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Helicobacter pylori Infection: Comparison of Knowledge between Health Science and Non-Health Science University Students

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), an important human pathogen, is classified as a human carcinogen. It is known to cause dyspepsia, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. Awareness regarding H. pylori infections in Saudi Arabia awaits investigation to reduce or even eliminate the infection th...

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Autores principales: Hafiz, Taghreed A., D’Sa, Juliana Linnette, Zamzam, Sahar, Dionaldo, Maria Liza Visbal, Mubaraki, Murad A., Tumala, Regie Buenafe
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8346000/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34360466
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158173
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author Hafiz, Taghreed A.
D’Sa, Juliana Linnette
Zamzam, Sahar
Dionaldo, Maria Liza Visbal
Mubaraki, Murad A.
Tumala, Regie Buenafe
author_facet Hafiz, Taghreed A.
D’Sa, Juliana Linnette
Zamzam, Sahar
Dionaldo, Maria Liza Visbal
Mubaraki, Murad A.
Tumala, Regie Buenafe
author_sort Hafiz, Taghreed A.
collection PubMed
description Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), an important human pathogen, is classified as a human carcinogen. It is known to cause dyspepsia, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. Awareness regarding H. pylori infections in Saudi Arabia awaits investigation to reduce or even eliminate the infection that would ease the substantial burden of managing H. pylori among both malignant and non-malignant diseases. Aims: The study aims were to (1) assess the knowledge of H. pylori infection, testing, and management among undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia and (2) compare the H. pylori knowledge among health science and non-health science students. Methods: This study involved a cross-sectional online survey among 334 undergraduate students in health science and non-health science colleges at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, using a valid and reliable author-developed survey. The survey had two sections: the socio-demographic factors and knowledge items regarding H. pylori. Data were collected during the 2019–2020 academic year. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Mann–Whitney U test. The knowledge scores were categorized as poor, fair, and good. Results: Less than 10% of the students in both groups had a good knowledge level about H. pylori. The comparison of the overall mean between both groups was non-significant. Moreover, the level of knowledge of the respondents was significantly associated with their university level (p < 0.001), family monthly income (p < 0.007), having heard about H. pylori infection (p < 000.1), and a previous history of H. pylori infection (p < 000.1). Conclusion: The overall knowledge level of Saudi undergraduate students about H. pylori infection was low. Thus, health awareness interventions through educational programs are recommended for improving their knowledge about H. pylori infection and its prevention.
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spelling pubmed-83460002021-08-07 Helicobacter pylori Infection: Comparison of Knowledge between Health Science and Non-Health Science University Students Hafiz, Taghreed A. D’Sa, Juliana Linnette Zamzam, Sahar Dionaldo, Maria Liza Visbal Mubaraki, Murad A. Tumala, Regie Buenafe Int J Environ Res Public Health Article Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), an important human pathogen, is classified as a human carcinogen. It is known to cause dyspepsia, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. Awareness regarding H. pylori infections in Saudi Arabia awaits investigation to reduce or even eliminate the infection that would ease the substantial burden of managing H. pylori among both malignant and non-malignant diseases. Aims: The study aims were to (1) assess the knowledge of H. pylori infection, testing, and management among undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia and (2) compare the H. pylori knowledge among health science and non-health science students. Methods: This study involved a cross-sectional online survey among 334 undergraduate students in health science and non-health science colleges at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, using a valid and reliable author-developed survey. The survey had two sections: the socio-demographic factors and knowledge items regarding H. pylori. Data were collected during the 2019–2020 academic year. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Mann–Whitney U test. The knowledge scores were categorized as poor, fair, and good. Results: Less than 10% of the students in both groups had a good knowledge level about H. pylori. The comparison of the overall mean between both groups was non-significant. Moreover, the level of knowledge of the respondents was significantly associated with their university level (p < 0.001), family monthly income (p < 0.007), having heard about H. pylori infection (p < 000.1), and a previous history of H. pylori infection (p < 000.1). Conclusion: The overall knowledge level of Saudi undergraduate students about H. pylori infection was low. Thus, health awareness interventions through educational programs are recommended for improving their knowledge about H. pylori infection and its prevention. MDPI 2021-08-02 /pmc/articles/PMC8346000/ /pubmed/34360466 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158173 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Hafiz, Taghreed A.
D’Sa, Juliana Linnette
Zamzam, Sahar
Dionaldo, Maria Liza Visbal
Mubaraki, Murad A.
Tumala, Regie Buenafe
Helicobacter pylori Infection: Comparison of Knowledge between Health Science and Non-Health Science University Students
title Helicobacter pylori Infection: Comparison of Knowledge between Health Science and Non-Health Science University Students
title_full Helicobacter pylori Infection: Comparison of Knowledge between Health Science and Non-Health Science University Students
title_fullStr Helicobacter pylori Infection: Comparison of Knowledge between Health Science and Non-Health Science University Students
title_full_unstemmed Helicobacter pylori Infection: Comparison of Knowledge between Health Science and Non-Health Science University Students
title_short Helicobacter pylori Infection: Comparison of Knowledge between Health Science and Non-Health Science University Students
title_sort helicobacter pylori infection: comparison of knowledge between health science and non-health science university students
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8346000/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34360466
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158173
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