Alhuthail Aroob, Aloraini Bodour, Alhuthail Ilal, Alrashidi Sara M, Alotibi Renad M
Family Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, SAU.
College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, SAU.
Cureus. 2025 Jan 21;17(1):e77759. doi: 10.7759/cureus.77759. eCollection 2025 Jan.
Background Social media (SM) platforms are commonly used in Saudi Arabia, even for health information. SM platforms allow users to have conversations, share information, and create web content. Given the growing dependence on social media for health-related concerns, it is critical to understand how Saudis use these platforms to get health information. This study aimed to determine the Saudi population's attitude and awareness regarding health information sought on SM. Subject and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among adults in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from September to October 2024. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed randomly in the Medical City King Saud University family medicine clinic. The questionnaire includes socio-demographic data (i.e., age, gender, marital status, etc.), the most commonly used type of SM, and various questions to assess the knowledge and influence of SM on health information. Results Among the 330 participants, 117 (63%) were female respondents, and 126 (38.2%) were between 31 and 40 years old. WhatsApp was the most prominent type of SM used at 192 (58.2%). Disease or medical problems were the most notable health information being seen online at 172 (52.1%), and "to be informed" was the most common reason for seeking health information online at 237 (72.4%). The perception of unemployed female respondents that health information obtained from SM is reliable was significantly higher than that of unemployed male respondents (p<0.05). Surprisingly, male participants usually do believe SM can enhance awareness (p = 0.015). Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that SM influences the behavior of the adult population seeking health information in Saudi Arabia. Female participants tended to believe that the health information obtained from SM was credible. To be more informed was the primary reason for seeking health information online. There is a need to educate patients visiting family medicine clinics about the reliability of health information obtained online.
背景 社交媒体（SM）平台在沙特阿拉伯被广泛使用，甚至用于获取健康信息。SM平台允许用户进行交流、分享信息并创建网络内容。鉴于人们越来越依赖社交媒体来解决与健康相关的问题，了解沙特人如何使用这些平台获取健康信息至关重要。本研究旨在确定沙特人群对在SM上寻求的健康信息的态度和认知。
对象与方法 这项横断面研究于2024年9月至10月在沙特阿拉伯王国利雅得的成年人中进行。一份自填式问卷在沙特国王大学医学城家庭医学诊所随机发放。问卷包括社会人口统计学数据（即年龄、性别、婚姻状况等）、最常用的SM类型，以及各种评估SM对健康信息的知识和影响的问题。
结果 在330名参与者中，117名（63%）为女性受访者，126名（38.2%）年龄在31至40岁之间。WhatsApp是使用最广泛的SM类型，有192名（58.2%）。疾病或医疗问题是在网上看到的最显著的健康信息，有172名（52.1%），而“了解信息”是在线寻求健康信息的最常见原因，有237名（72.4%）。失业女性受访者认为从SM获得的健康信息可靠的认知显著高于失业男性受访者（p<0.05）。令人惊讶的是，男性参与者通常确实认为SM可以提高认知（p = 0.015）。
结论 本研究结果表明，SM影响沙特阿拉伯寻求健康信息的成年人群的行为。女性参与者倾向于认为从SM获得的健康信息是可信的。了解更多信息是在线寻求健康信息的主要原因。有必要对前往家庭医学诊所的患者进行关于在线获得的健康信息可靠性的教育。
