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Knowledge, Perceptions and Attitudes among Sharia Practitioners in Palestine Regarding Halal Pharmaceuticals: An Exploratory Study

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Abstract

The purpose of this questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was to investigate the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes regarding halal pharmaceuticals among sharia practitioners in Palestine. A total of 420 sharia practitioners with different educational levels were included. This was a cross-sectional study conducted between March and July 2021 with the use of a standardized, self-administered questionnaire. Volunteers were selected throughout Palestine using a systematic random selection approach. The data were summarized using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage, median, and interquartile range). The Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to examine the relationship between demographic factors and the knowledge, attitude, and perception scores, respectively. The results revealed that sharia practitioners have relatively good and positive knowledge toward halal pharmaceuticals. The main knowledge of most halal pharmaceuticals was about 50.2%, yet there is still significant latitude in their knowledge of a few issues. The main attitude and perception score was about 96.4%. The results showed a positive and fair correlation between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.153, P < 0.001) and also between knowledge and perception (r = 0.341, P < 0.001). In addition, there is a good correlation between attitude and perception (r = 0.681, P < 0.001). The study concluded that better knowledge of halal pharmaceuticals is associated with positive perceptions and behaviors. The government, pharmaceutical manufacturers, religious scholars, and health care professionals should collaborate to achieve the goal of using halal medications.

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Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

Our grateful acknowledgments go to An-Najah National University for their help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, Palestine

    Ahmad M. Eid & Abdel Naser Zaid

  2. Faculty of Sharia, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine

    Jamal Zaid Kielani

Authors
  1. Ahmad M. Eid
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  2. Abdel Naser Zaid
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  3. Jamal Zaid Kielani
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The current research done by the authors.

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Correspondence to Ahmad M. Eid.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

The informed consent forms, ethics, and aims of the present study were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at An-Najah National University (IRB Ref. Pharm. March 2021/39).

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Eid, A.M., Zaid, A.N. & Kielani, J.Z. Knowledge, Perceptions and Attitudes among Sharia Practitioners in Palestine Regarding Halal Pharmaceuticals: An Exploratory Study. J Relig Health (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01604-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01604-7

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