Awareness of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome among Adult Population in Al-Jouf Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a medical condition due to compression of the Median bone as it travels to the wrist in the carpal tunnel. Public awareness on CTS is essential for the early seeking of the medical care for either surgical or non-surgical intervention. The aim of the present research was to study the awareness level of CTS among adult people in Al-Jouf Region, Saudi Arabia and to assess the correlation between CTS awareness and education level of other demographic characteristics of participants. 420 participants were randomly enrolled in the present cross-sectional research. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used for assessment. The SPSS was used to analyze the collected data and Chi-square test was used to identify associated factors for poor awareness of CTS. Findings of the study indicated that (74.8%) of the participants had a poor level of awareness of CTS. No significant relationship was found among education level, gender, marital status, nationality, occupation and the level of awareness of CTS, while the only significant relation was between the age and the level of awareness of CTS. The awareness level of CTS was inadequate among adult population in Al-Jouf Region, Saudi Arabia. The campaigns raising awareness about CTS and its symptoms must be conducted frequently at the different public and private places. This will help the people to seek the health care at the early stages so that either surgical or non-surgical methods can be applied at the initial stages.