Knowledge, Attitude, and Satisfaction of University Students Regarding Premarital Screening Programs in Kuwait

Abstract

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.

Knowledge and perception of inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) among healthcare students at a selected public university in Klang Valley, Malaysia

“…This present study also found that students with a family history of IEMs had more IEM-related knowledge. This finding was similar to that of another study which concluded that a family history of genetic disorders was one of the key determinants of acquiring more knowledge on IEMs (21). This was because most individuals with hereditary diseases have, at the very least, some knowledge of the disease in question (32).…”

“…Furthermore, because many healthcare students report insufficient IEM-related knowledge, they struggle to distinguish rare IEMs from other common diseases (19,20). A Saudi Arabian study also reported an overall lack of IEM-related knowledge, especially among students in non-medical faculties (21,22).…”

“…Female participants were also found to have higher levels of IEM-related knowledge. This may be due to their natural ability to produce offspring, which increases concerns (i.e., maternal instincts) of prenatal genetic testing (21,22,27). Other factors; such as a family history of genetic disorders; was also found to contribute to higher levels of IEM-related knowledge (21).…”

Pengetahuan dan Pendapat Mahasiswa Poltekkes Surabaya Tentang Kelainan Genetik dan Skrining Pra-Nikah

“…Meskipun responden tidak ditanyakan apakah mereka sudah pernah mendapatkan informasi mengenai skrining pra-nikah sebelum pemberian edukasi, seluruh responden menjawab perlu untuk melakukan skrining pra-nikah (pre dan post-test). Penelitian pada mahasiswi di Jeddah, mahasiswa di Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait dan mahasiswa kedokteran di Yaman menunjukkan sebagian besar berpendapat apabila skrining pra-nikah adalah penting dan mereka akan melakukannya kelak (Al Kindi et al, 2012;Al-Enezi & Mitra, 2017;Alhowiti & Shaqran, 2019;Al-Nood et al, 2016;Ibrahim et al, 2011). Kelainan genetik umum ditemukan dan menjadi perhatian karena berhubungan dengan morbiditas dan mortalitas di negara-negara Arab.…”

Exploring People’s Knowledge of Genetics and Attitude towards Genetic Testing: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Population with a High Prevalence of Consanguinity

“…In Saudi Arabia, genetic diseases are widespread in the general population. This high incidence is linked to consanguineous marriages and large families, advanced maternal age, and a lack of healthcare efforts to prevent such disorders [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. The country introduced the first National Premarital Screening Program (NPMS) in 2014 to reduce the risk of inherited disorders similar to hereditary hemoglobin abnormalities.…”