The Knowledge and Perceptions Regarding Probiotics Among the People of Al-Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia

Probiotics are defined as live strains of strictly selected microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host. There are naturally available probiotics that are present in fermented food types, and other commercial newly manufactured ones that differ in strains and usage. The aim of this research is to find out the knowledge, attitude, and perception about probiotics among Saudi population in Al Qassim region. This observational type of cross-sectional study included 669 participants. Data was collected using the self-administered online questionnaire. The data were entered in Excel and analyzed using EpiInfo7 statistical software. The majority of participants were between 18 and 25 years (44%) age group. 83% of them were females, and 17% were males. The knowledge about probiotics was very limited. Only 26% of the participants had heard about probiotics, whereby social media was their main source of knowledge (35%). The participants with college degrees education, showed more knowledge about probiotics (70%) with significant P value= 0.015. 30% indicated that yoghurt was a source of probiotics. 20% of the subjects consumed probiotics, and 44% of them mentioned that they consumed probiotics to maintain good gastrointestinal health and immune system followed by 13% of the participants consumed probiotics to treat antibiotic-associated diarrheas and other abdominal discomforts. And only 24% of them took probiotics with a meal. Probiotics are still a debatable topic for many people, and the knowledge about the topic is not well understood. Also, there is a huge gap in the probiotics knowledge among the Saudi population. This gap need to be addressed on different levels to be able to reach the widest range of people to facilitate the growth of a healthy generation.