Knowledge, Attitude and Perception of Premarital Genetic Counseling Among Adolescent of Selected Secondary Schools in Ondo West Local Government in Ondo State

Despite the advances in the diagnosis and awareness campaigns, genetic disorders, most remains common in Nigeria which can be prevented and adequately managed by well implemented community genetics counseling and services. This study evaluated the knowledge, attitude and perception of premarital genetic screening among adolescent in selected secondary school Ondo west, Ondo state. A cross sectional descriptive research design was adopted. The target population were 300 secondary school students SS2& SS3, selected using systematic random sampling technique Data was collected with use of structured questionnaire same analyzed with SPSS version 29 and result presented in tables and chart. Majority are within the age range of 16-18 while 147(49) are within the age range of 12-15. Majority are female and in science department respectively. A larger percentage of the respondent reported to be of Yoruba ethnicity and is Christians. More than half claim to be sexually active while only few reported not to be sexually active. Majority 63.3% had good knowledge while few 36.7 % had poor knowledge. A little above average 54.7% and 58.3% of the respondents demonstrated positive attitude and positive perception respectively. Inference drawn from hypothesis testing shows that their respective classes or gender had nothing to do with the knowledge of premarital genetic counseling as both male and female in any of the classes were knowledgeable about premarital genetic counseling with a p-value 0.768 and o.308 respectively. One important step in enabling people to enjoy life and reducing the burden of genetic illnesses on individuals, families, and the community is premarital genetic counseling. Therefore, health professionals and non-governmental groups must work together to implement a program of awareness-raising regarding premarital screening and counseling.