Prevalence, Biological Knowledge and Social Perception of Consanguinity in Sharjah

Background: Consanguineous marriages, or marriages between individuals with a shared ancestry, are prevalent in many Middle Eastern and North African populations, including the United Arab Emirates. While, these marriages are often rooted in cultural and social traditions, they are associated with increased risks of genetic disorders. Understanding the prevalence of consanguinity, the level of biological knowledge about its potential consequences, and the social perceptions surrounding it in Sharjah is crucial for public health initiatives and genetic counselling services. Aim: This study aimed to measure the prevalence of consanguinity in Sharjah, its distribution in various strata of the population, and its biological knowledge and social perception among married adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a randomly chosen group of 457 married adults during a non-probability convenient sampling. The study environment was at public places in Sharjah. The information was obtained by face-to-face questionnaire after signing the informed consent form. Results: 23.4% of the participants were consanguineously married, 14.2 % of them were married to first cousins, while 9.2% were second cousins. The highest prevalence of consanguinity was among the locals (27.0%), lowest within non-local non-Arabs (14.5%) while the prevalence between non-local Arabs was (24.2%) (P=0.061). The majority agreed that consanguineous marriage keeps the property and wealth within the family (61.5%). 75.9% were aware that consanguinity might affect offspring’s health. However, their knowledge of specific inherited diseases varied; 7.0% of the sample had excellent knowledge, 10.9% had good knowledge, 21.4% had acceptable knowledge, while the majority of the sample (60.6%) had poor knowledge. Moreover, a significant relationship was evident between the consanguineous group and low education level (P=0.0005), early age of marriage (< 25 years old) (P=0.014) and blood related parents (P=0.002). Conclusion: The study showed that consanguinity is common in Sharjah population, however there is a declining trend compared to results from previous studies. There was poor knowledge about consanguineous marriage impact, therefore further awareness and health education programs are needed.