Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. In
resource-limited settings, SCD prevention through public education and screening could be a significant strategy to
curb its prevalence. The study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices among the respondents at
the OPD towards SCD. A community-based, analytic, cross-sectional study was conducted within the Jinja referral
hospital at the OPD. Data was collected from 410 respondents using self-administered questionnaires. The data was
analysed using the statistical software Epi Info Version 7 (51.5%) of the 410 respondents were female. The modal age
range was 18-21 years (46.8%), and 60.4% had tertiary education. Less than one-quarter (20.5%) had good knowledge
of SCD. Only 13.2% knew their genotype, and 59.3% were willing to avoid carrier marriages. Most of the
respondents had moderate knowledge of SCD. The promotion of preventive methods like public education and
genetic screening was recommended to reduce the burden of SCD