Awareness and Misconceptions of Female Students in King Saud University on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the level of awareness of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) among preparatory year program female students enrolling in King Saud University. Methods: The authors developed a self-administered questionnaire to estimate the level of awareness on SLE. According to their scores, respondents are classified as knowledge adequate if they could answer 11 (35.5%) of the question. Descriptive statistics were calculated in terms of mean and standard. Chi-square and T tests were used to compare different subgroups for nominal and continuous variables respectively. Results: Six hundred thirty participants completed the questionnaire. Mean age ± (SD) was 18.6 ± (1.17), 591(93.8%) were of Saudi nationality, and 607(96.3%) were single. The number of respondents in each university section was as follows: Humanity 228(36.2%), Health 201(31.9%), and Science 201(31.9%). One participant (0.02%) reported the diagnosis of SLE. Seventy-nine (12.5%) knew someone diagnosed with SLE. Two hundred fifty two (40%) have previously heard the term SLE. Of those, 73(29%) had adequate knowledge on SLE with a superior knowledge in participants who knew someone with SLE (p=0.018). In regards to the etiology of SLE, 71 (28.2%) identified it as an autoimmune disease. While 39(15.5%) thought it is infectious, 56(22.2%) attributed it to evil eye and 12(4.8%) believed it is the result of an act of sorcery or witch crafting. When asked about the preferred future source of knowledge, 476(75.6%) have chosen to obtain it directly from health care providers, while 183(29%) preferred social media. Conclusion: The awareness on SLE among university participants is low. Future educational campaigns are needed to increase awareness and rectify misconceptions.