Mirail University, Toulouse, France.
Prev Med. 2012 Sep;55(3):251-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.06.026. Epub 2012 Jul 10.
The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of people's ideas in Benin about the common affliction of sickle cell disease (SCD).
A questionnaire asking for the degree of agreement with 111 statements about SCD was given in 2011 to 6 physicians (the gold standard) and 178 lay people living in Cotonou, Benin. A misconception was defined as a statistically significant (p<0.001) deviation of at least 2.5 points on the 0-10 response scale of the lay people's mean response from that of the physicians.
Lay people tended not to be sufficiently aware that SCD is a hereditary illness, that a genetic test can detect the gene, that having it does not automatically lead to illness, that SCD may induce severe kidney, lung, heart, or cerebrovascular disorders, and that SCD cannot be cured by traditional healers. These misconceptions were greater among those who knew they had SCD or carried the gene than among those who knew they did not.
Major efforts are needed to overcome the educational and cultural barriers to accurate understanding of how to prevent and treat SCD among lay people in Benin, especially among those at greatest risk.
本研究旨在确定贝宁民众对常见镰状细胞病（SCD）的普遍看法的准确性。
2011 年，在贝宁科托努，向 6 名医生（金标准）和 178 名当地居民发放了一份调查问卷，询问他们对 111 个关于 SCD 的陈述的认同程度。将民众的平均反应与医生的反应相差至少 2.5 分的认知偏差定义为统计学上显著（p<0.001）。
民众往往没有充分认识到 SCD 是一种遗传性疾病，基因检测可以检测到该基因，携带该基因并不一定会导致疾病，SCD 可能会引起严重的肾脏、肺部、心脏或脑血管疾病，以及传统治疗师无法治愈 SCD。在那些知道自己患有 SCD 或携带该基因的人中，这些误解比那些不知道自己患有 SCD 或携带该基因的人更大。
需要付出巨大努力来克服教育和文化障碍，使贝宁民众，特别是处于最大风险中的民众准确了解如何预防和治疗 SCD。
