{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,12]],"date-time":"2026-07-12T23:04:21Z","timestamp":1783897461265,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]],"date-time":"2026-07-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783900800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Genet."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study assessed community awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward genetic disorders associated with consanguineous marriage and evaluated acceptance of premarital\/genetic screening among adults in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in late 2025 (October\u2013November) among adults (\u226518 years) residing in Al-Baha using a structured, self-administered electronic questionnaire distributed through social media, university channels, and community networks.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 673 complete responses were analysed (mean age 32.67 \u00b1 13.12 years; 50.4% female; 49.8% married). Consanguinity was common (tribal endogamy 42.5%; extended-family endogamy 40.0%), with 20.5% reporting first-cousin and 12.9% second-cousin marriage; parental and grandparental consanguinity were reported by 70.7% and 70.6%, respectively. Familial genetic\/health burden was notable, particularly hereditary visual impairment (34.8%), thalassemia\/hereditary anemia (25.7%), and hearing impairment\/delayed speech (20.5%). Knowledge was generally good (84.4% recognized increased autosomal recessive risk; 89.3% endorsed genetic counselling benefits), but gaps persisted (33.1% did not know premarital screening includes SCD\/thalassemia; only 42.1% correctly rejected the absence of a sensory-disorder link). Attitudes strongly supported prevention (premarital screening mandatory 93.9%), although within-family\/tribe marriage remained widely endorsed (80.4%). Higher knowledge was associated with more favourable attitudes (OR = 2.25, p &amp;lt; 0.001); consanguinity with higher familial burden (OR = 2.45, p &amp;lt; 0.001); and familial burden with higher knowledge (OR = 1.65, p = 0.003) and more favourable attitudes (OR = 1.84, p &amp;lt; 0.001). A discordant profile of high preventive attitudes coexisting with acceptance of within-family or tribal marriage was observed in 51.9% of participants.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Adults in Al-Baha demonstrated strong acceptance of preventive genetic services alongside generally good knowledge; however, persisting gaps, particularly related to awareness of specific service components and recognition of sensory-disorder links, support targeted community education and strengthened genetic counselling to optimize informed marital and reproductive decision-making.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fgene.2026.1866894","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,12]],"date-time":"2026-07-12T22:10:25Z","timestamp":1783894225000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Community awareness of genetic disorders associated with consanguineous marriage and acceptance of preventive screening, a cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Abdulmajeed A. A.","family":"Sindi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Basic Applied Medical Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Uthman","family":"Albakri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarah A.","family":"Alzahrani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haneen M.","family":"Alqarni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rimiyyah K.","family":"Alzahrani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Batol M.","family":"Albanghali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed A.","family":"Shanawaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Basim A.","family":"Othman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dhuha F.","family":"Alghamdi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aryam A.","family":"Alghamdi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ali","family":"Mahzari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dina","family":"Marghani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory Science Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University","place":["Madina, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammad A.","family":"Albanghali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University","place":["Al Baha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1244","DOI":"10.1038\/gim.2016.37","article-title":"Clinical genomics can facilitate countrywide estimation of autosomal recessive disease burden","volume":"18","author":"Abouelhoda","year":"2016","journal-title":"Genet. Med."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1556","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-19029-0","article-title":"The perception of genetic diseases and premarital screening tests in the central region of Saudi Arabia","volume":"24","author":"Al Eissa","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1067","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jtumed.2024.10.007","article-title":"Outcomes of the premarital screening program in Riyadh region, KSA in 2021-2022: a cross-sectional study","volume":"19","author":"Al Zuayr","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Taibah Univ. Med. Sci."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"389","DOI":"10.2147\/JMDH.S296221","article-title":"Awareness of premarital screening and genetic counseling among Saudis and its association with sociodemographic factors: a national study","volume":"14","author":"Al-Shroby","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Multidiscip. Healthc."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3767","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20043767","article-title":"Prevalence of consanguineous marriage among Saudi citizens of Albaha, a cross-sectional study","volume":"20","author":"Albanghali","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"369","DOI":"10.1002\/mgg3.97","article-title":"Genetics and genomic medicine in Saudi Arabia","volume":"2","author":"Alkuraya","year":"2014","journal-title":"Mol. Genet. Genomic Med."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2243","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare13172243","article-title":"The economic impact of premarital screening (PMS) of sickle cell anemia on the Saudi health system: a cost analysis study","volume":"13","author":"Alotaibi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Healthcare"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1379326","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1379326","article-title":"Health beliefs of unmarried adult Saudi individuals toward safe marriage and the role of premarital screening in avoiding consanguinity: a nationwide cross-sectional study","volume":"12","author":"Alwhaibi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front. Public Health"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"255","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sjbs.2020.09.057","article-title":"Attitude and awareness of public towards genetic testing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia","volume":"28","author":"Arafah","year":"2021","journal-title":"Saudi J. Biol. Sci."},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"623","DOI":"10.1136\/jmg.32.8.623","article-title":"Consanguinity among the Saudi Arabian population","volume":"32","author":"El-Hazmi","year":"1995","journal-title":"J. Medical Genetics"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1881","DOI":"10.15537\/1658-3175.4167","article-title":"Regional variations in the prevalence of consanguinity in Saudi Arabia","volume":"28","author":"El-Mouzan","year":"2007","journal-title":"Saudi Medical Journal"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"608","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jiph.2019.06.001","article-title":"National screening programs in Saudi Arabia: overview, outcomes, and effectiveness","volume":"12","author":"Gosadi","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Infection Public Health"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"185","DOI":"10.1007\/s12687-011-0072-y","article-title":"Consanguineous marriages: preconception consultation in primary health care settings","volume":"3","author":"Hamamy","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Community Genetics"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"841","DOI":"10.1097\/GIM.0b013e318217477f","article-title":"Consanguineous marriages, pearls and perils: Geneva international consanguinity workshop report","volume":"13","author":"Hamamy","year":"2011","journal-title":"Genet. Medicine Official Journal Am. Coll. Med. Genet."},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"41","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jiph.2012.05.001","article-title":"Premarital screening and genetic counseling program: knowledge, attitude, and satisfaction of attendees of governmental outpatient clinics in Jeddah","volume":"6","author":"Ibrahim","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Infection Public Health"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e53888","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.53888","article-title":"Consanguineous marriage and its association with genetic disorders in Saudi Arabia: a review","volume":"16","author":"Khayat","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"229","DOI":"10.4103\/0256-4947.81527","article-title":"Six-year outcome of the national premarital screening and genetic counseling program for sickle cell disease and \u03b2-thalassemia in Saudi Arabia","volume":"31","author":"Memish","year":"2011","journal-title":"Ann. Saudi Medicine"},{"key":"B18","volume-title":"The Healthy Marriage Program Work Manual","year":"2021"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"921","DOI":"10.1007\/s00439-017-1821-8","article-title":"The landscape of genetic diseases in Saudi Arabia based on the first 1000 diagnostic panels and exomes","volume":"136","author":"Monies","year":"2017","journal-title":"Hum. Genet."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.1186\/1742-4755-6-17","article-title":"Consanguinity and reproductive health among Arabs","volume":"6","author":"Tadmouri","year":"2009","journal-title":"Reprod. Health"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"138","DOI":"10.1186\/s40246-024-00700-x","article-title":"Nationwide survey on awareness of consanguinity and genetic diseases in Saudi Arabia: challenges and potential solutions to reduce the national healthcare burden","volume":"18","author":"Yousef","year":"2024","journal-title":"Hum. Genomics"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Genetics"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fgene.2026.1866894\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,12]],"date-time":"2026-07-12T22:10:26Z","timestamp":1783894226000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fgene.2026.1866894\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]]},"references-count":21,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fgene.2026.1866894"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fgene.2026.1866894","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-8021"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-8021","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]]},"article-number":"1866894"}}