Public Perceptions and Attitudes of Bangladeshi Population towards Thalassemia Prevention: A Nationwide Study

Abstract

Background: Thalassemia is one of the most common life-threatening yet preventable congenital hemoglobin disorders especially in South Asian regions like Bangladesh. It has become a rising public health concern for Bangladesh as 6-12% of the population are carriers and many of them are unaware of it. The purpose of the study is to inspect the knowledge and attitude towards thalassemia among the general people of Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in eight administrative regions of Bangladesh between January and October of 2020. A self-administrative close-ended questionnaire was designed to collect information about thalassemia and socio-demographic characteristics. Pearson’s chi-square (χ2) test and One-way ANOVA were performed to assess the association between the demographic variables with knowledge and practice regarding thalassemia. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant.Results: Of the 1623 participants, only 44.7% (726/1623) had heard of thalassemia. The mean knowledge of thalassemia was scored 4.75 ± 2.05 out of a total possible score of 10. Half of the participants had no idea that thalassemia was not a transfusion transmitted disease. About 73.1% knew that blood tests are a diagnosis process to determine thalassemia. The urban residing participants had the highest (5.10 ± 1.99) and participants with primary education had the lowest (3.38 ± 1.37) mean score of knowledge. Participants' knowledge score varied significantly by marital status, living pace, literacy and occupation (p< 0.05). However, about 68.2% and 85.5% of the participants showed a positive attitude towards premarital screening of themselves or their family members and donating blood to thalassemia patients, respectively. Conclusion: The study shows that there is a need to disseminate the information on thalassemia since the knowledge gap is huge among people. These findings will assist the implementation of significant steps such as educational programs, health counseling, premarital screening, campaigning, etc. to increase the awareness of thalassemia.

Knowledge and attitudes towards thalassemia among university students in Bangladesh

“…The research team devised a self-reported questionnaire after conducting a thorough literature review (1,2,4,7,9–14) on individuals’ thalassemia knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The questionnaire was in English.…”

“…Food, sleep, living, and breathing do not affect it. Although thalassemia is a preventable disease, it's a high prevalence, and the lack of cure has made it a global health concern (2). The most prevalent clinical signs of thalassemia, classified as alpha, beta, gamma, or delta, are alpha and beta-thalassemia.…”

“…Thalassemia is highly preventable in Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Mediterranean, Middle Asia, Central Asia, and West Africa (2). As a result of migration to non-endemic areas, thalassemia spread across Europe and North America.…”