Knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of married individuals regarding SMA carrier screening: The case of Ordu province

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND AWARENESS OF MARRIED INDIVIDUALS REGARDING SMA CARRIER SCREENING: THE CASE OF ORDU PROVINCE Objective: To evaluate the knowledge levels, attitudes, and awareness of married individuals residing in Ordu Province regarding Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) carrier screening, and to determine the current level of public awareness about genetic screening programs for hereditary diseases. Materials and Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study included 318 married individuals who participated through face-to-face interviews. A four-part questionnaire (sociodemographic characteristics, SMA awareness level, SMA knowledge level, and genetic counseling), developed by the researchers based on the literature, was used the data collection tool. Participants' SMA knowledge scores and their inclination to undergo screening were compared according to sociodemographic variables (age, gender, educational status, etc.). For numerical variables, the t-test or Mann–Whitney U test was used, while Pearson's chi-square was applied to categorical variables. A significance level of p<0.05 was accepted for analyses. Results: The SMA knowledge questionnaire scores of individuals under the age of 30, women, those with higher educational levels, employed individuals, pregnant women, and those who had previously received information about SMA screening were found to be significantly higher compared with those who did not possess these characteristics (all p<0.05). Similarly, willingness to undergo SMA screening was significantly higher among participants under the age of 30, women, and individuals who wished to have children in the future (all p<0.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that although there is a general awareness of SMA among married individuals in Ordu, there are notable gaps in critical areas such as the genetic basis of the disease, carrier risk, and the feasibility of screening programs. The findings highlight the need to strengthen structured educational content and qualified genetic counseling services to enhance the effectiveness of community-based SMA screening programs. Keywords: Spinal Muscular Atrophy, infantile, genetic counseling, childhood spinal muscular atrophies, family medicine, preventive medicine, awareness