Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Public Health and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Front Public Health. 2024 May 30;11:1290842. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1290842. eCollection 2023.
The global prevalence of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is about 25% worldwide making it an actual health disaster. This study aimed to assess non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related knowledge in a sample of Egyptians.
This exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted on 3,124 individuals using 2000 online and 1,124 printed questionnaire forms. These questionnaires, covering sociodemographic characteristics and fatty liver-related knowledge, comprised 30 items. These items include ten questions on definition, symptoms, and complications: 14 about risk factors, and six about prevention and therapy. The data were analyzed using SPSS. Categorical variables were expressed in proportions and percentages. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were applied as appropriate. For quantitative variables, the t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and ANOVA test were used for comparisons.
A total of 3,124 respondents were enrolled in the current study. More than half (57%) were females, and 25% ranged in age from 18 to 29. 10.8% of the participants believed that fatty liver patients were asymptomatic, and 34% knew that fatty liver disease was caused by fat accumulation. Regarding predisposing factors, hypercholesterolemia, increased fat in the diet, and obesity had the highest proportion of accurate responses (60, 54, and 46.6%, respectively). On the other hand, 89.3% believed it could be prevented, and 81.4% of the respondents knew that weight reduction could prevent the condition. All respondents (100%) stated wrongly that it was a familial disease related to aging, and most participants (97.3%) did not believe that fatty liver could be treated. Females demonstrated a significantly higher score in preventive measures, while the employed participants scored significantly higher in general knowledge of fatty liver, risk factors, and preventive measures.
Despite the increasing NAFLD prevalence, the current study indicated that Egyptians had fair to moderate knowledge about fatty liver and its risk factors, preventive measures, and therapy. However, a false belief was documented by all respondents that it is a disease that runs in families and occurs only in old age. A fundamental shift in healthcare management with a prioritization of prevention, proactive measures, and early detection of NAFLD should be emphasized.
非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）在全球的患病率约为 25%，使其成为真正的健康灾难。本研究旨在评估埃及人群中与非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）相关的知识。
这是一项采用 2000 份在线和 1124 份纸质问卷进行的探索性横断面研究，共纳入 3124 名个体。这些问卷涵盖了社会人口统计学特征和与脂肪肝相关的知识，共 30 个项目。这些项目包括 10 个关于定义、症状和并发症的问题，14 个关于危险因素的问题，以及 6 个关于预防和治疗的问题。使用 SPSS 对数据进行分析。分类变量用比例和百分比表示。适当使用卡方检验和 Fisher 精确检验。对于定量变量，使用 t 检验、Mann-Whitney U 检验、Kruskal-Wallis 检验和 ANOVA 检验进行比较。
共有 3124 名受访者参与了本研究。超过一半（57%）为女性，25%的年龄在 18 至 29 岁之间。10.8%的参与者认为脂肪肝患者无症状，34%的人知道脂肪肝是由脂肪堆积引起的。关于诱发因素，高胆固醇血症、饮食中脂肪增加和肥胖的正确回答比例最高（分别为 60%、54%和 46.6%）。另一方面，89.3%的人认为它可以预防，81.4%的受访者知道减肥可以预防这种疾病。所有受访者（100%）都错误地认为这是一种与衰老有关的家族疾病，大多数参与者（97.3%）不相信脂肪肝可以治疗。女性在预防措施方面的得分明显较高，而在职参与者在脂肪肝的一般知识、危险因素和预防措施方面的得分明显较高。
尽管非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）的患病率不断上升，但本研究表明，埃及人对脂肪肝及其危险因素、预防措施和治疗方法有一定程度的了解。然而，所有受访者都记录了一个错误的信念，即这是一种家族性疾病，只发生在老年。医疗保健管理应从根本上转变，优先考虑预防、主动措施和早期发现非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）。
