{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,21]],"date-time":"2026-02-21T05:16:37Z","timestamp":1771650997233,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,19]],"date-time":"2024-12-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1734566400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Deanship of Scientific Research at King Faisal University","award":["KFU242769"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["KFU242769"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Healthcare"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: On a local and national scale, genitourinary malformations (GUMs) are the second most encountered congenital anomaly in children. GUMs are linked to several risk factors, including maternal co-morbidities and insufficient folic acid. They may also be related to maternal health and care during pregnancy. Expanding our knowledge about these factors is necessary for the development of preventative measures, which could reduce GUM incidence. This study evaluated the local youth\u2019s understanding and perceptions of genitourinary anomalies. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, qualitative, anonymous, questionnaire-based study involved members of the local population, aged 18 years or over. Based on a 5% type I error rate (\u03b1 = 0.05) and an 80% response rate, a sample size of 481 was determined. The questionnaire was completed by 902 people. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 (IBM). Results: Over half (57%) of respondents believed that hormonal therapy during pregnancy could increase GUM risk. Moreover, 46% thought that maternal chronic diseases could be another risk factor, while 43% believed that pregnancy-related conditions, such as pre-eclampsia, increased GUM risk. Women had higher odds of high perception scores than men, according to the univariate and multivariate analyses. Most participants (74%) strongly agreed that proper and ongoing prenatal follow-ups are necessary, 69% agreed that premarital medical check-ups are necessary, and 67% believed that optimal nutrition throughout pregnancy is necessary to reduce GUM risk. Conclusions: The results emphasize the necessity of developing healthcare strategies specifically designed to increase knowledge about GUMs and overcome incorrect community perceptions of risk factors that could also help improve attitudes towards prevention and ultimately reduce the incidence of GUMs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare12242558","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,19]],"date-time":"2024-12-19T06:50:44Z","timestamp":1734591044000},"page":"2558","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Community Awareness and Perceptions of Genitourinary Malformations: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7515-5662","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahmad A.","family":"Al Abdulqader","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departments of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Haytham Mohammed","family":"Alarfaj","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departments of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4441-171X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammed Saad","family":"Bu Bshait","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departments of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6031-8948","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahmed Hassan","family":"Kamal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departments of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8510-8659","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammed Nasser","family":"Albarqi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Amnah Ali","family":"Alkhawajah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alreem I.","family":"Alshahri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abdullah Abduljalil","family":"Almubarak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mariyyah Abdullah","family":"Almuhaini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-6587-3126","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nawaf","family":"Al Khashram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6035-1230","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abdullah","family":"Almaqhawi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4608-8565","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ossama Mohamed","family":"Zakaria","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departments of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. 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