• Iram Manzoor and Rubeena Zakar.
• Prof. Iram Manzoor, MBBS, FCPS, MSc, MCPS-HPE, (FCPS). HOD Community Medicine Director Medical Education, Akhtar Saeed Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan.
• Pak J Med Sci. 2019 Mar 1; 35 (2): 483-488.

ObjectiveTo assess the sociodemographic factors affecting parental knowledge regarding availability of screening services for thalassemia major.MethodsA cross sectional study was conducted among biological parents of thalassemic children at three registered centers of blood transfusion in Lahore. A sample of 186 parents was selected through systematic random sampling. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data. IRB clearance was obtained and informed consent was taken before data collection. Data was analyzed at SPSS version 23 and chi square test was applied and p value was fixed at ≤ 0.05 as significant.ResultsParents of registered thalassemic children have adequate knowledge about Disease transmission and screening services. 91% of the participants knew that thalassemia major gets transmitted through parents. Cousin marriage was mentioned as a source of transmission by 77% of the participants. 91% of the parents knew about prenatal screening and 89% about premarital screening. Knowledge of parents was significantly associated with male gender, higher education and income.ConclusionMale gender, higher education and income are associated with better knowledge of parents.

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