Abstract
Background: Inguinal hernias are the most common type of hernias and are a common health problem, which is most commonly treated surgically to avoid the risk of complications.
Aim: assessing the knowledge and awareness about causes, risk factors, and proper management of an inguinal hernia among the population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Methods: A cross-sectional study was done from May to August 2017. 1,119 people participated in this study. The electronic online questionnaire was published through social media in all regions of Saudi Arabia. It consisted of socio-demographic data, Past medical and surgical history, Questions related to risk factors. Awareness score was calculated for all participants, depending on validated answers from many surgical international references to the answers chosen by the participants. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program version 21.
Results: 50.9% show a good awareness level, 45.3% of them were Saudi, those who were significantly younger p=0.000 with a mean age of 28 +/- 9 compared with 49.1% show a poor awareness level (mean age 31 +/- 11). Variables found to have a statistically significant relationship with awareness level were age, marital status, occupation, number of children and educational level (p=0.005).
Conclusion: The majority of participants in our study were not fully aware of the causes and management of a hernia. Age, marital status, education level, number of children and occupation play a significant role in their awareness. More educational programs about inguinal hernias are needed.