Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38238839›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2024

Public knowledge and beliefs about the irritable bowel syndrome - results from the SOMA.SOC study.

Olaf von dem Knesebeck, Bernd Löwe, Daniel Lüdecke, Johanna S Bobardt, Rieke Barbek

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Olaf von dem KnesebeckInstitute of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Martinstr.52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany. o.knesebeck@uke.de.
Bernd LöweDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, UKE, Hamburg, Germany.
Daniel LüdeckeInstitute of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Martinstr.52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
Johanna S BobardtDepartment of General Practice and Primary Care, UKE, Hamburg, Germany.
Rieke BarbekInstitute of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Martinstr.52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf · DEUniversität Hamburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite the epidemiological and economic relevance of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), there is a lack of research on what the general public knows and thinks about this condition (IBS literacy). Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore public knowledge and beliefs about IBS in Germany. Moreover, associations of knowledge and beliefs about IBS with socio-demographic characteristics as well as illness and treatment experiences were analysed.

methodsAnalyses made use of a national telephone survey (N = 1,205). A carefully developed vignette describing a person with typical symptoms of IBS was presented. Respondents were then asked to name the disease in question and beliefs about causes and treatment options were assessed. For the analyses respondents were divided into three groups: (1) people who never had IBS symptoms, (2) people who had or have IBS symptoms but never were in treatment and (3) individuals who reported to be or have been treated for IBS symptoms.

resultsLess than 4% of the respondents recognized IBS after presentation of the vignette. About 75% positively evaluated treatability while psychotherapy was evaluated more effective than medication. Stress and unhealthy lifestyle were the most frequently endorsed possible causes of the presented IBS symptoms. There were variations in knowledge and beliefs about IBS according to age, gender, and education. We found minor differences in beliefs and knowledge between individuals who had or have symptoms but never were in treatment and those without respective illness experience. Respondents with illness/treatment experiences rated their knowledge significantly better than those without any experiences.

conclusionsResults indicate low levels of public knowledge about IBS regarding illness recognition in Germany. A majority disagreed that they have good knowledge about IBS symptoms. Against this background, it seems reasonable to develop and test interventions to improve IBS literacy by increasing knowledge about symptoms, causes and treatment options.

Indexed as

Irritable Bowel SyndromeGermanyHumansBeliefsHealth literacyIrritable bowel syndromeKnowledgeSOMA.SOC

Identifiers

PMID38238839
PMCPMC10797779
OpenAlexW4390985869

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.