Knowledge and attitude toward hemoglobinopathies premarital screening program among unmarried population in western Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives:To assess the knowledge and attitude toward hemoglobinopathies premarital screening (PMS) program among unmarried population in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1039 unmarried males and females from the general population who fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Data was collected from July-December 2017, using an electronic questionnaire to assess the socio-demographic data, knowledge and attitudes of the participants regarding PMS.Results:Approximately half of the participants had poor knowledge scores (51.1%), while 28.4% of them had fair and 20.5% had good scores. Individuals with an educational level of “university degree and above” had significantly higher knowledge than those with lower educational levels. Furthermore, 60.4% of the participants had a positive attitude toward PMS. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA); and a Chi-squared test was used for comparisons between proportions and a p-value ≤0.05 was considered significant.Conclusion:Participants showed a lack of knowledge regarding PMS but they had a positive attitude towards the program. More efforts are required to raise awareness in the public regarding PMS, via social media and educational lectures in schools and universities. Additionally, early genetic screening may help improve test acceptance and higher impact.

Public Awareness of the Consanguinity and Genetic Disease Prevalence Connection in Saudi Arabia

“…And more than 60% of all the participants were in favor of preventing at-risk marriages. 17 Moreover, these participants who were 18-30 years old aware that genetic diseases can be passed from parents to children which support our previous claim. On the other hand, it could be said that the older participants have better knowledge of the impact of genetic diseases on the economy as a result, they support preventing marriage if the couple is found to have a genetic disease since it could be transferred to their children.…”

Awareness of Premarital Screening and Genetic Counseling among Saudis and its Association with Sociodemographic Factors: a National Study

“…Higher family income was also a significant predictor, in agreement with findings from a recent study of the general population in western Saudi Arabia. 13 We also detected an association between the level of PMSGC knowledge and marital status, with previously married participants having a higher knowledge score than those not married before. This is likely to be because these individuals had already attended premarital screening for married couples.…”

“…The sample size was calculated using Epi Info STATCALC version 7.2.2.6, with assumptions based on Binshihon et al, who found that 48.9% of the unmarried population in western Saudi Arabia had fair to good knowledge about the premarital screening program. 13 With a 95% confidence level (CI), 5.5% margin of error, 43% expected fair to satisfactory level of knowledge, and a design effect of 20 to permit analysis between the 20 regions, the sample size was calculated as 6220. Finally, 6250 people were targeted and 6500 were approached in case of sample attrition.…”

An assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice of the Kuantan community on the effects of monosaccharides on cancer

“…17 Concerning positive attitude, one research revealed that Malaysian medical students have positive knowledge and attitude toward breast cancer. 18 Meanwhile, the practice level of the community is moderate, showing that good attitude does not necessarily mean good practice.…”