Knowledge and Awareness of Myocardial Infarction Symptoms and Appropriate Emergency Response Among the General Adult Population in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and objective Delayed recognition of myocardial infarction (MI) symptoms is a preventable driver of cardiovascular mortality, yet the extent to which the public in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, can identify these symptoms and respond appropriately in an emergency has not been well studied. This study aimed to assess awareness of MI symptoms and the appropriate emergency response among adults in Jeddah, and to determine which sociodemographic and health-related factors are associated with this awareness. Methods In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 281 adults aged 18 years and older in Jeddah completed a self-administered online questionnaire covering sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, recognition of six typical and atypical MI symptoms (yielding an awareness score ranging from 0 to 6), and knowledge of the correct emergency response. Correct recognition of a symptom was scored as an affirmative "Yes" response, with "No" and "Don't know" both scored as non-recognition. Associations between awareness and sociodemographic variables were tested using chi-square tests, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results The sample was 60.1% female, and the mean awareness score was 4.02 ± 2.02 out of 6. Shortness of breath (76.9%) and chest pain (75.8%) were recognized far more often than nausea or vomiting (50.9%) and jaw or neck pain (54.8%). At the participant level, 176/281 (62.6%) correctly recognized all three typical symptoms, 43/281 (15.3%) recognized two, 21/281 (7.5%) recognized one, and 41/281 (14.6%) recognized none. Nearly all participants (94.0%) knew that calling an ambulance was the appropriate first step, but only 26.7% incorrectly identified 997 as the national emergency number, while the majority (66.5%) correctly identified 911. Two-thirds of participants (66.9%) fell into the high-awareness group (≥ 4/6 symptoms recognized), but this did not differ significantly by gender (p = 0.506), education (p = 0.318), or age group (p = 0.914); mean awareness scores likewise showed no significant differences across these same groups (p = 0.379, 0.633, and 0.799, respectively). Conclusions Adults in Jeddah generally recognized classic MI symptoms and knew the correct emergency response, but recognition of atypical symptoms was lower and was not associated with the sociodemographic factors examined. Public health campaigns that specifically address atypical presentations, particularly nausea and jaw or neck pain, may be warranted for the population as a whole rather than targeting any single subgroup.