Gastroesophageal reflux disease among students of Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is defined as symptoms or lesions that result from the retrograde flow of gastric contents into the esophagus. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of GERD among male and female students of different colleges of Jouf University, and to assess the degree of awareness regarding the disease, its risk factors, and attitudes toward self-administration of medications.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire on 500 students from different colleges of Jouf University, Sakaka City, Saudi Arabia, during the academic year 2019–2020.
Results: GERD was prevalent among 21.2% of students. Of these, 64.2% students with GERD were females and= 57.5% were from health colleges. Out of the total, 25.8% of the students reported the use of proton pump inhibitors and 38.8% reported the use of ranitidine, both without prescription. There were only 32.2% who had awareness about the latest ranitidine alert, and the most common source was social media (49.7%).
Conclusion: The prevalence of GERD among students in this study was lower when compared to other studies conducted on university students in other regions of Saudi Arabia. The associated factors of GERD were slightly different from other studies and this may be attributed to the variation in sociodemographic characteristics and the life style of the Jouf population. Regarding the misuse of antisecretory drugs for treatment of GERD, more educational programs regarding drug counseling are required to increase the awareness of students, and further studies are recommended.