Public Knowledge and Attitude towards Down Syndrome in Western Region, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Down syndrome (DS) is an autosomal congenital disorder marked by a deficit in both general and mental development. It is the most frequent genetic cause of developmental intellectual impairment.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the public knowledge and attitude towards down syndrome in western region, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in western region at Saudi Arabia using an online questionnaire. Using random sample technique to choose five provinces. The questionnaire consists of demographic data, and questions related to knowledge and attitude towards down syndrome and it was used for data collection. Collected data was entered and analyzed using SPSS program.

Results: The majority of respondents fall within the age range of 20-30, accounting for 50.3% of the sample. 71.1% of the respondents are female, while 28.9% are male. 9.4% of participants had a family member with Down syndrome, while 90.6% did not. Most participants (73%) know that Down syndrome is a genetic disease. 81.1% of participants had good knowledge scores of down syndrome while 18.9% had poor knowledge. As for attitude, 95.1% of participants had positive attitude scores towards down syndrome while 4.9% had negative attitude.

Conclusion: The study shows good knowledge and positive attitude towards down syndrome in Saudi Arabia. Knowledge scores were significantly associated with age, gender, marital status and educational level; However, attitude scores were significantly affected with age, gender and marital status.