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Source publication
Sickle cell disease is the most common autosomal recessive disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Our study aimed to determine the sickle cell trait, to assess knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceptions regarding sickle cell disease of people living in Yaoundé. We carried out a cross-sectional and descriptive study at the Institute of Medical Research...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... the 191 participants in our study (n = 179 or 93.72%) who had already heard of sickle cell disease, the most represented information channel was television (n = 75; 41.90%) followed by the school (n = 64; 35.75%) (Table 2). On the question of whether only one parent can transmit the disease to their child n = 73 or 38.22% had answered positively. ...Context 2
... the 191 participants in our study (n = 179 or 93.72%) who had already heard of sickle cell disease, the most represented information channel was television (n = 75; 41.90%) followed by the school (n = 64; 35.75%) (Table 2). On the question of whether only one parent can transmit the disease to their child n = 73 or 38.22% had answered positively. ...Similar publications
Citations
Background
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most frequent and traumatizing genetic disease in Uganda, with the prevalence of the sickle cell trait (SCT) estimated at 13.3% leading to serious psycho-social and economic impact on the patients and their families.
Aim
This study aimed to determine the burden of SCT and factors influencing the uptake of screening services among secondary school students in Uganda.
Methods
We used an analytical cross-sectional design with a multi-stage sampling approach. A total of 399 students from four secondary schools in Kampala City were enrolled in this study. Data were gathered using semi-structured questionnaires and blood screening. We used the sickling test to determine the presence of sickle cell alleles among the participants and hemoglobin electrophoresis as a confirmatory test. Data gathered using the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results
In total, 5.8% of participants who were tested during this study had SCT. Most (80.2%) participants were not in an intimate relationship at the time of data collection. The majority (60.4%) had moderate knowledge about SCT screening and obtained information about screening from the school. Only 29 (7.3%) participants knew of a family member with sickle cell. Overall, participants had a negative attitude toward SCT screening (67%), although 41.6% believed that most people who were sickle cell carriers did not live long and were often sick. Statistically significant associations were found between testing for SCT and knowing a partner’s sickle cell status (odds ratio [OR] 2.112, p = 0.043) and Anglican religion (OR 2.075, p = 0.047).
Conclusion
Despite the moderate level of knowledge and negative attitudes, a relatively large number of participants had SCT. This highlights the need for a comprehensive health education package targeting adolescents to promote SCD/SCT screening.
