Alyami Hamad S, Orabi Mohamed A A, Aldhabbah Fahad M, Alturki Hamad N, Aburas Wejdan I, Alfayez Abdulrahman I, Alharbi Abdullah S, Almasuood Rawan A, Alsuhaibani Njood A
Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Pharm J. 2020 Nov;28(11):1326-1332. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2020.08.023. Epub 2020 Sep 1.
The lack of treatment options for COVID-19 has raised many concerns among populations worldwide, which has led to many attempts to find alternative options to prevent the transmission of the disease or to alleviate the progression of the infection, including focusing more on preventive measures (to prevent transmission to other individuals) and the use of natural products and herbal extracts to increase immunity and decrease the probability of getting infected. This study explored the knowledge of the population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) about COVID-19 preventive measures and their belief about the consumption of herbal products for the prevention of COVID-19 infection. A total of 5,258 individuals participated in this study. Participants' knowledge about the appropriate COVID-19 preventive measures in terms of handwashing procedures, self-quarantine and social distancing was moderate, with a mean score of 5.5 (SD: 1.7) out of 10 (representing around 55.0% of the total score). About 22.1% (n = 1,161) of the participants reported that they have used herbal products or nutritional supplements during the pandemic period, to protect themselves from the disease. Social media and the Internet (39.4%, n = 372) were the main motivators for the participants to try herbal products. Vitamin C was the most commonly used food supplement to increase immunity and reduces the chance of contracting COVID-19. Our study demonstrated that the general population in Saudi Arabia has a moderate level of knowledge about COVID-19 transmission and preventive measures. A considerable proportion of the population reported the use of herbal products or food supplements in order to protect themselves from the disease. Policymakers are suggested to provide further educational campaigns that increase population knowledge about the disease transmission routes and preventive measures. In addition, the use of herbal products should be evidence-based to ensure patient safety.
新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）缺乏治疗方案，这在全球人群中引发了诸多担忧，导致人们多次尝试寻找替代方案来预防疾病传播或缓解感染进程，包括更注重预防措施（防止传染给他人）以及使用天然产品和草药提取物来增强免疫力并降低感染几率。本研究探讨了沙特阿拉伯王国（KSA）民众对COVID-19预防措施的了解以及他们对食用草药产品预防COVID-19感染的看法。共有5258人参与了本研究。参与者在洗手程序、自我隔离和社交距离等方面对适当的COVID-19预防措施的了解程度中等，在满分10分中平均得分为5.5分（标准差：1.7）（约占总分的55.0%）。约22.1%（n = 1161）的参与者报告称，在疫情期间他们使用过草药产品或营养补充剂来预防疾病。社交媒体和互联网（39.4%，n = 372）是促使参与者尝试草药产品的主要因素。维生素C是最常用的用于增强免疫力和降低感染COVID-19几率的食品补充剂。我们的研究表明，沙特阿拉伯的普通民众对COVID-19传播和预防措施的了解程度中等。相当一部分民众报告称使用草药产品或食品补充剂来预防疾病。建议政策制定者开展进一步的教育活动，以增加民众对疾病传播途径和预防措施的了解。此外，草药产品的使用应以证据为基础，以确保患者安全。
