Premarital counseling: view of the target group

• Published in: Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association Vol. 75; no. 1-2; p. 31
• Main Authors: Mitwally, H H, Abd El-Rahman, D A, Mohamed, N I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 2000
• Subjects: Consanguinity; Counseling - organization & administration; Genetic Counseling - organization & administration; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Promotion - methods; Humans; Marriage; Reproductive Health Services - organization & administration; Residence Characteristics; Socioeconomic Factors; Students, Nursing
• ISSN: 0013-2446

Premarital counseling is one of the most important strategies for prevention of genetic disorders, congenital anomalies and several medical, psychosocial marital problems. Nursing students as a target group are in a unique position to provide prospective couples with information and guidance regarding premarital counseling. The aim of this study is to assess knowledge and attitude of secondary technical nursing school students towards premarital counseling in Alexandria. The study was conducted at four secondary technical nursing schools. 200 students from the chosen schools participated in the study. Questionnaire sheet was developed to assess student's knowledge and a 3-point Likert-like scale was used to assess the student's attitude. The results revealed that 46.5% of the study sample had an average score in knowledge, while 65.5% of the students had a positive attitude towards premarital counseling. The recommendations focused on dissemination of information through formal and informal education and media publicity.