Journal Article

Assessing Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Celiac Disease and gluten-free Products Among Healthy Blood Donors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Bakhsh, Reham, Badri, Hatim Matooq, Alkathiri, Ahmad Salah, Almorish, Mohammed AW, Bazie, Elsharif. A, Aldomini, Muath Ahmed, Quronfulah, Baraa S, Elkhalifa, Ahmed M.E, Alharbi, Mohammed Ahmed, Ali, Moataz Mohamedalhasan, Alghamdi, Abdullah Ahmed

2025

Overview

BackgroundCeliac disease (CD) is an autoimmune condition marked by intestinal mucosa inflammation due to gluten. Currently, the sole effective treatment for CD is a gluten-free diet. knowledge and attitudes towards CD are essential for timely diagnosis and management. This research seeks to explore the knowledge and attitudes of blood donors regarding CD and gluten-free products in Yemen.MethodsA cross-sectional study was executed involving 216 healthy male blood donors in Sana’a, Yemen. The questionnaire used in the study was a reliable survey instrument (with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.71) employed for the purpose of data collection. Demographic information, knowledge, and attitudes regarding CD were gathered through direct questionnaire administration. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: (1) demographic questions on age, sex, marital status, education level, blood groups, and body mass index (BMI); (2) knowledge assessment with 10 items; and (3) an attitude section with 4 questions. Statistical analysis utilized SPSS version 24 (IBM Chicago, IL, USA).ResultsA total of 216 blood donors were analysed. All participants were male, aged between 20 and 52 years. Among the participants, 14.8% exhibited familiarity with CD and gluten-free products. A comprehensive analysis revealed that 3.7% of participants possessed sufficient knowledge, 11.1% exhibited moderate knowledge, whereas 85.2% indicated a lack of knowledge regarding CD and gluten-free products. The vast majority 99.1% of participants demonstrated unfavourable attitudes towards CD and gluten-free products. A significant weak positive correlation was identified between knowledge scores and attitudes towards CD and gluten-free products (r = 0.370, P < 0.001). No correlation was found between socio-demographic factors and blood donors’ knowledge and attitudes regarding CD and gluten-free products.ConclusionThe research revealed a significant lack of awareness and ongoing misconceptions regarding CD within the Yemeni population. These results highlight the critical necessity for focused educational initiatives and enhanced availability of gluten-free products to promote timely diagnosis and efficient disease management.

• Publisher: Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Arabic language / Attitudes / Autoimmune diseases / Blood & organ donations / Blood donors / Blood groups / Blood levels / Body mass index / Celiac disease / Cross-sectional studies / Data collection / Demography / Diagnosis / Diet / Divorce / Education / Educational attainment / Familiarity / Gluten / Knowledge / Literature reviews / Marital status / Overweight / Perceptions / Quality of life / Questionnaires / Sample size / Sociodemographics / Statistical analysis