ABSTRACT
Background: Sickle cell disease is a condition in which an individual has inherited two abnormal hemoglobin genes at least one of which is hemoglobin S (HbS) and the resulting symptomatology or pathology is attributed to the sickling phenomenon. About 5% of the world’s population carries genes responsible for hemoglobinopathies and each year about 300 000 infants are born with major hemoglobin disorders including more than 200 000 cases of sickle-cell anemia in Africa. Sickle cell anemia is a very common disorder in Nigeria with birth rate of about 1 in 50 and about 150,000 children are born annually with sickle cell anemia in Nigeria alone. The study aimed to explore the knowledge and attitude of nursing students about premarital screening for sickle cell disease. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered semi-structured questionnaire among 176 students. Results: Majority of respondents knew sickle cell disease and also knew their genotype 97.6% and 71% respectively, although up to 9.1% selected blood group as their genotype. More than half of respondent (51.7%) said sickle cell disease can be transmitted through blood, 55.1% of respondent said they think government should prohibit marriage between incompatible couples with regard to sickle cell disease, Only about one third (34.1%) of respondent have good knowledge of SCD, and 34.3% of respondent have good knowledge of premarital screening for SCD, More than half (55.4%) of respondent have good attitude regarding premarital screening for SCD. Conclusion: The study shows that the respondent have poor knowledge of sickle cell disease and premarital screening though more than half of the respondent have good attitude towards premarital screening. The results of this study reflect the importance of health education as a keystone in improving knowledge and attitude towards premarital screening for sickle cell disease.
ABSTRACT
Background: Self-medication is a common and regular practice of using medicines, common over-the-counter (OTC) drugs without any medical supervision, by the people themselves for self-treatment considering it a part of self-care in both developed and developing countries. It also encompasses utilization of surplus and left over medicine at home, seeking advices of surrounding people as friends and relatives for the medication. Prevalence rates of self-medication are reported to be higher in developing countries mostly due to fact that people generally considers it as a first aid in treating minor ailments or acute symptoms such as vomiting, headache, nausea, fever, cold etc. However, few other reasons reported in the literature that could lead to self-medication includes previous experience of treating similar diseases, knowledge of drugs and their use, incessant advertising and lack of availability of qualified health professionals. This study aimed to assess knowledge and practice of self-medication among undergraduate students in UDUS Methods: : A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among 299 undergraduate students selected by multistage sampling technique. Data was collected with a set of self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire. Results: Majority 283 (95%) of the respondents are aware of self-medication while 16 (5%) are not aware of selfmedication. A majority, 235 (78.6%) of the 299 respondents had ever engaged in the practice of self-medication. Most of the study subjects 221 (74%) had self-medicated in the last 6 months while 26.7% have not. Conclusion: This study demonstrated good knowledge of self-medication among undergraduate students with the majority having good knowledge of the dangers associated with self-medication as well as had ever engaged in self-medication. Organization of health weeks, school-based educational interventions and enlightenment program should be created to emphasize on the dangers of self-medication and the common side-effects of the frequently used drugs.