Abstract:Introduction: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is exerting enormous public health and economic burden on many countries. To reduce these effects, the World Health Organization is urging countries, especially those in Africa, to increase public awareness of this disease. This study accessed whether public servants in Tamale, Ghana possess adequate knowledge and positive attitude towards SCD. Method: A total of 320 public servants within the Tamale Metropolis were invited to complete a questionnaire in a cross-sectiona… Show more
“…This is presumably because students had easy access to tools like the Internet while they were in school and were also taught about hereditary illnesses. This finding was consistent with previous studies [25,26] that reported that most participants learned about SCD from media and school. This suggests that schools and the media can be effective institutions and platforms for educating people about SCD.…”
Background
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most frequent and traumatizing genetic disease in Uganda, with the prevalence of the sickle cell trait (SCT) estimated at 13.3% leading to serious psycho-social and economic impact on the patients and their families.
Aim
This study aimed to determine the burden of SCT and factors influencing the uptake of screening services among secondary school students in Uganda.
Methods
We used an analytical cross-sectional design with a multi-stage sampling approach. A total of 399 students from four secondary schools in Kampala City were enrolled in this study. Data were gathered using semi-structured questionnaires and blood screening. We used the sickling test to determine the presence of sickle cell alleles among the participants and hemoglobin electrophoresis as a confirmatory test. Data gathered using the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results
In total, 5.8% of participants who were tested during this study had SCT. Most (80.2%) participants were not in an intimate relationship at the time of data collection. The majority (60.4%) had moderate knowledge about SCT screening and obtained information about screening from the school. Only 29 (7.3%) participants knew of a family member with sickle cell. Overall, participants had a negative attitude toward SCT screening (67%), although 41.6% believed that most people who were sickle cell carriers did not live long and were often sick. Statistically significant associations were found between testing for SCT and knowing a partner’s sickle cell status (odds ratio [OR] 2.112, p = 0.043) and Anglican religion (OR 2.075, p = 0.047).
Conclusion
Despite the moderate level of knowledge and negative attitudes, a relatively large number of participants had SCT. This highlights the need for a comprehensive health education package targeting adolescents to promote SCD/SCT screening.
“…This is presumably because students had easy access to tools like the Internet while they were in school and were also taught about hereditary illnesses. This finding was consistent with previous studies [25,26] that reported that most participants learned about SCD from media and school. This suggests that schools and the media can be effective institutions and platforms for educating people about SCD.…”
Background
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most frequent and traumatizing genetic disease in Uganda, with the prevalence of the sickle cell trait (SCT) estimated at 13.3% leading to serious psycho-social and economic impact on the patients and their families.
Aim
This study aimed to determine the burden of SCT and factors influencing the uptake of screening services among secondary school students in Uganda.
Methods
We used an analytical cross-sectional design with a multi-stage sampling approach. A total of 399 students from four secondary schools in Kampala City were enrolled in this study. Data were gathered using semi-structured questionnaires and blood screening. We used the sickling test to determine the presence of sickle cell alleles among the participants and hemoglobin electrophoresis as a confirmatory test. Data gathered using the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results
In total, 5.8% of participants who were tested during this study had SCT. Most (80.2%) participants were not in an intimate relationship at the time of data collection. The majority (60.4%) had moderate knowledge about SCT screening and obtained information about screening from the school. Only 29 (7.3%) participants knew of a family member with sickle cell. Overall, participants had a negative attitude toward SCT screening (67%), although 41.6% believed that most people who were sickle cell carriers did not live long and were often sick. Statistically significant associations were found between testing for SCT and knowing a partner’s sickle cell status (odds ratio [OR] 2.112, p = 0.043) and Anglican religion (OR 2.075, p = 0.047).
Conclusion
Despite the moderate level of knowledge and negative attitudes, a relatively large number of participants had SCT. This highlights the need for a comprehensive health education package targeting adolescents to promote SCD/SCT screening.
“…Almost half (65%) of the participants had poor knowledge, moderate knowledge (30%) and excellent knowledge (5%) of SCD. This is consistent with previous study in Ghana that demonstrated low knowledge of SCD [22]. Similar poor knowledge about SCD was reported by a study in Eastern and Western Uganda [23].…”
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most widespread hereditary disorders among the African lineage. SCD is associated with recurrent severe pain, increased morbidity and mortality yet has received less recognition in the public domain. Evidence of the need to increase awareness to reduce the disease incidence is increasing due to the rising incidence of this preventable disease. This study aimed to describe the knowledge, beliefs and attitude towards SCD of students at Kampala international university. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed. A total of 384 university students participated in the study, and using a semi-structured questionnaire, information was collected from participants on demographic characteristics, general knowledge of SCD, and beliefs and attitudes of students towards SCD. Nearly all the students were aware of SCD (99.2%). Knowledge level of respondents on SCD based on scores revealed a mean score of 9.7± 4.5 with 65%, 30%, and 5% for poor, moderate and excellent respectively. Most of the respondents strongly agreed that they feel worried (52.9%) and sympathetic (51.3%) for people affected with SCD. Participants had the belief that it is an inherited disease acquired from parents (48.2%) but not a punishment from God (76.3%). In general, there was a limited understanding and inadequate knowledge of SCD among the students particularly on the pattern of inheritance. Results from the study highlights the need for effective public health education on SCT/SCD in trusted sources such as schools, media (radio/Television), health centres and churches. This is necessary to address misconceptions and increase knowledge level as well as an understanding of the risks of having a child with SCD to influence personal reproductive options. Keywords: Sickle cell disease, Parents, Students, Child, Preventable disease.
“…Regarding concerns about difficulty finding a life partner, findings are in line with those of a study assessing knowledge and attitude toward SCD among public servants in Tamale, Ghana. A majority of the respondents, 78% (n = 230) would abandon marriage intentions if premarital screening had shown that they and their current spouses had sickle cell traits (Ameade et al, 2015). In another study that focused on religious and cultural aspects of SCD to identify beliefs and attitudes relevant to public health interventions in Ghana, families/individuals with SCD, health care providers, religious leaders, and marriage counselors were consistent in describing the social norm that would-be couples who both have sickle cell S trait, let alone SCD, should be discouraged to proceed to marry in Ghanaian societies (Dennis-Antwi et al, 2018).…”
Introduction People with sickle cell disease (SCD) often face stigmatization in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa. Research is needed to understand whether it is necessary to design an SCD stigma reduction program in the Ghanaian setting. The aim of this study was to explore the perception of stigmatization for adults with SCD in Kumasi, Ghana. Methodology Using in-depth qualitative interviews, researchers conducted a phenomenological study to investigate the perception of stigmatization for people with SCD in Kumasi, Ghana. Snowball and purposive sampling was used to identify the participants. Results Participants ( n = 12) were mostly female, Akan, and Christian. Researchers categorized three main themes: (a) Feelings of social isolation, (b) Fear of disclosure, and (c) Bullying about physical appearance. Discussion The findings highlight the need to develop effective strategies to counteract stigma. Transcultural health care providers can implement stigma reduction interventions that might be applicable throughout Africa where findings are likely to resonate with patients with SCD.
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