Knowledge of Blood-Borne Infections Among Secondary School Students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Blood-borne infections remain a major global public health concern. Adolescents may encounter preventable exposure risks, making adequate knowledge of transmission and prevention important. This study assessed knowledge of blood-borne infections and associated sociodemographic factors and explored the association between previous exposure to health education and knowledge level among secondary school students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 686 students selected through multistage random sampling from four governmental secondary schools during the 2017-2018 academic year. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered, expert-reviewed questionnaire that demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.954). Descriptive analyses, χ ² tests, and multivariable multinomial logistic regression were performed. An exploratory χ ² analysis examined the association between previous exposure to health education and knowledge level, with Cramer's V used to estimate effect size.

The response rate was 98%. Overall, 63.7% of participants had poor knowledge, 24.1% had moderate knowledge, and 12.2% had good knowledge. In bivariate analyses, knowledge level was significantly associated with gender, age, educational grade, educational track, and parental educational level. Previous exposure to health education was also significantly associated with knowledge level (χ ²(2) = 21.10, p < 0.001; Cramer's V = 0.175). After adjustment, male students had lower odds of moderate and good knowledge than female students. Selected categories of age, educational grade, and parental education also remained independently associated with knowledge level, whereas educational track was no longer independently associated.

The identified knowledge gaps may help inform age-appropriate and culturally relevant school health education programs addressing the transmission and prevention of blood-borne infections.

Substantial knowledge gaps regarding blood-borne infections were identified among secondary school students. These findings provide baseline evidence for future research and school health education initiatives. Contemporary studies are needed to determine whether similar knowledge gaps persist among secondary school students in Saudi Arabia.