Abstract

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea could affect the quality of life of patients with excessive daytime sleep and memory impairment and is linked with hypertension. It is diagnosed using specific criteria and treated mainly by maintaining continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). This survey analysis aimed to evaluate the knowledge level of medical students at Qassim University about obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students at Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia, during 2019-2020 academic year. Data was collected using a validated and pretested questionnaire.
Results: A total of 438 students participated in this study. The average score of students was 5.54 ± 3.915 out of 15, which was considered unsatisfactory. The age group of 24 to 26 year-old had the highest average score of 7.38 ± 3.199 (p-value < 0.001). Also, female students had a significantly higher score of 6.55 ± 3.684 as compared to male students (p-value < 0.001). Furthermore, students who had previously heard about the disease had significantly higher scores (7.11 ± 3.173, p-value < 0.001). Students affected by obstructive sleep apnea also had significantly higher scores (7.69 ± 3.281) compared with those who did not have the disease (p-value
= 0.025).
Conclusion: The level of knowledge of medical students towards obstructive sleep apnea was unsatisfactory and requires improvement. Further studies are needed in other areas in Saudi Arabia.

Key words: Obstructive sleep apnea; syndrome; knowledge; Qassim University; disease