More than 24% of Nigerians are carriers of the sickle cell gene, while about 2% of all the newborns in Nigeria are born with the sickle cell disease. The disease is a lifelong cause of severe morbidity that often require prolonged hospital admission; even as the patients have 92% excess mortality. The prevention of the disease is therefore very important, especially in Nigeria whose contribution to the global total has been projected to increase. Premarital screening for the sickle cell gene is considered one of the best ways of preventing the sickle cell disease. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and uptake of the premarital screening among married couples in Choba, a semi-urban community in south-south Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used, with the data collected using structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire that was administered on married male members of the study community. A total of 290 questionnaires were administered and retrieved. The respondents had an average age of 30.55 ±4.1 years; majority (65.86%) had a tertiary education and they were all Christians. All the respondents knew about the sickle cell disease, while 84.83% were aware of the premarital screening for the disease. All had positive attitude towards the premarital screening, with 88.97% recommending that the screening be made compulsory for all intending couples. Most (72.76%) of the respondents carried out the premarital screening when they got married. The age, educational attainment and the religious denomination of the respondents significantly influenced the uptake of the screening (p-value > 0.001). A total of 9.00% of the respondents were of the same HbAS genotype as their intended spouses; out of which 21.05% went ahead and got married, citing as reasons the difficulty of jettisoning their spouses (25.00%); and the power of God to prevent a child with sickle cell disease (75.00%). The knowledge, attitude and uptake of premarital screening for sickle cell disease are high in the study, even as the screening programme is not driven by the government. The input of the government is however required in providing health education, genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis.
| Published in | European Journal of Preventive Medicine (Volume 3, Issue 3) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ejpm.20150303.13 |
| Page(s) | 49-54 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Sickle Cell Disease, Premarital Screening, at-Risk Couple, Christian, South-South Nigeria
| [1] | Piel FB, Patil AP, Howes RE, Nyangiri OA, Gething PW, et al. Global distribution of the sickle cell gene and geographical confirmation of the malaria hypothesis. Nat Commun 2010; 1: 104. |
| [2] | World Health Organization. Sickle-cell anaemia: Report by the Secretariat. Provisional agenda item 11.4 for the Fifty-Ninth World Health Assembly held on 26th April, 2006. Geneva. WHO. A59/9: 1 – 5. |
| [3] | Rees DC, Williams TN, Gladwin MT. Sickle-cell disease. Lancet 2010; 376: 2018–31. |
| [4] | Williams TN, Obaro SK. Sickle cell disease and malaria morbidity: a tale with two tails. Trends Parasitol 2011; 27: 315–20. |
| [5] | Powars DR, Chan LS, Hiti A, Ramicone E, Johnson C. Outcome of sickle cell anemia: a 4-decade observational study of 1056 patients. Medicine (Baltimore. 2005;84 (6):363 – 376. |
| [6] | Mgbor N, Emodi I. Sensorineural hearing loss in Nigerian children with sickle cell disease. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 2004; 68: (11):1413 – 1416. |
| [7] | Adegoke SA, Adeodu OO, Adekile AD. Sickle cell disease clinical phenotypes in children from South-Western, Nigeria. Niger J Clin Pract 2015; 18: 95 – 101. |
| [8] | Platt OS, Brambilla DJ, Rosse WF, Milner PF, Castro O, Steinberg MH, Klug PP. Mortality in sickle cell disease. Life expectancy and risk factors for early death. N Engl J Med. 1994; 330 (23): 1639 – 1644. |
| [9] | Grosse SD, Odame I, Atrash HK, Amendah DD, Piel FB, et al. Sickle cell disease in Africa: a neglected cause of early childhood mortality. Am J Prev Med 2011; 41: S398–S405. |
| [10] | World Health Organization. Sickle cell disorder in the African Region: Current situation and the way forward. World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa. AFR/ RC56/17-2006. |
| [11] | Weatherall DJ. The challenge of haemoglobinopathies in resource-poor countries. Br J Haematol 2011; 154: 736–744. |
| [12] | Piel FB, Hay SI, Gupta S, Weatherall DJ, Williams TN (2013) Global Burden of Sickle Cell Anaemia in Children under Five, 2010–2050: Modelling Based on Demographics, Excess Mortality, and Interventions. PLoS Med 10(7): e1001484. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001484 |
| [13] | Abdel-Meguid N, Zaki MS, Hammad SA. Premarital genetic investigations: effect of genetic counseling. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal 2000; 6 (4): 652 – 660. |
| [14] | AlHamdan NA, AlMazrou YY, AlSwaidi FM, Choudary AJ. Premarital screening for thalassemia and sickle cell disease in Saudi Arabia. Genetic Medical, 2007; 9(6): 372 – 377. |
| [15] | Memish ZA, Saeedi MY. Sixyear outcome of the national premarital screening and genetic counseling program for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia in Saudi Arabia. Ann Saudi Med. 2011; 31: 229 –235. |
| [16] | Omuemu VO, Obarisiagbon OE, Ogboghodo EO. Awareness and acceptability of premarital screening of sickle cell disease among undergraduate students of the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State. Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Research. 2013; 12 (1): 91 – 104. |
| [17] | Oludare GO, Ogil MC. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Premarital Counseling for Sickle Cell Disease Among Youth in Yaba, Nigeria. Afr J Reprod Health 2013; 17[4]: 175 – 182. |
| [18] | El-Hazmi MA. Pre-marital examination as a method of prevention from blood genetic disorders: Community views. Saudi Med J 2006; 27 (9): 1291 – 1295. |
| [19] | Samavat A, Model IB. Iranian national screening programme. BMJ 2004; 329: 1134 – 1137. |
| [20] | Federal Ministry of Health (Nigeria). 2003 National HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health Survey. Federal Ministry of Health Abuja, Nigeria. |
| [21] | Fleming AF, Storey J, Molineaux L, Iroko EA, Attai ED. Abnormal haemoglobins in the Sudan savanna of Nigeria. I. Prevalence of haemoglobins and relationships between sickle cell trait, malaria and survival. Ann Trop Med Parasitol 1979; 73: 161 – 172. |
| [22] | Al-Gazali L, Hamamy H, Al-Arrayad S. Genetic disorders in the Arab world BMJ 2006; 333: 831 – 834 |
| [23] | Roura M, Nsigaye R, Nhandi B, Wamoyi J, Busza J, Urassa M, Todd J, Zaba B. “Driving the devil away": qualitative insights into miraculous cures for AIDS in a rural Tanzanian ward. BMC Public Health 2010 10:427. |
| [24] | Christianson A, Modell B. Medical genetics in developing countries. Annu. Rev. Genomics Hum. Genet. 2004. 5: 219 – 265. |
| [25] | AlAama JY, AlNabulsi BK, Alyousef MA, Asiri NA, AlBlewi SM. Knowledge regarding the national premarital screening program among university students in western Saudi Arabia. Saudi Med J. 2008; 29: 1649 – 1653. |
| [26] | Wonkam A, Njamnshi AK, Mbanya D, Ngogang J, Zameyo C, Angwafo FF. Acceptability of Prenatal Diagnosis by a Sample of Parents of Sickle Cell Anemia Patients in Cameroon (SubSaharan Africa). J Genet Counsel 2011; 20: 476 – 485. |
| [27] | Modell B, Ward RH, Fairweather DV. Effect of introducing antenatal diagnosis on reproductive behaviour of families at risk for thalassaemia major. British Medical Journal 1980; 1347 – 1350. |
| [28] | Odunvbun ME, Okolo AA, Rahimy CM. Newborn screening for sickle cell disease in a Nigerian hospital. Public Health 2008; 122: 1111–1116. |
APA Style
Precious Kalamba Gbeneol, Seiyefa Funakpa Brisibe, Best Ordinioha. (2015). Knowledge, Attitude and Uptake of Premarital Screening for the Sickle Trait Among Married Couples in a Semi-Urban Community in South-South Nigeria. European Journal of Preventive Medicine, 3(3), 49-54. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejpm.20150303.13
ACS Style
Precious Kalamba Gbeneol; Seiyefa Funakpa Brisibe; Best Ordinioha. Knowledge, Attitude and Uptake of Premarital Screening for the Sickle Trait Among Married Couples in a Semi-Urban Community in South-South Nigeria. Eur. J. Prev. Med. 2015, 3(3), 49-54. doi: 10.11648/j.ejpm.20150303.13
AMA Style
Precious Kalamba Gbeneol, Seiyefa Funakpa Brisibe, Best Ordinioha. Knowledge, Attitude and Uptake of Premarital Screening for the Sickle Trait Among Married Couples in a Semi-Urban Community in South-South Nigeria. Eur J Prev Med. 2015;3(3):49-54. doi: 10.11648/j.ejpm.20150303.13
Share This Article
Twitter
Linked In
Facebook
Copy
Download@article{10.11648/j.ejpm.20150303.13,
author = {Precious Kalamba Gbeneol and Seiyefa Funakpa Brisibe and Best Ordinioha},
title = {Knowledge, Attitude and Uptake of Premarital Screening for the Sickle Trait Among Married Couples in a Semi-Urban Community in South-South Nigeria},
journal = {European Journal of Preventive Medicine},
volume = {3},
number = {3},
pages = {49-54},
doi = {10.11648/j.ejpm.20150303.13},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejpm.20150303.13},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ejpm.20150303.13},
abstract = {More than 24% of Nigerians are carriers of the sickle cell gene, while about 2% of all the newborns in Nigeria are born with the sickle cell disease. The disease is a lifelong cause of severe morbidity that often require prolonged hospital admission; even as the patients have 92% excess mortality. The prevention of the disease is therefore very important, especially in Nigeria whose contribution to the global total has been projected to increase. Premarital screening for the sickle cell gene is considered one of the best ways of preventing the sickle cell disease. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and uptake of the premarital screening among married couples in Choba, a semi-urban community in south-south Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used, with the data collected using structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire that was administered on married male members of the study community. A total of 290 questionnaires were administered and retrieved. The respondents had an average age of 30.55 ±4.1 years; majority (65.86%) had a tertiary education and they were all Christians. All the respondents knew about the sickle cell disease, while 84.83% were aware of the premarital screening for the disease. All had positive attitude towards the premarital screening, with 88.97% recommending that the screening be made compulsory for all intending couples. Most (72.76%) of the respondents carried out the premarital screening when they got married. The age, educational attainment and the religious denomination of the respondents significantly influenced the uptake of the screening (p-value > 0.001). A total of 9.00% of the respondents were of the same HbAS genotype as their intended spouses; out of which 21.05% went ahead and got married, citing as reasons the difficulty of jettisoning their spouses (25.00%); and the power of God to prevent a child with sickle cell disease (75.00%). The knowledge, attitude and uptake of premarital screening for sickle cell disease are high in the study, even as the screening programme is not driven by the government. The input of the government is however required in providing health education, genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis.},
year = {2015}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Knowledge, Attitude and Uptake of Premarital Screening for the Sickle Trait Among Married Couples in a Semi-Urban Community in South-South Nigeria AU - Precious Kalamba Gbeneol AU - Seiyefa Funakpa Brisibe AU - Best Ordinioha Y1 - 2015/04/14 PY - 2015 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejpm.20150303.13 DO - 10.11648/j.ejpm.20150303.13 T2 - European Journal of Preventive Medicine JF - European Journal of Preventive Medicine JO - European Journal of Preventive Medicine SP - 49 EP - 54 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-8230 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejpm.20150303.13 AB - More than 24% of Nigerians are carriers of the sickle cell gene, while about 2% of all the newborns in Nigeria are born with the sickle cell disease. The disease is a lifelong cause of severe morbidity that often require prolonged hospital admission; even as the patients have 92% excess mortality. The prevention of the disease is therefore very important, especially in Nigeria whose contribution to the global total has been projected to increase. Premarital screening for the sickle cell gene is considered one of the best ways of preventing the sickle cell disease. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and uptake of the premarital screening among married couples in Choba, a semi-urban community in south-south Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used, with the data collected using structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire that was administered on married male members of the study community. A total of 290 questionnaires were administered and retrieved. The respondents had an average age of 30.55 ±4.1 years; majority (65.86%) had a tertiary education and they were all Christians. All the respondents knew about the sickle cell disease, while 84.83% were aware of the premarital screening for the disease. All had positive attitude towards the premarital screening, with 88.97% recommending that the screening be made compulsory for all intending couples. Most (72.76%) of the respondents carried out the premarital screening when they got married. The age, educational attainment and the religious denomination of the respondents significantly influenced the uptake of the screening (p-value > 0.001). A total of 9.00% of the respondents were of the same HbAS genotype as their intended spouses; out of which 21.05% went ahead and got married, citing as reasons the difficulty of jettisoning their spouses (25.00%); and the power of God to prevent a child with sickle cell disease (75.00%). The knowledge, attitude and uptake of premarital screening for sickle cell disease are high in the study, even as the screening programme is not driven by the government. The input of the government is however required in providing health education, genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis. VL - 3 IS - 3 ER -
Email: