Publications

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Inresource-limited settings, SCD prevention through public education and screening could be a significant strategy tocurb its prevalence. The study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices among the respondents atthe OPD towards SCD. A community-based, analytic, cross-sectional study was conducted within the Jinja referralhospital at the OPD. Data was collected from 410 respondents using self-administered questionnaires. The data wasanalysed using the statistical software Epi Info Version 7 (51.5%) of the 410 respondents were female. The modal agerange was 18-21 years (46.8%), and 60.4% had tertiary education. Less than one-quarter (20.5%) had good knowledgeof SCD. Only 13.2% knew their genotype, and 59.3% were willing to avoid carrier marriages. Most of therespondents had moderate knowledge of SCD. The promotion of preventive methods like public education andgenetic screening was recommended to reduce the burden of SCD