Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Continuous Manual Exchange Transfusion for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: An Efficient Method to Avoid Iron Overload
Published on: March 14, 2017
Improving disease knowledge in 6- to 10-year-olds with sickle cell disease: A quasi-experimental study
N Morrison-Levy1, J Knight-Madden1, T Royal-Thomas2
1Caribbean Institute for Health Research, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica.
Background:
Increasing knowledge and understanding of disease is known to improve outcomes in persons living with a chronic illness. In this paper, we aim to compare the disease knowledge of children with sickle cell disease (SCD), age 6-10 years, who received an intervention (an educational colouring book on SCD) geared towards improving disease knowledge, to those who did not received the colouring book.
Methods:
A quasi-experimental study was conducted where disease knowledge was determined in 56 children who had received the colouring book and compared to 60 children who did not receive this intervention.
Results:
The mean knowledge score was significantly higher in the intervention group (mean difference = 2.65; 95% CI [1.43, 3.86]), as well as in older children and in those in higher grades but there was no difference between sexes. In a multiple regression model (adjusted R2 : 0.39; p value < .001), knowledge score was significantly higher in those who received the intervention (β: 2.62; 95% CI [1.48, 3.76]) while adjusting for age, gender, persons living at home, and the father's employment status.
Conclusion:
The study highlights that a simple, inexpensive (cost: US$1/book) child-friendly intervention can significantly improve knowledge about SCD even in young children. It also underlines various social factors that are associated with children's understanding of their disease.
Related Concept Videos
Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by...
EPS and iPS Cells in Disease Research
Immunodeficiency Diseases
There are three main causes of immunodeficiency...
Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Parkinson's Disease: Treatment
Parkinson's Disease is primarily a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The cornerstone of...
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment

