ATTITUDE AND KNOWLEDGE OF MOTHERS

Objective: The study explores attitudes and knowledge of mothers Thalassaemia Major children. Design: Cross sectionalstudy. Setting: Thalassaemia center Military Hospital Rawalpindi. Period: The study was conducted from the 1st to the 30th August, 2011.Subjects and Methods: Fifty mothers were interviewed about the frequency of their child’s blood transfusion and thalassaemia relatedcomplications, as well as their educational status, the education status of their husband, monthly household income, attitudes and knowledge about premarital screening, antenatal testing, and genetic inheritance of thalassaemia and complications resulting from multiple transfusions. Results: Mean age of thalassaemia patients was 9.5±5.5 years and 29(58%) were males and 21( 42%) were females. Mean transfusion was 1.6±0.7 per month. Majority (52%) had stunted growth. 58 % of mothers were aware that premarital counseling could prevent disease. 60 % were aware that antenatal testing is available, and 40 % had undergone CVS for antenatal testing. Awareness about inheritance and hazards of blood transfusion was directly linked to maternal and paternal education (P values 0.08 and 0.05 respectively). Majority 30 (60 %) of mothers, irrespective of educational status, agreed that premarital screening should be mandatory. Conclusion: To improve patient awareness, instructional videos and audio lectures should be added to pamphlets already in circulation. Additional Facilities for premarital screening andcounseling should be made available.