Knowledge and Awareness Regarding Trisomy 21 among Parents of School Going Down Syndromes in Islamabad and Rawalpindi: a Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Down syndrome or trisomy 21, is mostly associated with characteristic facial features, delayed physical growth and mild to moderate intellectual disability with co-morbidities. Not many people are well aware of facts related to down syndromes. Aim: To identify the level of awareness and knowledge among parents of school going down syndrome. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted at special children’s schools in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, from February 2021 to March 2021. Sample size was 44. We adopted convenience non-probability sampling technique. Parents that fulfill the inclusion criteria i.e. school going down syndromes, 5 to 32 years of age and residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, in an interactive counselling session, keeping the questionnaire anonymous. After data collection it was entered in SPSS v25 for statistical analysis. Results: Analysis of the questionnaire regarding the Knowledge of physical features of a child with Down syndrome showed that most 97% of the people were aware about facial profile and nose. 65.9% people responded positively regarding their knowledge about small head, ears and nose. 88.6% had knowledge about wide, short hands and short fingers. 65.9 knew about single deep crease across palm. 88.6 told that Down’s children had long tongue. 45.5% knew they have squint. 88.6% have knowledge about loss of muscle tone. Regarding memory 45.5% knew they have poor memory while 93.2% knew they are slow learners. Conclusion: Our selected candidates are mostly well aware of this condition but there is still the need for spreading further awareness to overcome the problems faced by the child and for their better management. Keywords: Awareness, Down Syndrome, Communication