Public Assessment on Stem Cell Research: Awareness, Attitude, and Knowledge in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Aboalola, Doaa

doi:10.19070/2328-3548-2000044

Cited by 2 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…In this survey, a total of 2,030 individuals participated, with almost half of them being patients or related to patients (54.6%) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ( Table 1 ). Consistent with our previous study ( 2 ), the majority of participants (62.7%) were females, suggesting that women may have a higher propensity to engage with stem cell-related topics, which may be indicative of a higher interest compared to males in the Kingdom ( Table 1 ). Most of the participants were between 25 and 50 years old (73.8%), and the education group with the highest participation was the bachelor's degree group (56%), followed by master's degree (22.1%), Ph.D. (8.1%), high school education (7.2%), diploma level education (6.1%), and lastly by 0.5% who did not complete high school ( Table 1 ).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…( 1 ). Businesses and clinics providing such treatments are flourishing in many countries around the world, and Saudi Arabia is not an exception ( 2 ). In recent years, there has been an alarming growth in its domestic market with clinics and beauty salons offering stem cell-based products and treatments ( 2 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Businesses and clinics providing such treatments are flourishing in many countries around the world, and Saudi Arabia is not an exception ( 2 ). In recent years, there has been an alarming growth in its domestic market with clinics and beauty salons offering stem cell-based products and treatments ( 2 ). The publics' desire and willingness to try stem cell-based interventions, especially for chronic and debilitating diseases, is understandable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, raising public awareness by providing evidence-based educational platforms became important to counteract the danger posed by the spread of such unproven therapies and misinformation. Patients looking for information about stem cell-based interventions will usually resort to the internet to search, and they could fall prey to inaccurate conflicting information and claims found in advertisements, media, and blogs ( 2 , 5 , 6 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our study, we aimed to assess the level of knowledge, awareness, and acceptance of the general public (including patients and their relatives) regarding stem cell use in Saudi Arabia and gave general recommendations to help raise the community's awareness and reduce the unnecessary harm of stem cell misuse. This is to move forward from our previous study focusing on cosmetics with “stem cells” ( 2 ) and shift the gear toward stem cell tourism aimed at making false claims for stem cell treatment for chronic illnesses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Infodemic of Misinformation on Stem Cell Therapy Among the Population of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2022

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In recent years, the industry of unproven stem cell-based therapies has been on the rise around the globe, putting patients at great risk of potential harm. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of the general public, including patients and/or their relatives, in Saudi Arabia on stem cell therapy and to assess the degree of willingness to try stem cell-based treatment options, should it be offered to them.MethodsA voluntary questionnaire of 16 questions was distributed randomly through social media outlets.ResultsIn the survey of this study, 2,030 individuals participated. A total of 1,292 (63.6%) stated that they would accept stem cell therapy or would recommend it to their friends and relatives. Alarmingly, 72.1% of participants were unaware that using unapproved stem cell-based treatments may lead to serious health complications including cancer. More than 20% believed that stem cell therapy is already approved for organ/tissue regeneration. Worryingly, 60.6% of the physicians and 56.4% of the medical students stated that they would recommend stem cell treatment for their patients.ConclusionsThere is a concerning spread of misinformation among the Saudi population, including physicians, regarding stem cell therapy. This calls for a targeted effort to raise awareness about the current status of stem cell treatment in the general public and among health care practitioners.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Infodemic of Misinformation on Stem Cell Therapy Among the Population of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2022

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Public awareness and understanding of stem cell treatments available in Saudi Arabia and their trust in hospitals and research centers involved in stem cell research—a cross sectional study

Aboalola,

Ramadan,

Baadhaim

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionAlthough stem cell research and therapeutic applications hold great promise for medical advancements, and have rapidly progressed globally, there remains a lack of genuine public awareness of the status of this subject in Saudi Arabia. Successful integration of stem cell therapy into healthcare relies on public awareness, understanding, and trust. Therefore, we aimed in this cross-sectional study to assess the public’s knowledge, awareness, trust, support, participation, and confidence in stem cell treatments and centers involved in it.Materials and methodsA voluntary questionnaire of 20 questions was distributed randomly via social media outlets.ResultsThree thousand five hundred eighty four individuals participated in the survey, with approximately half of them falling within the age range of 35–50 years (46.71%). Majority of the participants, 90.71%, would like to know more about stem cell therapy and more than half of the participants (56.94%) were unfamiliar with the idea, and a comparable proportion (50.41%) expressed concerns about the safety of stem cell therapy. A lower level of awareness, indicated by a score of 5, was evenly distributed across all age groups and genders. However, regardless of gender, older participants—especially those 50 years of age or older—tended to report higher levels of confidence, trust, and support than participants in other age groups. Moreover, trust, support, participation, and confidence score for those attained high school or less was statistically significantly lower than those attained master’s or PhD degree. Of the participants, 33.57% had either received stem cell therapy themselves or known someone who had; about 24.07% of them reported that it was a cosmetic type of treatment.ConclusionThe study emphasizes the persistent need for awareness and educational initiatives to minimize the lack of public awareness and understanding of approved stem cell treatments in Saudi Arabia. It advocates for increased education, transparency, and communication to bridge knowledge gaps and enhance public trust to ensure the understanding of successful treatment.

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Public Assessment on Stem Cell Research: Awareness, Attitude, and Knowledge in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

An Infodemic of Misinformation on Stem Cell Therapy Among the Population of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

An Infodemic of Misinformation on Stem Cell Therapy Among the Population of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Public awareness and understanding of stem cell treatments available in Saudi Arabia and their trust in hospitals and research centers involved in stem cell research—a cross sectional study

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