Background: During the past two decades, the attention of public health has been drawn to premarital genetic screening (PGS) programs to reduce birth defects and avoid genetic disorders. In Jordan, the high rate of genetic hemoglobinopathies compelled the government to implement an obligatory PGS program before marriage. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge, opinion, and practice of young Jordanians concerning PGS. Methods: Using a pretested questionnaire, this cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample from Jordan. The measures included respondents’ demographics, and beliefs/opinions regarding PGS. Results: A total of 432 participants completed the survey. The majority (87.8%) had a positive attitude toward PGS program. Reasons behind this positive attitude were preventing transmission of genetic diseases, reducing family breakdown/psychosocial problems, and financial burdens of having a child with genetic disease. In fact, 49.8% of participants were willing to change their marriage decision in case of receiving incompatible results. Moreover, most of the participants (75.1%) demanded the implementation of a law that prohibits incompatible marriages. A positive attitude toward PGS was found to be associated with female gender and having a university education. Conclusions: Young Jordanians have a positive attitude toward the implementation of PGS. Yet, educational programs should be drawn up to the target population before getting married emphasizing the important role of PGS in the wellness of the community.
Public Health Genomics

中文翻译：

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约旦年轻人对婚前基因筛查的看法

背景：在过去的二十年中，公共卫生的注意力已经被婚前遗传筛查 (PGS) 计划吸引，以减少出生缺陷和避免遗传疾病。在约旦，遗传性血红蛋白病的高发病率迫使政府在婚前实施强制性 PGS 计划。因此，本研究的目的是调查约旦年轻人对 PGS 的知识、观点和实践。方法：使用预先测试的问卷，对来自约旦的便利样本进行了这项横断面研究。这些措施包括受访者的人口统计数据，以及对 PGS 的看法/意见。结果：共有 432 名参与者完成了调查。大多数人（87.8%）对 PGS 计划持积极态度。这种积极态度背后的原因是防止遗传病的传播，减少家庭破裂/社会心理问题，以及生下患有遗传病的孩子的经济负担。事实上，49.8% 的参与者愿意在收到不相容的结果时改变他们的婚姻决定。此外，大多数参与者（75.1%）要求实施禁止不相容婚姻的法律。人们发现对 PGS 的积极态度与女性性别和接受大学教育有关。结论：年轻的约旦人对PGS的实施持积极态度。然而，应该在结婚前为目标人群制定教育计划，强调 PGS 在社区健康中的重要作用。
公共卫生基因组学