Biomedical Research Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2020 Feb 21;15(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s13023-020-1323-y.
Thalassaemia is a potentially life-threatening yet preventable inherited hemoglobin disorder. Understanding local socio-cultural context and level of public awareness about thalassaemia is pivotal for selecting effective prevention strategies. This study attempted to assess knowledge and perceptions about thalassaemia among college students in Bangladesh.
A supervised cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1578 college students using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The survey took place from 15 February 2018 to 17 March 2018 in the Jamalpur district in Bangladesh. Besides the attitude-related questions, the study asked a total of 12 knowledge-related questions, which were scored on a scale of 0-12 points.
Over two-thirds (67%) of the college students had never heard of thalassaemia. The urban-rural dichotomy was observed among those familiar with the term; (46.4% from urban vs. 25.8% from rural colleges). A similar pattern was observed for knowledge score; 5.07 ± 1.87 for students from the urban colleges compared to 3.69 ± 2.23 for rural colleges. Students from the science background had the highest knowledge score (5.03 ± 1.85), while those from arts and humanities background scored lowest (3.66 ± 2.3). Nearly 40% of the students were not sure or did not want to be a friend of a thalassaemia patient. Whereas 39% either declined or remained hesitant about helping thalassaemia patients by donating blood. However, most of the respondents (88%) showed a positive attitude towards 'premarital' screening to prevent thalassaemia.
This study has identified critical knowledge gaps and societal misperceptions about thalassaemia. A better understanding of these aspects will be pivotal for disseminating thalassaemia related information. As the first study of this kind in Bangladesh, findings from this study has generated baseline data that would contribute to developing effective intervention strategies in Bangladesh and other countries with a comparable socio-cultural setting.
地中海贫血症是一种潜在的危及生命但可预防的遗传性血红蛋白疾病。了解当地的社会文化背景和公众对地中海贫血症的认知水平对于选择有效的预防策略至关重要。本研究试图评估孟加拉国大学生对地中海贫血症的知识和认知。
采用自我管理的结构化问卷，对 1578 名大学生进行了有监督的横断面调查。该调查于 2018 年 2 月 15 日至 3 月 17 日在孟加拉国贾马尔布尔区进行。除了与态度相关的问题外，研究还询问了总共 12 个与知识相关的问题，这些问题的得分范围为 0-12 分。
超过三分之二（67%）的大学生从未听说过地中海贫血症。熟悉该术语的人存在城乡差异；（来自城市的 46.4%与来自农村的 25.8%）。知识得分也呈现出类似的模式；来自城市学院的学生为 5.07±1.87，而来自农村学院的学生为 3.69±2.23。理科背景的学生知识得分最高（5.03±1.85），而文科和人文背景的学生得分最低（3.66±2.3）。近 40%的学生不确定或不想与地中海贫血症患者成为朋友。而 39%的人要么拒绝，要么对通过献血帮助地中海贫血症患者犹豫不决。然而，大多数受访者（88%）对预防地中海贫血症的“婚前”筛查持积极态度。
本研究发现了关于地中海贫血症的关键知识差距和社会误解。更好地理解这些方面对于传播地中海贫血症相关信息至关重要。作为孟加拉国的第一项此类研究，本研究的结果提供了基线数据，这将有助于在孟加拉国和其他具有类似社会文化背景的国家制定有效的干预策略。
