Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran 66262, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman 11622, Jordan.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 19;19(6):3648. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063648.
The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not easy as there is no direct test that exists to establish such a diagnosis. Increasing community and healthcare professional knowledge of the ASD spectrum is crucial because it will encourage parents of ASD children to seek screening and diagnosis from a specialist, allowing for better early detection and treatment. This study explored the knowledge of the general population in Saudi Arabia regarding ASD and assessed variables associated with an accurate understanding of ASD.
A total of 769 participants were involved in this cross-sectional study, which was conducted in Saudi Arabia between November 2021 and February 2022 using an online survey tool to explore the knowledge of the general population in Saudi Arabia regarding typical child development and ASD. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors affecting participants' knowledge of autism.
Overall, the study participants showed a weak level of knowledge about autism with a mean score of 5.9 (SD: 3.1), comprising 34.7% of the total maximum obtainable score. Participants with a middle income category of 5000-7500 SR are less likely to be knowledgeable about autism compared to others (OR: 0.60 (95% CI: 0.39-0.92)) (-value = 0.020).
The participants in our study showed limited knowledge about autism. Government funds should be made available to facilitate educational services for ASD children. More funding and resources should be allocated by the government to provide assistance for children with special needs, and changes in public facilities are required to meet the demands of ASD patients. Through an informed educational effort, various media platforms should assist in improving the community's understanding of ASD and their attitude toward ASD patients. Educational campaigns should focus on enhancing the public's knowledge about ASD treatment and etiology.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的诊断并不容易，因为目前尚无直接的测试来确定这种诊断。提高社区和医疗保健专业人员对 ASD 谱系的认识至关重要，因为这将鼓励 ASD 儿童的家长向专家寻求筛查和诊断，从而更好地进行早期发现和治疗。本研究探讨了沙特阿拉伯普通民众对 ASD 的认识，并评估了与准确理解 ASD 相关的变量。
本横断面研究共纳入 769 名参与者，于 2021 年 11 月至 2022 年 2 月在沙特阿拉伯使用在线调查工具进行，旨在探讨沙特阿拉伯普通民众对典型儿童发育和 ASD 的认识。采用二元逻辑回归分析确定影响参与者对自闭症认识的因素。
总体而言，研究参与者对自闭症的认识水平较弱，平均得分为 5.9（SD：3.1），占总分的 34.7%。与其他人相比，中等收入 5000-7500 里亚尔的参与者不太可能了解自闭症（OR：0.60（95%CI：0.39-0.92））（-值=0.020）。
我们研究的参与者对自闭症的了解有限。政府应提供资金，为 ASD 儿童提供教育服务。政府应拨出更多资金和资源，为有特殊需求的儿童提供援助，并需要对公共设施进行改造，以满足 ASD 患者的需求。通过明智的教育努力，各种媒体平台应协助提高社区对 ASD 的认识及其对 ASD 患者的态度。教育活动应侧重于提高公众对 ASD 治疗和病因的认识。
