AUTHOR=Alhazmi Riyadh A. , Alobaid Abdullah M. , Althunayyan Saqer Mohammed , Syed Wajid , Al-Rawi Mahmood Basil A. 

TITLE=A cross-sectional assessment of knowledge, awareness of risk factors, and perceptions of thyroid disease (TD) among adults living in Saudi Arabia – A community based study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1041745

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.1041745

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background: The incidence of thyroid diseases has tripled in the last three decades, and the prevalence is rising rapidly irrespective of gender and genetics. This study aimed to assess the Knowledge, awareness of risk factors, and perceptions of thyroid disease among the Saudi Community in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional, online web-based survey type study was conducted between November 2021 to January 2022 among residents living in Saudi Arabia. Individuals aged ≥ 18 years who expressed a willingness to complete the survey were included. Descriptive and bivariate analysis was carried out to determine the factors associated with knowledge of thyroid using SPSS version 26.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, U.S.).
Results
Amongst the participant’s majority of them were females than males (77.5% v/s 22.5%). Most of them 78.2% (n=566) were aware of the thyroid. Nearly 44% (n=312) of respondents are aware that a lump in the neck or swelling is a sign of thyroid disease, followed by pain in the neck 24.6%(n=178), and difficulty in swallowing 23.8%(n=172). The mean knowledge score of the thyroid was 4.1(SD=3.09), while the core of the mean perception was 33.02(SD=6.41). The mean knowledge scores were significantly associated with having previous knowledge of thyroid disease (t= 5.08; p=0.0001). The participant's gender and presence of chronic diseases were found to have no impact on the knowledge score of the thyroid disease (t= -1.18; p=0.235; t=1.005; p=0.315). Additionally, the perceptions score was not significantly associated demographics of the participants (p= 0.05).
Conclusion 
In this study, Saudi adults reported varying levels of knowledge and perceptions of thyroid disease. Having previous knowledge of the thyroid was significantly associated with the knowledge score. Educating about this raising disease is warranted.