Knowledge and Practices Towards Premarital Sickle Cell Trait Testing Among Young Adults in Eastern Uganda.
- 1Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Soroti University, Soroti, Uganda.
- 2Department of Nursing, Ngora Hospital School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ngora, Uganda.
Abstract
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.
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BibTeX
@article{namazzi2026knowledge,
title = {{Knowledge and Practices Towards Premarital Sickle Cell Trait Testing Among Young Adults in Eastern Uganda.}},
author = {Precious Thereza Namazzi and Abudu Rahuman Ssekabira and Ethel Turyasingura Snr and Jacintah Nyesigye and Edsone Ssemujju and Emmanuel Ikaara and Gladys Nakidde},
journal = {Journal of blood medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/jbm.s643667},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959767},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Knowledge and Practices Towards Premarital Sickle Cell Trait Testing Among Young Adults in Eastern Uganda.
AU - Precious Thereza Namazzi
AU - Abudu Rahuman Ssekabira
AU - Ethel Turyasingura Snr
AU - Jacintah Nyesigye
AU - Edsone Ssemujju
AU - Emmanuel Ikaara
AU - Gladys Nakidde
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Journal of blood medicine
DO - 10.2147/jbm.s643667
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959767
AB - 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.
SN - 1179-2736
ER -