Lim Lydia Wan Zhen, Toh Kai Yee, Cook Alex Richard, Lee Jonathan Wei Jie, Lim Jeremy Fung Yen
AMILI Pte Ltd, Singapore.
Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Singapore Med J. 2025 Aug 1;66(8):439-448. doi: 10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-076. Epub 2025 Jun 6.
Despite the exponential increase in microbiome research, knowledge and beliefs about the gut microbiome and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) remain unclear. The aim of this study was to identify the extent of knowledge, awareness and perception among the general public regarding the gut microbiome and FMT.
An online questionnaire on knowledge and beliefs about the gut microbiome and FMT was administered to 1831 participants. Data analysis software was used to generate descriptive statistics and explore associations between knowledge and sociodemographic variables.
Even though only 33% of participants had heard of the gut microbiome, more than 92% had consumed probiotic drinks or supplements. While 85% had not heard of the FMT procedure, 72% of respondents would consider having FMT to treat Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Willingness to receive FMT depended mainly on recommendation from healthcare providers (77%). Knowledge and awareness regarding the gut microbiome and FMT were relatively low, despite most participants having prior gut health-related behaviours.
This study identified the public's perceptions of FMT and the potential barriers to its uptake. Insights from the study highlight the need for health education to enhance acceptance of FMT and the importance of using information supported by medical professionals to immunise the public against poorly validated science.
尽管微生物组研究呈指数级增长，但关于肠道微生物组和粪便微生物群移植（FMT）的知识和观念仍不明确。本研究的目的是确定普通公众对肠道微生物组和FMT的了解程度、认知度和看法。
对1831名参与者进行了一项关于肠道微生物组和FMT的知识与观念的在线问卷调查。使用数据分析软件生成描述性统计数据，并探讨知识与社会人口统计学变量之间的关联。
尽管只有33%的参与者听说过肠道微生物组，但超过92%的人食用过益生菌饮料或补充剂。虽然85%的人没有听说过FMT程序，但72%的受访者会考虑接受FMT来治疗艰难梭菌感染（CDI）。接受FMT的意愿主要取决于医疗保健提供者的建议（77%）。尽管大多数参与者之前有与肠道健康相关的行为，但对肠道微生物组和FMT的知识和认知度相对较低。
本研究确定了公众对FMT的看法及其采用的潜在障碍。该研究的见解强调了健康教育以提高对FMT的接受度的必要性，以及利用医学专业人员支持的信息使公众免受未经充分验证的科学影响的重要性。
