Public awareness and attitude towards Helicobacter pylori infection in Alahsa, Saudi Arabia

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) is a gram-negative bacterium that causes stomach infections. Peptic ulcers commonly occurring in more than half the world population are caused by H. pylori. In addition, it acts as a triggering source in gastric malignancies, chronic gastritis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The current study is focused to raise the awareness of the general population in Al Ahsa city toward H. pylori infection. The awareness objectives are met by describing pathogen, diagnosis, risk factors, treatment, complications, and prevention. Methods: A cross-sectional study was developed through systematic random sampling, and a sample size of 930 people was selected for the survey questionnaire. The data were collected through an online platform, and the Richard Geiger equation was implemented to find the population. SPSS version 22 was implemented for descriptive analysis. Further categorical data were analyzed through chisquare to find the link between different variables. Results: The awareness level was 54.9% about H. pylori among the Al Ahsa population, including its risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and complications. Participants above 40 years had a good awareness level about the disease. The results show that more awareness is needed in the population to cure the infection. Conclusion: The awareness level results were insignificantly higher among the male and female populations in Al Ahsa population Saudi Arabia. Other factors were also insignificantly related to the awareness level of the population.