Knowledge about COVID-19 and patients’ beliefs about and use of herbal products during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The lack of treatment options for COVID-19 has raised many concerns among populations worldwide, which has led to many attempts to find alternative options to prevent the transmission of the disease or to alleviate the progression of the infection, including focusing more on preventive measures (to prevent transmission to other individuals) and the use of natural products and herbal extracts to increase immunity and decrease the probability of getting infected. This study explored the knowledge of the population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) about COVID-19 preventive measures and their belief about the consumption of herbal products for the prevention of COVID-19 infection. A total of 5,258 individuals participated in this study. Participants knowledge about the appropriate COVID-19 preventive measures in terms of handwashing procedures, self-quarantine and social distancing was moderate, with a mean score of 5.5 (SD: 1.7) out of 10 (representing around 55.0% of the total score). About 22.1% (n= 1,161) of the participants reported that they have used herbal products or nutritional supplements during the pandemic period, to protect themselves from the disease. Social media and the Internet (39.4%, n= 372) were the main motivators for the participants to try herbal products. Vitamin C was the most commonly used food supplement to increase immunity and reduces the chance of contracting COVID-19. Our study demonstrated that the general population in Saudi Arabia has a moderate level of knowledge about COVID-19 transmission and preventive measures. A considerable proportion of the population reported the use of herbal products or food supplements in order to protect themselves from the disease. Policymakers are suggested to provide further educational campaigns that increase population knowledge about the disease transmission routes and preventive measures. In addition, the use of herbal products should be evidence-based to ensure patient safety.

Assessing the Level of Awareness of COVID-19 and Prevalence of General Anxiety Disorder among the Hail Community, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“…However, respondents’ attitude scores were higher than in the study conducted in Bangladesh [ 21 ]. In our study, positive attitude scores were significantly increased among employed and married; these results are in line with several studies conducted in Saudi Arabia [ 3 , 4 , 18 ]. Moreover, the majority of married and employed individuals in our study were elderly, who are known to have increased positive attitudes towards the prevention of COVID-19.…”

“…The knowledge of respondents was relatively good, similar to the findings of most studies conducted in several countries [ 18 , 19 ]. This finding could be due to ongoing awareness campaigns conducted by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on combating the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…This finding could be due to ongoing awareness campaigns conducted by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The MOH has published awareness guidelines in numerous languages [ 18 ]. Subsequently, our findings similar to a previous study conducted in Riyadh, the Capital of Saudi Arabia [ 4 ].…”

Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19 prevention: a survey of Sudanese people

“…A similar result was found in several studies that indicate females, and older had a positive attitude and practice compared to males and younger, which is contracted with the study conducted in Tanzanian; they found no significant differences across genders towards an attitude of COVID-19. 19,23,[25][26][27][28] This might be due to females, and older always have positive beliefs and practices toward their health. Furthermore, housewife and employed had significantly better attitudes and practice against the prevention of COVID-19 compared to the students.…”

Elementary Teachers’ Thoughts about Distance Education and Learning 21st-Century Skills during COVID Pandemic

“…Bearing this in mind, on March 2, 2020, before the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Saudi Arabia (Alyami et al, 2020), the nation became one of the first countries to implement early and unparalleled security to deter or alleviate the spread of the disease on its soil. This included school closures and mandatory online distance education.…”