Sickle cell trait, knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceptions regarding sickle cell disease among people living in Yaoundé, Cameroon

Abstract

Sickle cell disease is the most common autosomal recessive disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Our study aimed to determine the sickle cell trait, to assess knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceptions regarding sickle cell disease of people living in Yaoundé. We carried out a cross-sectional and descriptive study at the Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants studies in Yaoundé. We included a total of 191 participants of mixed sex and ages ranging from 10 to 70 years old, able to complete a questionnaire and having accepted a blood sample for the hemoglobin electrophoresis test. Data was collected using a questionnaire. We used the Chi-square test to assess the relationships between variables with p-value ˂ 0.05 for meaningful relationships. More than half of the participants were women (59.16%), and the representative age group was 20-29 years old (47.12%). The highest level of education was university level (71.73%). Most of the participants had heard of sickle cell disease (93.72%) and the most talked-about information channel was television (41.90%). The proportions in relation to knowledge about sickle cell disease were as follows: in the transmission mode, 71.73% had mentioned that it is an inherited disease; in prevention mode, 88.08% had mentioned the hemoglobin electrophoresis test. For the follow-up of the disease, 85.86% noted the hospital as the location. Compared to marriage with a sickle cell disease patient, 68.59% answered negatively. There is a significant relationship (p˂0.05) between the level of education and knowledge of sickle cell disease transmission. The results of our study showed that the university population of Yaoundé had a good knowledge of sickle cell disease. Young people are called upon to be tested for sickle cell disease before marriage. Studies on larger samples should be conducted to have a better appreciation of the sickle cell trait in the population of Yaoundé. Keywords: Sickle cell trait, knowledge, attitudes, practices, sickle cell disease, Center Region, Yaoundé Cameroon.