the maximum diversity of participants.
Results: A sizeable majority of participants had some awareness of IBD (42.9%). A significant portion (42%) had acquired information from the media. Most participants (62%) correctly reported abdominal pain or cramping diarrhea as symptoms of IBD. About the same number were aware that family history was a risk factor for IBD. Nearly three-quarters of the participants were aware that medical treatment exists for IBD depending on the case. However, the study identified significant knowledge gaps; only a minority correctly reported that IBD patients have high risks of anemia and colon cancer, and the distinctions among various bowel diseases (e.g., ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, IBS, and IBD) were generally poorly understood by participants. The results established statistically significant associations between awareness of IBD and age, medical specialty, employment status, education, and family history of IBD.
Conclusion: The study highlighted the need for targeted education and awareness campaigns to increase public knowledge and reduce the prevalence of the disease in the community.
Key words: Awareness, knowledge, inflammatory bowel disease, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
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