Efficacy of educational campaign on human leucocyte antigens screening for stem cell donation

Background: Nearly all cells express the proteins known as human leukocyte antigens, or HLA. They aid in distinguishing our own cells from foreign substances and are principally in charge of the body's immunological response. It's interesting to note that every person inherits a distinct collection of antigens from their parents, with half coming from the mother and the other half from the father. This implies that these options can be programmed into youngsters from birth. This study aimed to evaluate how well undergrad students in particular colleges in greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, are informed about HLA screening for stem cell donation. Methods: Using convenience sample techniques, a pre-experimental study design is used to evaluate the awareness programme on HLA screening for stem cell donation. Results: According to the study's findings, the majority of the sample (84%) had poor knowledge of stem cell donation during the pre-test, 16.0% had average knowledge, and 0% had good knowledge. During the post-test, however, the majority (61.0%) had good knowledge, with around 30.0% having average knowledge and only 9.0% having poor knowledge. Conclusions: In summary, the majority of participants had low pre-test knowledge of HLA and stem cell donation; but, following an awareness presentation on the subject, most of them performed well on the post-test and had good understanding about HLA, DKMS, and stem cell donation. The awareness campaign was a success all around, and some of the participants are even eager to give.