Public Knowledge of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Background: Lack of public understanding and perception may lead to a general downplaying of inflammatory bowel disorder (IBD) symptoms as they affect a less socially acceptable area of the body, which may be a significant component in the everyday struggles of an individual with IBD. Aim: The aim is to assess the public knowledge of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in Saudi Arabia. Method: This was an online survey study that examined public knowledge of IBD in Saudi Arabia for the duration between February and March 2023. Participants were invited to participate in this study using social media websites. The questionnaire tool comprised three sections: a sociodemographic characteristics section (seven questions), an awareness section (two questions), and a knowledge section (24 questions). A binary logistic regression analysis was utilized to identify the factors that influenced the participants’ knowledge of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Results: A total of 630 individuals participated in this study. Around 28% of the participants reported that they had never heard of, read about, or dealt with Crohn’s disease. Around 16% of them reported that they had never heard of, read about, or dealt with ulcerative colitis. The mean overall knowledge score of the study participants was 8.3 (standard deviation: 2.4) out of 24, which is equal to 34.6% and represents a weak level of knowledge of IBD. The participants showed a weak level of knowledge for all sub-scales of knowledge related to IBD general knowledge, diet, treatments, and complications. The knowledge sub-scale level ranged between 30% and 36.7%. Females, the participants in the moderate and high-income category, those who lived in urban areas, those with a higher level of education, and those who reported having osteoarthritis were more likely to be knowledgeable about IBD compared to others (p≤0.001). Conclusion: In Saudi Arabia, a low level of IBD awareness was identified among the general population, supporting findings from other countries. Future research should aim to identify effective educational interventions to increase public awareness of this group of diseases, which would ultimately facilitate early diagnosis and improve patient outcomes.