Olwi Duaa Ibrahim, Merdad Leena Adnan, Ramadan Eman Kamal
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
J Community Genet. 2018 Jul;9(3):277-282. doi: 10.1007/s12687-017-0351-3. Epub 2017 Dec 14.
Thalassemia is a life-threatening blood disorder that has a high prevalence in Saudi Arabia despite the implementation of mandatory premarital testing and the availability of genetic counseling. This study aimed to assess college students' knowledge of thalassemia. A cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 920 senior students enrolled at King Abdulaziz University was conducted. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information about thalassemia and socio-demographic characteristics. Of the 920 students, 445 (48%) had ever heard of thalassemia. Despite the mandatory premarital testing for thalassemia, only 50% of married students stated having heard of the disease. The mean thalassemia knowledge score was 4.4 ± 2.2 out of a maximum of 12. Knowledge was significantly influenced by university faculty, gender, and education outside of Saudi Arabia. Those who had heard of thalassemia had misconceptions about the disease characteristics and pattern of inheritance such as associating thalassemia with low iron levels. A substantial proportion of the participants had a low knowledge of thalassemia. This lack of awareness requires a reassessment of the goals and success of the premarital testing program, including the genetic counseling services, and also indicates the importance of emphasizing thalassemia in school curricula and promoting and scaling up existing thalassemia campaigns in the region.
地中海贫血是一种危及生命的血液疾病，尽管沙特阿拉伯实施了强制婚前检查并提供了遗传咨询服务，但该病在该国的患病率仍然很高。本研究旨在评估大学生对地中海贫血的了解程度。对阿卜杜勒阿齐兹国王大学随机抽取的920名高年级学生进行了横断面调查。使用自行填写的问卷收集有关地中海贫血和社会人口学特征的信息。在920名学生中，445名（48%）听说过地中海贫血。尽管有强制性的地中海贫血婚前检查，但只有50%的已婚学生表示听说过这种疾病。地中海贫血知识的平均得分为4.4±2.2（满分12分）。知识水平受到大学学院、性别以及沙特阿拉伯境外教育经历的显著影响。那些听说过地中海贫血的人对疾病特征和遗传模式存在误解，比如将地中海贫血与低铁水平联系起来。相当一部分参与者对地中海贫血的了解程度较低。这种认知不足需要重新评估婚前检查项目（包括遗传咨询服务）的目标和成效，同时也表明在学校课程中强调地中海贫血以及在该地区推广和扩大现有地中海贫血宣传活动的重要性。
