Authors: Basim Alshahrani , Renas Abdullah Alghanami , Aya Al-Yousef , Faisal Faiez Albalawi , Abdulrahman Ali A Alharbi , Nada Mohammed Albeladi , Danah Alshahrani , Rafa Abdulkareem Almalki , Wesam A. Nasif , Abeer Shaker El Moursy Ali

Abstract

Background: Parents are important in limiting exposure to environmental toxicants, but little evidence exists about parental awareness and preventive behaviors in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to evaluate the awareness and preventive measures of parents in the Western region of Saudi Arabia about toxicants affecting children in their environment.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among parents living in Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, Yanbu, and Taif. The validated 18-item Prevention of Toxic Chemicals in the Environment for Children Tool (PRoTECT) was used to obtain data for this study, assessing knowledge and preventive behaviors in five domains.

Results: A total of 434 parents were included. The mean total PRoTECT score was 87.98 ± 4.02 (range 61–90), and 51.2% of participants obtained the highest possible score. The level of agreement was over 95% with 14 out of 18 questionnaire items. The greatest consensus was found regarding support for more stringent environmental policies, interest in learning more about environmental toxicants, and willingness to take preventive measures. Non-married status, 5+ children, and student/trainee status were all associated with lower scores, and higher household income was associated with higher scores in multivariable analysis (β = −3.68, p < 0.001; β = −5.71, p < 0.001, respectively; and β = −11.37, p < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusion: Parents in this sample had high awareness and showed high preventive orientation regarding environmentally hazardous substances on children. Although the overall scores were high, there were some differences between the socioeconomic groups.

Keywords: Environmental toxicants, parental awareness, preventive behaviors, PRoTECT questionnaire, Saudi Arabia.