Socio-Economic Determinants of Care-Seeking Knowledge for Persistent Dyspeptic Symptoms in a High-Prevalence Helicobacter pylori Region

BackgroundHelicobacter pylori remains a public health priority in southern Saudi Arabia due to its association with gastric pathology.While previous studies have described awareness levels, few have examined the factors associated with recognizing when symptoms warrant medical care.This study identifies independent predictors of care-seeking knowledge for persistent dyspeptic symptoms among university students in a high-prevalence region. MethodsAn analytical cross-sectional study of 382 students was conducted using a questionnaire originally designed to assess H. pylori knowledge.The outcome was a single-best-answer item asking in which situation an infected person should receive medical intervention; selecting persistent upper abdominal pain was coded as correct.Binary logistic regression was used to model the associations of socio-economic factors and H. pylori knowledge with this outcome. ResultsOverall, 25.7% of students identified persistent upper abdominal pain as warranting medical intervention.H. pylori knowledge scores were not significantly associated with this outcome, whereas household income (>10,000 vs. <4,000 SAR; adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.45,p=0.007) and age (AOR=1.12per year, p=0.003) were significant independent predictors; residing in a household of more than five members showed an exploratory association (AOR=1.88,p=0.045). ConclusionRecognition of when dyspeptic symptoms warrant medical care appeared to follow socio-economic and age gradients rather than general H. pylori knowledge.These findings should be confirmed using validated measures of care-seeking intention and actual healthcare use.