Knowledge of premarital screening among male university students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Journal Title: International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health - Year 2016, Vol 5, Issue 4
Abstract
Background: In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the consanguineous marriage rate is high, premarital counseling is the service offered to young couples on their way to marriage to guide, educate, and prepare them for the establishment of a healthy family. Objective: To assess knowledge of premarital screening and their relation to socio-demographic background of male university students in Riyadh City. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study included a representative sample of male university students at King Saud University, Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. A multistage random sampling technique was applied in three stages. In the first stage, one student from literate collage and one from scientific college were selected by simple random method. In the second stage, three levels were selected by random sampling from each college. In the third stage, about 50 students were recruited from each of the classrooms. A self-administered questionnaire consisted of two main parts was used; the first part was based on socio-demographic data and the second part dealt with the students’ knowledge about the hereditary disorder in premarital screening program. Result: The study included 320 male students. Their age ranged between 18 and 30 years with a mean of 21.2 years and standard deviation of ±1.6 years. They were almost equally distributed between participated two colleges (Science and Arts). Almost a quarter of students (23.1%) reported family history of hereditary diseases, whereas 10.9% of them reported personal history of hereditary diseases. Their main sources of information about premarital screening were friends (60.8%), television (35.9%), and medical courses (22.2%). Older, science college students, those of higher academic level and having information about premarital screening from school and from friends showed significant higher level of knowledge. Conclusion: This study highlights that knowledge of male university students in King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia about the PMS program was insufficient in some areas such as transmission of hepatitis B and C viruses through sexual transmission and from mother to fetus. In light of our results, there is certainly a need for more information and education about the program.
Authors and Affiliations
Abdullah M Alghamdi, Ahmad F Alqadheb, Abdulrahman M Alzahrani, Abdulrahim S Aldhahr, Zaid M Alsharif
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP159359
- DOI 10.5455/ijmsph.2016.21112015222
- Views 94
- Downloads 0
Plasma and urinary matrix metalloproteinase-9 as a marker for detection of nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients
Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious complication in diabetes and now it has become the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Development of diabetic nephropathy is characterized by a thi...
Status of serum magnesium levels in human T-cell lymphotropic virus Type 1 infected patients: A pilot study
Background: Some mineral changes have been reported in chronic viral infections such as human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus. We have recently reported higher magnesium (Mg) levels in ad...
Assessment of degree of awareness about diet, physical exercise, and lifestyle modifications among diabetic patients
Background: Increased prevalence of diabetes in India is due to modern lifestyle changes combined with urbanization. Knowledge about the diabetic diet and the importance of physical exercise in relation to...
Diabetes and quality of life—a pilot study
Background: India is regarded as the “Diabetes Capital” of the world owing to the existence of the largest number of people with diabetes in this country. Diabetes is a serious public health problem that has a stro...
Comparative study of outcome of conservative versus operative management in 50 cases of appendicular lump
Background: To compare the different modes of management of appendicular lump whether traditional emergency operation or conservative management. Objective: To evaluate the outcome of emergency surgery versus con...