Hereditary Diseases

The prevalence of genetic blood disorders is high, ranging from 10-25%, in Kuwait. This high prevalence is mainly due to a preventable cause, namely, consanguineous marriages. One of the most successful programs in Kuwait implemented to reduce such high prevalence is premarital screening program. The aim of the study was to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and satisfaction among university students regarding premarital screening program, and to find out the factors influencing knowledge, attitude, and satisfaction of the people toward premarital screening program. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 809 students of Kuwait University during July-October 2016. A self-administered questionnaire including 51 questions was handed out to the participants after taking informed consent. The main outcome variables of this study were: knowledge of hereditary diseases, premarital screening, attitude, and satisfaction toward premarital screening program. The mean ± SD of knowledge score about hereditary diseases was 5.80 ± 2.9 out of a total of 14, and the knowledge score for premarital screening was 3.99 ± 1.2 out of 6. In univariate analysis, knowledge scores about hereditary diseases were significantly associated with marital status (P = 0.043), education in medical faculties (P < 0.001), higher education of father (P = 0.027), higher education of mother (P = 0.001), and presence of hereditary disease in the family (P = 0.003). The level of attitude toward premarital screening program was significantly associated with female gender (P < 0.001), marital status (P = 0.023), higher years of study (P = 0.002), higher family income (P = 0.019). In multivariate analysis, education in medical faculties and presence of hereditary disease in the family were significant predictors of knowledge about hereditary disease. This study identified some demographic factors which determined the outcome of knowledge about premarital screening and hereditary disease. Also, the study demonstrated that more than 90% of the people were not satisfied about the premarital screening program, and more than 70% had to wait for a long time before receiving the test results. These areas of dissatisfaction should be improved for a successful program.

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