Abstract

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease is a medical condition that affects the gastrointestinal tract due to inappropriate immune response. This study aimed to assess the public awareness toward inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Saudi Arabia and to explore the relationship between level of awareness and different socio-demographic factors.
Methodology: This was community based descriptive cross-sectional study, carried out in different regions of Saudi Arabia from November 2020 to January 2021. A total of 450 participants were involved. Data were collected using an online self-administered questionnaire via Google Form.
Results: Most of the participants (60.7%) were males. The mean knowledge score was found to be 26 ± 12.97. More than half of the participants (58%) had good awareness about IBD. Healthcare professionals were the main source of knowledge (49.6%). Level of awareness was significantly associated with age (p-value=0.000), marital status (p-value = 0.000), educational level (p-value = 0.000), occupation (p-value = 0.000), and monthly income (p-value = 0.000).
Conclusion: More than half of the participants had good awareness about IBD. But still there were knowledge gaps regarding awareness about IBD types, the exact anatomical sites affected and certain complications such as liver disease. These gaps could be addressed in the form of community interventions such as campaigns and educational sessions, educational TV programs and social media pages or events in order to upgrade public awareness about IBD.

Key words: Inflammatory bowel disease, IBD, awareness, Saudi Arabia.