Abstract

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the most prevalent chronic bacterial infection in humans. Limited research has been conducted both internationally and locally to evaluate the general community’s collective understanding of H. pylori infection, its diagnosis, and its management.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the level of understanding of H. pylori infection, its diagnosis, and management among the general population residing in the western region of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional online survey method to gather data from a sample of 1,025 of the general population. Four major cities were selected for this study: Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, and Taif. The knowledge scores were classified into three categories: low, fair, and good.

Results: 63.5% of participants had a fair knowledge of H. pylori infection. A statistically significant difference was observed between regions, with a P value of 0.022. Furthermore, there was a strong correlation between the respondents' degree of knowledge and age (p < 0.001), education level (p < 0.001), number of family members at home (p < 000.1), monthly income (p < 0.001), and previous exposure to H. pylori infection (p < 000.1).

Conclusion: Most participants know about H. pylori However, its transmission, link with stomach cancer, diagnosis, and treatment are had low level of knowledge. Several additional educational and policy interventions are recommended to enhance public knowledge of H. pylori To address the identified gaps in understanding, targeted educational campaigns should be developed.

Keywords: H. pylori, knowledge, Assessment, Infection, Diagnosis, Management, Treatment.