Survey of community perception of genetic implications of consanguineous marriage in almadina almunawwarah area in Saudi Arabia

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence and patterns and determinants of consanguineous marriage among a representative population from Almadina Almunawwarah Province, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This area is known to attract Saudis from different parts of the country because it is in the heart of this religious region. A total of 1318 Saudis; 567 (43.02%) females and 751 (56.98%) males, participated in this research. During the period between February and June 2014, each participant was interviewed before completing a pre-structured questionnaire about attitude from consanguineous marriage and other specific sociodemographic factors. The response of males towards consanguinity was significantly higher as compared to that of females (61.78 % in males versus 43.74% in females). Similarly, a significant positive preference was recorded among older respondents, regardless of the gender. The results showed that the perception of the consequences was significantly higher among educated (61.98%) participants and in urban areas (70.92%) than among uneducated (28.95%) and in those living in rural areas (32.14%). Further, the degree of awareness of the problem was much higher among males than females (38.22% and 56.26%, respectively). These figures place Almadina population among the country regions with a high rate of consanguineous marriages. Health education of pre-marriage age people is needed.