Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards fatty liver disease among the general population in Shanghai, China: a community-based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE

Concerned by the high incidence of fatty liver disease (FLD), this cross-sectional study aims to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding FLD among the general population in Shanghai, China.

METHODS

Residents of Shanghai, China, were recruited for the cross-sectional study between October 2022 and April 2023. All participants were asked to complete and submit a self-administered online questionnaire involving sociodemographic information and KAP towards FLD. A convenience sampling strategy was adopted.

RESULTS

A total of 1,006 questionnaires were included for analysis. The average scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice were 7.06 ± 2.26 (out of 13), 40.02 ± 5.70 (out of 50), and 31.09 ± 6.85 (out of 50), respectively. Correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between attitude and practice (r = 0.41, p < 0.001). Structural equation modeling revealed that knowledge directly influenced attitude (β = 0.33, p < 0.001), and attitude influenced practice (β = 0.56, p < 0.001). In addition, knowledge indirectly influenced practice (β = 0.19, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This study shows that residents in Shanghai had inadequate knowledge, positive attitudes, and moderate practices toward FLD. These findings suggest that improving public awareness may contribute to more favorable attitudes and preventive behaviors related to FLD. Community-based health education programs, physician counseling, and digital health promotion strategies such as social media campaigns may help enhance public awareness and encourage healthier lifestyle behaviors. However, the cross-sectional design and convenience sampling may limit the generalizability of the findings.