A large-scale study exploring understanding of the national premarital screening program among Jordanians: Is an at-risk marriage a valid option for Jordanians?

Abstract

Detecting carrier couples through premarital screening implementation is an effective way of controlling thalassaemia. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge of university students towards premarital screening and their possible involvement in an at-risk marriage. Students ( n = 976) were chosen randomly from Jordanian universities. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: socio-demographical data, the students’ knowledge about the screening programme, and finally their beliefs and future decisions related to it. Most (90%) participants were aware of the premarital screening availability. Females had significantly better understanding of premarital screening compared to males. Despite the majority of the participants not wanting to go ahead with at-risk marriages, 23% would not be deterred from marrying their anticipated partner and believed engaging in at-risk marriage was a valid idea. We suggest providing more effective educational programmes, genetic counselling and free prenatal diagnosis for at-risk couples.