Awareness of Vitiligo Among Multi-ethnic Populations

Background: Vitiligo is a common acquired pigmentary disorder reported worldwide. Although asymptomatic, vitiligo negatively affects the patients' quality of life because it provokes psychological stigmatization and social discrimination. There are several misconceptions regarding vitiligo.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of and attitudes toward vitiligo in the general population and in different ethnic groups.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted during which the participants were required to watch a brief video portraying a waitress affected by vitiligo and to fill a questionnaire related to the video content. Participants were recruited from among people who visited a private international hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, and who freely accepted to participate in the study.

Results: Out of 405 participants who voluntarily participated in the study, approximately 30% were able to identify the condition as vitiligo. Approximately 66% and 88% of the participants had sufficient knowledge about and positive attitudes toward vitiligo, respectively. Those with sufficient knowledge scores significantly had more positive attitudes (p = 0.001). However, there were some differences among ethnic groups (p < 0.0001). Arabians had the highest knowledge and attitude scores. Regarding close-relationship attitudes, Asians tended to have perceptions that were different from that of others.

Conclusion: Knowledge of and attitudes toward vitiligo varied among ethnicities. Only 30% of the study population could identify this condition. Arabians had the highest knowledge score, whereas Caucasians had the highest prevalence of positive attitudes. Therefore, global awareness of vitiligo should be emphasized.