Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Premarital Screening Programs Among Students at the University of Tripoli, Libya

TL;DR

This study explores Libyan university students' knowledge and attitudes toward premarital genetic screening programs for hereditary diseases.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into awareness and perceptions of premarital screening among young Libyans.

Findings

Most students (79%) agreed that premarital screening programs are important.

67% of participants had heard of PMS, with 27.2% learning about it from social media.

Students showed good general knowledge of PMS but poor understanding of specific hereditary diseases it targets.

Abstract

Background: Despite the increase in hereditary disease in Arab countries due to the high rates of consanguineous marriages, research on community awareness of premarital screening (PMS) for disease carriers is still scarce.

Aim: To investigate knowledge and attitudes toward genetic PMS programs among university students in Libya.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to 421 Libyan students aged 18-25 years at the University of Tripoli.

Results: Most of the participants (79%, n=316) agreed that a PMS program is important and expressed willingness to have PMS programs if they were advised to do so. Two-thirds of participants (67%, n=268) had heard of PMS programs, of whom (27.2%, n=73) heard of them from social media.

Conclusion: Most of the university students had good knowledge of PMS but poor knowledge of the hereditary disease targeted by PMS. Most of them had a positive attitude toward PMS.