Background: Asthma is considered one of the most prevalent causes of disability in children and adults worldwide. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of asthma and its related risk factors among the adult population in Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: This is a cross-sectional qualitative study conducted through a survey sent to adults living in Jazan city, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire collected demographic data and included questions related to asthma diagnosis, treatment, and risk factors. Data analysis was carried out through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26.
Results: A total of 451 participants responded to the questionnaire and met our inclusion criteria. The average age of responders was 26.36 ± 6.5. The prevalence of asthma was estimated to be 61.4% of the whole sample. However, only 12% of the participants had a confirmed diagnosis by their physicians. As for asthma risk factors, 14.4% of responders were smokers, 38.6% had a positive family history of asthma, and 9.8% had bronchitis during the last year. Also, 81.2% of the responders used perfumes frequently and 42.8% practiced sports regularly.
Regarding asthma medications, 27.3% of the participants could not stop their asthma medications, and 12.2% often used their bronchodilators. The most significant risk factors for asthma were positive family history (p value < 0.001), asthma diagnosis in the past 12 months (p value < 0.001), discontinuation of asthma medications (
Key words: Asthma, bronchodilators, risk factors, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
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