Premarital Screening for Sickle Cell Trait among Unmarried Adults Attending Outpatient Department at Busiu Health Centre IV, Mbale District. Across-sectional study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/ga88d036Keywords:
Sickle cell disease, sickle cell trait, premarital screening, health care system factors, Busiu Health CentreAbstract
Abstract
Background: Health care system factors, including service availability, accessibility, affordability, and quality of counseling, influence uptake of premarital SCT screening. This study aims to determine the healthcare system factors associated with premarital screening for sickle cell trait among unmarried adults attending the outpatient Department at Busiu Health Centre IV, Mbale District.
Methodology: A cross‑sectional survey was conducted among 53 participants, with 50 completing structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed descriptively using the Microsoft Excel software and presented as tables, charts, and graphs.
Results: The majority of the respondents, 62%, were aged between 18 and 25 years, 68% were females, and 56% of them had attained tertiary education, which varied between degree, diploma, and certificate levels. The majority of them 38% reported unstable sources of income. Religiously, 92% were Christians. 54% had never been counselled about SCT screening. 52% thought screening services were accessible. 88% had never heard about any campaign directed towards educating about sickle cell screening in their community. 48% rated the cost of a screening test as very expensive. Only 30% of the respondents reported having ever screened for sickle cell. Of these, 6.67% reported an excellent experience, 53.33% had a good experience in terms of counselling services provided before and after screening. Challenges reported by respondents included high costs of the screening, lack of knowledge and awareness about the disease, and the screening services were another challenge, fear and anxiety of screening results, and associated stigma and accessibility were also problems.
Conclusion: Health care system barriers, such as high costs, limited counseling, poor community awareness, and accessibility challenges, limit the uptake of premarital SCT screening among unmarried adults.
Recommendation: Strengthening community education, improving access to affordable screening, and providing quality counseling can enhance utilization
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Copyright (c) 2026 Laureen Christine Khaukha, Alois Okadapao, Hasifah Nansereko, Franscisco Ssemuwemba, Jane Frank Nalubega (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
