Knowledge and Practices Towards Premarital Sickle Cell Trait Testing Among Young Adults in Eastern Uganda
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Published on: October 31, 2010
Precious Thereza Namazzi1, Abudu Rahuman Ssekabira1,2, Ethel Turyasingura Snr1
1Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Soroti University, Soroti, Uganda.
Background:
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major global health challenge, with over 75% of the burden concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. Premarital sickle cell trait testing (SCTT) enables informed reproductive decisions that can help carriers reduce the risk of having children with SCD, yet uptake remains poorly documented among young adults in the region.
Objective:
To assess knowledge and practices towards premarital SCTT among young adults aged 18-35 years attending the outpatient department (OPD) of a regional referral hospital in Eastern Uganda.
Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 298 young adults attending the OPD at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital (SRRH), selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected via pretested, self-administered questionnaires and analyzed in SPSS version 27 using descriptive statistics and exploratory subgroup comparisons.
Results:
Of 298 participants, 64.1% were female, with a median age of 28 years (range 18-35). Awareness of SCD was high (95.3%); 93.0% knew it is inherited and 78.2% knew it is incurable. Most (79.2%) had heard of SCTT, mainly through hospitals (63.6%) and radio (36.9%), but only 12.1% had ever been tested, and 61.1% did not know premarital testing could inform couples of their risk of having a child with SCD. Half (50.0%) had avoided SCTT, citing lack of access (59.1%) and fear of positive results (31.5%) as leading reasons; positive SCTT practice remained low across subgroups, slightly higher among those fearing relationship termination (1.3%).
Conclusion:
Young adults attending OPD at SRRH showed moderate awareness of SCTT but low uptake. Although most understood that SCD is inherited and incurable, many lacked knowledge of the risk-informing role of premarital testing. Barriers including limited access, fear of positive results, and relationship concerns contributed to low uptake, revealing a knowledge-practice gap that calls for targeted interventions in Eastern Uganda.
