Alshamrani Ohud M, Alsudairy Najlaa M, Alsudairy Saad M
Primary Health Care, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Hospital, Jeddah, SAU.
Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Maternity and Children Specialized Hospital, Jeddah, SAU.
Cureus. 2025 Jul 9;17(7):e87608. doi: 10.7759/cureus.87608. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Diabetes mellitus is a major public health concern worldwide, with high prevalence in Saudi Arabia. Traditional diabetes education methods have limited reach, especially among younger populations. Social media platforms are increasingly used for health information, but their impact on diabetes knowledge and behavior in Saudi Arabia is not well understood.
We conducted a cross-sectional study from February to April 2025 involving 430 adults (≥18 years) across Saudi Arabia, recruited via social media using snowball sampling. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing demographics, social media use related to diabetes, diabetes knowledge (five-item score), and self-reported behavior changes. Multivariable linear regression identified predictors of knowledge scores.
Among 430 respondents, 217 (50.5%) were female, 124 (28.8%) were aged 25-34 years, 131 (30.5%) had diabetes, and 60 (14.0%) had healthcare education. Daily social media use for diabetes content was reported by 121 participants (28.1%). The mean diabetes knowledge score was 3.84 ± 1.13 (out of 5), with daily users scoring higher (4.19 ± 0.88, n=121) than rare users (3.52 ± 1.28, n=102) or non-users (2.96 ± 1.35, n=39) (P < 0.001). Behavioral changes due to social media were reported by 268 participants (62.4%). In adjusted models, daily social media use (β=0.55; 95%CI, 0.38 to 0.73; P < 0.001), healthcare education (β=0.42; 95%CI, 0.26 to 0.59; P < 0.001), and having diabetes (β=0.36; 95%CI, 0.19 to 0.53; P < 0.001) were independently associated with higher knowledge scores. Increasing age was inversely associated with knowledge (β=-0.07 per decade; 95%CI, -0.12 to -0.01; P=0.018).
Frequent social media engagement with diabetes content is independently associated with greater diabetes knowledge and self-reported behavior change among adults in Saudi Arabia. Integrating social media into diabetes education strategies may enhance public health efforts in regions with high disease burden, provided content accuracy is ensured through clinical oversight.
糖尿病是全球主要的公共卫生问题，在沙特阿拉伯患病率很高。传统的糖尿病教育方法覆盖面有限，尤其是在年轻人群体中。社交媒体平台越来越多地被用于获取健康信息，但它们对沙特阿拉伯糖尿病知识和行为的影响尚不清楚。
我们于2025年2月至4月进行了一项横断面研究，涉及沙特阿拉伯各地430名成年人（≥18岁），通过雪球抽样在社交媒体上招募。参与者完成了一份问卷，评估人口统计学、与糖尿病相关的社交媒体使用情况、糖尿病知识（五项得分）以及自我报告的行为变化。多变量线性回归确定了知识得分的预测因素。
在430名受访者中，217名（50.5%）为女性，124名（28.8%）年龄在25 - 34岁之间，131名（30.5%）患有糖尿病，60名（14.0%）接受过健康教育。121名参与者（占28.1%）报告每天使用社交媒体获取糖尿病相关内容。糖尿病知识平均得分为3.84±1.13（满分5分），每天使用社交媒体的用户得分（4.19±0.88，n = 121）高于偶尔使用的用户（3.52±1.28，n = 102）和不使用的用户（2.96±1.35，n = 39）（P < 0.001）。268名参与者（62.4%）报告因社交媒体导致行为改变。在调整模型中，每天使用社交媒体（β = 0.55；95%置信区间，0.38至0.73；P < 0.001）、接受健康教育（β = 0.42；95%置信区间，0.26至0.59；P < 0.001）以及患有糖尿病（β = 0.36；95%置信区间，0.19至0.53；P < 0.001）与更高的知识得分独立相关。年龄增长与知识得分呈负相关（每十年β = -0.07；95%置信区间，-0.12至-0.01；P = 0.018）。
在沙特阿拉伯成年人中，频繁参与社交媒体上的糖尿病相关内容与更多的糖尿病知识及自我报告的行为改变独立相关。将社交媒体纳入糖尿病教育策略可能会加强疾病负担较高地区的公共卫生工作，前提是通过临床监督确保内容准确性。
