ABSTRACT

Background: Thyroid disorders are the commonest endocrine diseases. Sixty percent of people with thyroid disorders are unaware of their condition, and the prevention of thyroid diseases subject has not received much attention from medical professionals worldwide. This study aimed to assess the Saudi population's awareness about thyroid disorders in all regions of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: An online, cross-sectional, and survey-based study was carried out in December 2020 and included a random sample of 1560 Saudi men and women (≥20 years). The data was gathered through an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included sociodemographic data, presentations of various thyroid diseases, their risk factors, investigations, and management.

Results: A total of 1560 Saudi people were included in the survey. There were 819 women (52.5%) and 741 men (47.5%). Most of the participants aged between 31-40 years (n=489, 31.3%) and had a university level of education (n=987, 63.3%). The majority of respondents had moderate overall knowledge (n=647, 41.5%). There was a statistically significant correlation between the overall knowledge and the age, gender, and education level (p˂0.001). On the other hand, most of the participants had poor knowledge about the risk factors for thyroid diseases. In addition, a statistically significant association was found between the knowledge of the risk factors and sociodemographic characteristics.

Conclusions: Most respondents had moderate overall knowledge and poor knowledge about the risk factors of thyroid diseases. We suggest intensive national campaigns and continuous community health education programs to gain favorable benefits and outcomes in terms of lowering the cost of treatment, catching-up early cancer cases, and providing a database for the family tendency of thyroid diseases.

Keywords: awareness, knowledge, Saudi population, thyroid disorders