Factors Related to Thalassemia Screening Awareness in Adolescents from Families with Thallasemia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56338/ijhess.v8i3.11932Keywords:
Thalassemia, Adolescents, Screening Awareness, Family Support, Health Information, Cross-Sectional StudyAbstract
Background: Thalassemia is an inherited hemoglobin disorder and an important public health concern in Indonesia. Adolescents from families affected by thalassemia may have an increased risk of carrying the thalassemia trait. Awareness of thalassemia screening is important for understanding carrier status and supporting informed reproductive health decisions. However, screening awareness may be associated with individual knowledge, attitudes, family support, caregiving experience, and access to health information.
Objective: This study aimed to analyze factors associated with thalassemia screening awareness among adolescents from families affected by thalassemia in Tegal, Central Java, Indonesia.
Methods: This quantitative analytical study used a cross-sectional design and purposive sampling. The manuscript reports 210 respondents in the results tables. Data were collected using questionnaires assessing knowledge of thalassemia, attitudes toward screening, perceived vulnerability, perceived severity, perceived benefits, screening barriers, family support, access to health information, caregiving experience, and screening awareness. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine associations between the measured factors and screening awareness.
Results: Of the 210 respondents reported in the results tables, 121 (57.6%) had good screening awareness, while 89 (42.4%) had low screening awareness. Bivariate analysis showed significant associations between screening awareness and knowledge (p = 0.001), attitudes toward screening (p = 0.003), perceived benefits (p = 0.041), access to health information (p = 0.002), caregiving experience (p = 0.008), and family support (p < 0.001). In the multivariable logistic regression model, family support (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.01–6.51; p < 0.001), knowledge (AOR = 2.19; 95% CI: 1.24–3.84; p = 0.006), attitudes toward screening (AOR = 1.71; 95% CI: 1.02–2.89; p = 0.041), access to health information (AOR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.01–2.71; p = 0.049), and caregiving experience (AOR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.12–3.02; p = 0.033) were reported to be independently associated with screening awareness. Family support had the largest adjusted odds ratio among the variables included in the reported final model.
Conclusion: Thalassemia screening awareness among adolescents from families affected by thalassemia was associated with knowledge, attitudes toward screening, family support, access to health information, and caregiving experience. Family-inclusive education and accessible adolescent health information may be considered in the development of screening awareness initiatives. Further studies using verified datasets and more representative samples are needed to confirm these findings.
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