Understanding migraine in Saudi society: An assessment of public knowledge and attitudes: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective This study aims to assess the knowledge and perceptions of the public toward migraine in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional survey assessed the knowledge and perceptions of migraine among Saudi Arabian individuals. The study was conducted over three months in 2023 (1st of June 2023 to 31st of August 2023) using a prevalidated online questionnaire divided into four sections. Results A total of 1,975 adults aged between 18 and 64 completed the web-based survey. Of these, over half were male (n = 1,268; 64.2%). The main causes of migraine identified by the participants were genetic disease (n = 540, 27.3%), followed by physical disease (n = 341, 17.3%), head trauma (n = 274, 13.9%), and psychiatric disease (n = 157, 7.9%). The main symptoms identified by the participants were photophobia (21%), followed by inability to control urine (14.1%), vomiting and nausea (13.8%), and vision loss (8.3%). The majority of the participants in this study had a good knowledge of migraines, while 49% had poor knowledge. The migraine knowledge score was significantly associated with the participants’ gender (p = 0.002), age (p = 0.0001), educational level (p = 0.001), employment status (p = 0.001), monthly income (p = 0.0001), region (p = 0.0001), and history of migraine (p = 0.0001). Conclusion Although one-third of the participants exhibiting good knowledge, deficiencies existed in certain clinical aspects, emphasizing the need for targeted educational interventions to enhance public awareness and understanding of migraines.