Public awareness and knowledge about Helicobacter Pylori (H. pylori) among Singaporeans

• Main Author: Tan, Wei Ting
• Other Authors: Thirumaran s/o Thanabalu
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/72512
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Background: Helicobacter Pylori (H. pylori) is one of the most common bacterial infection, affecting 50% of the world population. It resides mainly in the stomach and is known to lead to inflammation of the gastric wall, although the mechanism is unknown. If left untreated in the long term, it can lead to complications such as peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. Despite known associations of H. pylori with gastric cancer, H. pylori awareness study or campaigns was not attempted in Singapore. Objective: This study aims to ascertain the awareness, knowledge and perception level of Helicobacter Pylori among the Singapore population. Methodology: A self-administered questionnaire was conducted among 504 participants in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Results: The results have shown that 69.8% have not heard of H. pylori which revealed the severe lack of knowledge. Other aspects of H. pylori such as transmission route, treatment and screening were also poorly done. Conclusion: The results gave an understanding on the direction the government and healthcare sector can work on, such as initiating H. pylori awareness campaigns and screening program. This could help to reduce both the incidence of H. pylori infection and gastric cancer in the long run.