title: Knowledge and attitudes of secondary school students in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria towards sickle cell disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was conducted among Secondary School Students in Federal Capital Territory (FCT),Abuja Nigeria, between May and June 2010 to determine the knowledge and attitudes of the students towards Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was a cross-sectional study carried out on 600 students from 8 secondary schools located within (FCT). A multistage sampling method was used for selection of the study population. Data was collected with the aid of a pretested self-administered questionnaire and analyzed with EPI-INFO 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age of respondents ranged from 9 to 26 years with the mean age of 15.16 (SD = 2.13). The modal age of the respondents was 10-19 years (97.8%). The male: female ratio was 1.01:1. A large number of respondents' fathers (80.7%) and mothers (70.2%) respectively, had at least secondary school education. Majority (81.8%) of the respondents claimed to have heard about sickle cell disease (SCD) but only 38.0% of them knew the cause of SCD. Slightly less than half, 292 (48.7%) of the respondents knew their genotype. Of the 292 respondents that knew their genotype, 206 (70.5%) were AA, 50 (17.1%) were AS,14 (4.8%), SS, 11 (3.8%)AC, 5 (1.7%) SC, 4 (1.4%) CC, 2 (0.7%) other types of genotype. Only 46.2% and 36.8% of them respectively, correctly identified that pre-marital genotype testing and avoidance of marriage between two persons with haemoglobin S genotype as means of preventing further spread of SCD. Factors found to be significantly associated with the knowledge of respondents' genotype were; age = 15 years, respondents' mothers' educational status, being taught about SCD in school, ever seeing somebody suffering from SCD complication, losing a relative to SCD, being in senior secondary school class and knowing the cause of SCD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that majority of the respondents did not know their genotype ,and their knowledge about the cause and prevention of SCD was poor.
authors.affiliation: HIV/AIDS Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria. rsowolabi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Rotimi S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Owolabi
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alabi
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Olusoji
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ajayi
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Otu
authors.forename: Adeniyi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogundiran
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult