The scenario of knowledge, attitude and practice of the Bangladeshi population towards thalassemia prevention: A nationwide study

Abstract

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. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in eight administrative regions of Bangladesh between January and October of 2020. A structured questionnaire was designed to collect information about thalassemia and socio-demographic characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with knowledge of thalassemia. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Of the 1,248 participants, only 47.4% had heard of thalassemia. Half of the participants who heard about the disease had no idea that thalassemia was not a transfusion transmitted disease. Only 49.8% of participant correctly identified consanguineous marriages as an important risk factor. Majority of them knew that marriage between two carriers can lead to a child with thalassemia major. About 72.5% knew that blood tests are a diagnosis method to determine thalassemia. Among the socio-demographic variables, the level of education of the respondents was identified as an independent predictor for knowledge (p<0.05) on thalassemia. For example, graduate (aOR: 24.88; 95% CI: 6.238–99.232) or post-graduate (aOR: 33.18; 95% CI: 7.864–140.001) participants were more aware of thalassemia than non-graduates. However, about 68.2% of the participants showed a positive attitude towards premarital screening of themselves or their family members and 85.3% were willing to donate blood to thalassemia patients. 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 strengthen the implementation of thalassemia major awareness through educational programs, health counseling, premarital screening and campaigning.

Safe Marriage for Thalassemia Prevention: The Gap Between Knowledge and Practices among Bangladeshi University Students

“…In this study, a noteworthy majority of the respondents (40.84%) identi ed academic textbooks as the prevailing and prominent information source regarding thalassemia. Similar ndings have been reported in previous studies in Bangladesh 20,52 . The dissemination of awareness regarding thalassemia saw limited contributions from sources, such as family, friends, healthcare practitioners, online news portals, individuals with thalassemia, seminars, television, and other channels.…”

Knowledge and Attitudes towards Thalassemia among Public University Students in Bangladesh

“…The findings of this study support the reports from other locations in Bangladesh. A nationwide survey of 1248 people revealed about half the participants was rightly informed about thalassemia and its risk factors, while 72.5% were aware of pre-marital blood test for Thalassemia screening, 68.2% were in favor of premarital screening and 85.3% were compassionate enough to donate blood for existing Thalassemic patients (N. E. Alam et al, 2022). The study by revealed the urban-rural divide and prejudice against Thalassemic patients among college students.…”

Thalassemia prevention: Religious and cultural barriers to premarital screening in Bangladesh

“…In a study done among college students in Bangladesh, 88% of them reported a positive perception of premarital screening 5 . In another study which was done in Bangladesh, 68.2% exposed a positive attitude towards premarital testing 13 . Therefore, more health education programs should be conducted in view of sociocultural factors among college students because of their positive attitude towards premarital screening.…”