Young Syrian adults' knowledge, perceptions and attitudes to premarital testing.

BACKGROUND

The issue of premarital testing is a controversial and complex issue. Syria is an Islamic country that is moving towards modernization that involves changes in social structures and urbanization of attitudes, beliefs, views and values.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to identify young Syrian adults' knowledge, perceptions and attitudes about premarital testing.

METHODS

Descriptive, cross-sectional design was utilized. The study was conducted at a mid-sized university in Syria. A stratified simple random sampling was used to recruit the university students in the last 2 years of their graduation. A total of 942 students participated in the study using a questionnaire developed to measure the participants' knowledge, attitudes and perception of premarital testing.

RESULTS

Although university students had a considerable knowledge of premarital testing, they had a limited knowledge about certain aspects. Moreover, although they had some positive attitudes, they still had negative attitudes and perceptions towards other aspects of premarital testing.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION

The study results could assist in the development of health education programmes in Syria and other Arab countries to increase their awareness and influence their attitudes towards premarital testing. The study limitation was that the sample was chosen from one part of Syria.