RESUMO
Background: Irritable bowel syndrome [IBS] is a worldwide problem which affect the health and the economy of countries; thus it is the focus of many researchers till now
Objectives: Evaluating the knowledge, attitude and practice [KAP] of the Saudi community in Riyadh City toward the signs and risk factors of IBD in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA]
Methods: A cross sectional study conducted at 12 different malls in Riyadh city from October to December 2017 among 977 Saudi adult educated subjects from both genders aged from 20-60 years old
Results: The prevalence of IBS among the Saudi community was 10.8% [106 out of 97 subjects]. The majority of the subjects has proper awareness regarding the IBS and its risk factors [81.1%] while only 18.9% had poor knowledge about the syndrome. Most of the subjects had positive attitude toward using diet, medications and counselling as the proper management of IBS. The level of knowledge showed a significant association with the higher level of education
Conclusion: The majority of subjects had proper knowledge about the nature, prognosis and risk factors of the disease. Other studies should be conducted to measure the KAP of other Saudi population toward IBS from different regions of KSA