Sickle cell trait screening in students in a Ugandan university: a cross-sectional study
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of International Medical Research
Abstract
To determine the uptake, knowledge level and attitude towards sickle cell trait
screening in students aged 18 to 35 years in a Ugandan university.
Methods: This was a university-based, cross-sectional study of students aged 18 to 35 years who
were students at the Busitema University Faculty of Health Sciences. We used a simple random
sampling technique to recruit participants. We conducted multivariable logistic regression to
establish the association between factors such as age, year of study, marital status and uptake
of sickle cell trait screening (SCTS) services.
Results: A total of 315 students participated in the study. The uptake rate of SCTS was 24.4%.
The knowledge level regarding sickle cell disease/SCTS was 93.7%, and 73.3% of respondents had
a positive attitude towards SCTS, with a mean score of 23.32 5.84. A multivariate analysis
showed that those aged 25 to 29 years were 7.8 times more likely to have SCTS, while married
respondents were 1.3 times more likely to be screened.
Conclusion: The uptake of SCTS services was low relative to the total number of participants
recruited in this study. Therefore, the uptake of SCTS needs to be encouraged in students at
universities.
Description
Keywords
Sickle cell disease, Sickle cell trait, Student, University, Screening
Citation
Kisakye, E., Gavamukulya, Y., & Barugahare, B. J. (2022). Sickle cell trait screening in students in a Ugandan university: a cross-sectional study. Journal of International Medical Research, 50(11), 03000605221138491. DOI: 10.1177/03000605221138491