Community Awareness of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Preferences for Video-based Tele-education among Women in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia

Kannan, Latha S; Anna, Ruby Abraham; Daniel, Shainy; Aslam, Nousheen; Maradheef, Rana Al; Nashaat, Nahla Ali Maher; Hassan, Eman M Gaber

doi:10.33091/amj.2026.167888.2544

	Community Awareness of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Preferences for Video-based Tele-education among Women in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
Al- Anbar Medical Journal
Volume 22, Issue 3, July 2026, Pages 159-165 PDF (332.36 K)
Document Type: Original articles
DOI: 10.33091/amj.2026.167888.2544
Authors
latha S Kannan^* ¹; Ruby Abraham Anna¹; Shainy Daniel¹; Nousheen Aslam²; Rana Al Maradheef¹; Nahla Ali Maher Nashaat¹^{, 3}; Eman M Gaber Hassan¹^{, 4}
¹Nursing Department, Mohammed Al-Mana College for Medical Sciences, Dammam, Eastern Region, KSA.
²Pharmacy Department, Mohammed Al-Mana College for Medical Sciences, Dammam, Eastern Region, KSA.
³Department of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Egypt.
⁴Medical Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Cairo University, Cairo City, Egypt.
Abstract
Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 10-16% of Saudi women of reproductive age. Limited awareness and a lack of evidence-based information contribute to delayed diagnosis. Understanding regional health literacy and preferred educational strategies is essential for improving awareness and promoting early diagnosis. Objective: To assess awareness and knowledge of PCOS, examine the relationship between sociodemographic factors and PCOS knowledge, and identify preferred methods for delivering PCOS-related health information. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Using convenience and snowball sampling, 335 women completed a self-administered Arabic questionnaire assessing sociodemographic data, PCOS awareness, knowledge (score range 0–26), and educational preferences. Descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for analysis, with epsilon-squared (ε²) used to estimate effect sizes. Results: Overall PCOS awareness was 83.3% (n=279), with a mean knowledge score of 13.1±5.02. Age (χ²=24.9, P-value<0.001, ε²=0.0746) and education level (χ²=8.03, P-value =0.045, ε²=0.0240) were significantly associated with knowledge scores, with younger women (18-24 years) achieving higher scores. Social media/internet (38.8%) was the most common information source, followed by family/friends (26.3%) and healthcare providers (21.2%). Video-based internet education was preferred by 57.9% of participants, and 60.3% rated it as highly effective. Traditional lectures and printed materials were less favored. Conclusion: Older and less educated women demonstrated lower PCOS awareness. The strong preference for video-based education highlights the potential value of culturally tailored tele-education programs in improving PCOS knowledge, encourage earlier diagnosis, and support reproductive health initiatives.
Keywords
Polycystic ovary syndrome; Telehealth; Health awareness; Women's health

Statistics Article View: 335 PDF Download: 249