Knowledge, Awareness And Participation Of Medical And Non-Medical Students In The Malaysia National Thalassemia Prevention Programme

There are about 1 in 20 Malaysians who are carriers of the thalassemia gene and the prevalence of this disease in Malaysia is 6-10 percent. This study was conducted to assess knowledge, awareness and participation of medical and non-medical students in the Malaysia National Thalassemia Prevention Programme. The design of the study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 300 questionnaires were distributed to selected students from the university. The collected data was analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Data analysis revealed a highly significant difference in total knowledge between medical students and non-medical students and the thalassemia awareness also showed significant statistical association between medical and non-medical students. In conclusion, medical students have better knowledge, awareness and screening rate of thalassemia.