Knowledge and Attitude of Adenoid Hypertrophy Manifestation and Complications in Children among Population of Al Ahsa City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction
Adenoid hypertrophy is one of the most common disorders that occur in children and affect their quality of life. It causes loud snoring, daytime sleeping, drowsiness, loss of concentration, and poor performance during work and school.
Aim
This study aimed to assess the awareness of society about complications of adenoid hypertrophy in children.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional study conducted among the general population living in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the population using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two main parts; socio-demographic characteristics and a questionnaire to assess the awareness of adenoid hypertrophy and its complications. The data was coded and cleaned in MS Excel and all statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 26.
Results
A total of 165 respondents were recruited (72.1% females vs. 27.9% males). Most of the participants had heard of adenoid hypertrophy (93.3%) and knew that it can cause snoring and sleep problems (93.3%), rhinorrhea and nasal congestion (83%). The total mean awareness score was 5.58 (SD 2.39) out of 9 points. 50.3% had a good awareness level, and 49.7% had poor awareness. Factors associated with increased awareness were being young in age, having a bachelor's or higher degree, and not being married.
Conclusion
There was a deficient awareness in society regarding adenoid hypertrophy complications in children. Respondents who were younger but more educated and unmarried tend to be more knowledgeable about the complications of adenoid hypertrophy than the rest of the groups. Further research is needed to establish the level of awareness of the general population regarding children’s adenoid hypertrophy in our region.