Perception of consanguineous marriage among the qatari population

Abdu, Yasamin; Ahmed, Khalid; Ibrahim, Mohamed Izham Mohamed; Abdou, Mariam; Ali, Arwa; Alsiddig, Hind; Selim, Nagah A.; Yassin, Mohammed A.

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1228010

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 31 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…Studies from Turkey & Iran had the impression that in the premarital stage, the opinions are not mature enough compared to the mature age when one faces the hardships of life ( 26 , 27 ). Our findings regarding community attitude are similar to those of a Qatari study that reported a similar attitude to this aspect of the determinant ( 28 ). In contrast, while taking the opinion of parents agreeing with the CM of their children, a Pakistani study pointed out that cultural continuity and wealth safety are considered important factors when deciding their children’s marriages ( 29 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Consanguineous marriages, premarital screening, and genetic testing: a survey among Saudi university students

Jameel,

Baig,

Murad

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundMarriage among cousins or close relatives, i.e., consanguinity, is prevalent in many parts of the world, especially the Muslim world. Across civilizations, cultural norms, religious beliefs, and economic factors affect consanguineous marriages (CMs); however, such marriages have social, genetic, and health repercussions. The present study investigated the university students’ attitudes regarding CMs and factors influencing their attitudes at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).MethodsThis cross-sectional prospective study was conducted at KAU Jeddah in 2023. The questionnaire was distributed via electronic media (Emails, Facebook Messenger & WhatsApp). The convenience sampling technique was used to select participants, and descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data on SPSS-26.ResultsA total of 1707 university students were part of the study (females, 1,198, 70.2%; males, 509, 29.8%). Almost half of the participants, 819 (48.0%), had parents with CMs. Most of the participants, 1,391 (81.5%), had CMs in the family. Half of the participants disagreed that parents consider marriage stable due to high compatibility and the same social relationship before and after marriage. About one-third of respondents said parents believe family marriage transmits cultural values and continuity and keeps wealth in the family. More than three-fourths of the participants stated that if marriage is arranged with first cousins, they will opt for genetic analysis (82.5%) and premarital counseling (85.2%). The personal attitudes of females (p < 0.001), undergraduate (p = 0.02), and health sciences students (p = 0.02) were more positive than their counterparts. Males (OR = 0.41; p < 0.001) and non-health sciences students (OR = 0.68; p = 0.01) were less likely to have significant positive attitudes than their counterparts. Among participants who had CM parents, males (OR = 0.397; p < 0.001) and non-health sciences students (OR = 0.60; p = 0.01) and urban residents (OR = 0.59; p = 0.01) had significantly lower odds of having a positive attitude than their counterparts.ConclusionThe practice of CMs is still prevalent in Saudi culture, with almost half of the participants having CM parents and the majority reporting these marriages in their families. Personal attitudes toward CMs were extremely positive. Most students prefer genetic testing and premarital counseling if marrying first cousins. Gender, faculty, parental income, and educational background influenced participants’ attitudes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Consanguineous marriages, premarital screening, and genetic testing: a survey among Saudi university students

Jameel,

Baig,

Murad

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Analysis of 14,392 whole genomes reveals 3.5% of Qataris carry medically actionable variants

Elfatih,

Saad,

Ismail

et al. 2024

Eur J Hum Genet

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Arabic populations are underrepresented in large genome projects; therefore, the frequency of clinically actionable variants among Arabs is largely unknown. Here, we investigated genetic variation in 14,392 whole genomes from the Qatar Genome Program (QGP) across the list of 78 actionable genes (v3.1) determined by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). Variants were categorized into one of the following groups: (1) Pathogenic (P), (2) Likely pathogenic (LP), and (3) Rare variants of uncertain significance with evidence of pathogenicity. For the classification, we used variant databases, effect predictors, and the disease-relevant phenotypes available for the cohort. Data on cardiovascular disease, cancer, and hypercholesterolemia allowed us to assess the disease-relevant phenotype association of rare missense variants. We identified 248 distinct variants in 50 ACMG genes that fulfilled our criteria to be included in one of the three groups affecting 1036 genotype-positive participants of the QGP cohort. The most frequent variants were in TTN, followed by RYR1 and ATP7B. The prevalence of reportable secondary findings was 3.5%. A further 46 heterozygous variants in six genes with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance were detected in 200 individuals, accounting for an additional 1.4%. Altogether, they affect 5% of the population. Due to the high consanguinity rate in the QGP cohort (28% in spouses and 60% in parents), P and LP variants both in genes with dominant and recessive inheritance are important for developing better treatment options and preventive strategies in Qatar and the Arabic population of the Middle East.

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Perception of consanguineous marriage among the qatari population

Cited by 2 publications

References 31 publications

Consanguineous marriages, premarital screening, and genetic testing: a survey among Saudi university students

Consanguineous marriages, premarital screening, and genetic testing: a survey among Saudi university students

Analysis of 14,392 whole genomes reveals 3.5% of Qataris carry medically actionable variants

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