Assessment of the public knowledge, perception and attitude in Indonesia toward spondyloarthritis: a national survey

Lack of public awareness of spondyloarthritis (SpA) leads to diagnosis delay and high disease activity. This study aimed to assess the public knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes towards SpA in Indonesia. This research was a cross-sectional study with an online questionnaire. A total of 1084 participants’ demographics, knowledge, attitude, and perception of SpA were obtained using convenience sampling. Respondents’ knowledge, attitude, and perception levels were scored numerically and categorized (satisfactory and unsatisfactory). Associations were assessed using a logistic regression analysis. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) knowledge score was 5.21 ± 1.89 (45.11% of respondents had satisfactory knowledge). Living on Java Island was associated with the participants’ unsatisfactory knowledge (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 1.33; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03 to 1.71; p = 0.027). The mean ± SD perception score was 3.14 ± 1.21 (35.98% of respondents had a satisfactory perception). Education (bachelor AOR: 1.46; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.98; p = 0.014) and occupation (employed AOR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.20; p = 0.020) were significantly associated with poor perception. The mean ± SD score of attitudes was 2.52 ± 1.54, while only 54.24% of participants preferred went to the doctor if they had symptoms of SpA. Employed respondents (AOR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.01; p = 0.046) and living inside Java Island (AOR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.87; p = 0.004) were associated with attitudes towards SpA. In conclusion, more than half of the subjects had a poor knowledge, perception, or attitude towards SpA. Therefore, programs that empower the knowledge, attitude, and perception towards SpA in community need to be developed to close this gap.