Abstract
BackgroundSevere thalassemia diseases are a major health problem in Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, there has never been a significant program for prevention or control of severe thalassemia. We, therefore, studied the effect of a health education program on severe thalassemia prevention and control in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.MethodsA quasi-experimental study in several communities around Phnom Penh was done. The respective intervention and control group comprised 124 and 117 people, between 18 and 40 years of age, male and female. Pre- and post-tests using a validated and reliable questionnaire were performed in the intervention group and one test was done in the control group. A health education program was organized to give important information to the intervention group and, at the end of the process, to the control group. The outcomes were evaluations of their knowledge and attitude vis-à-vis severe thalassemia prevention and control, and participating in thalassemia screening.ResultsAmong participants in the intervention group, 105 (84.7%) considered undergoing blood screening vs. 65 (55.6%) in the control group (p-value < 0.001). In the intervention group, the respective mean scores for knowledge and attitude to a prevention and control program for severe thalassemia before and after health education were 2.6 VS 6.5 (p-value < 0.001) and 4.6 VS 6.5 (p-value < 0.001).ConclusionsThe intention to undergo screening was significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group. Knowledge and attitude towards prevention and control of severe thalassemia was significantly improved in the intervention group. Health education clearly heightens awareness and improves consideration of screening for prevention and control of severe thalassemia.
Highlights
Severe thalassemia diseases are a major health problem in Southeast Asia
After going to the first 3 villages, we found that the control group had markedly fewer participants because fewer people came than we expected than the intervention group
The unpaired t-test revealed that knowledge and attitude towards the prevention and control of severe thalassemia in the control and intervention groups before health education was not significantly different (Table 3)
Summary
Severe thalassemia diseases are a major health problem in Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, there has never been a significant program for prevention or control of severe thalassemia. We studied the effect of a health education program on severe thalassemia prevention and control in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. As severe thalassemia affects both physical and mental health, it causes patients and their parents suffering; prevention and control of severe thalassemia are important. Several countries have comprehensive national prevention programs for severe thalassemia—including Italy, Greece, Cyprus, the UK, France, Iran, Thailand, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Cuba [7]. The process includes public awareness and health education, carrier screening, genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis, and sometimes therapeutic abortion when a life-threateningly severe form of thalassemia is confirmed. In Cambodia, the respective reported prevalence of α-thalassemia, β-thalassemia, and Hb E is 30–40%, 0.8–1.1%, and 13.9–33.1% [10]
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