Parental Influence on Sickle Cell Crisis among Patients Attending Secondary Facilities in Abeokuta South Local Government Area, Ogun State

Introduction: Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), the most common genetic disorder amongst Black people and one of the major chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD) affecting children, poses a significant psychosocial burden, not only on the sufferers but also on the parents. This study therefore sets out to assess the influence of these parents’ knowledge and practices towards reducing the frequency and seeking appropriate treatment of Sickle Cell Crisis in their children.

Methodology: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in Abeokuta South Local Government Area. A Total Sampling of all the sickle cell patients that attend the selected facilities were recruited into the study. Data were collected with the use of questionnaires which were interviewer administered. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS for Windows version 20.0.

Results: A total of 415 patients were recruited into the study. Only 39.0% had adequate knowledge of SCD, 75.2% on prevention of crisis and 62.0% on predisposing factors to sickle cell crisis. About two-third [68.0%] of participants’ source of information is by hospital staffs. Majority 81.4% have only one child with SCD. The frequency of sickle cell crisis was statistically significantly associated with the Marital status of the parents [x2 = 24.029, p = 0.0001], Parents level of education x2 = 18.538, p = 0.0001, and the source of parents information about SCD x2 = 18.194 and P = 0.001. On logistic regression analysis, predictors of low frequency of crisis were individuals who had parents with tertiary education [OR=2.37, CI=1.45-3.87], information from health workers [OR=0.58, C.I=0.43-0.79], and family income above minimum wage [OR=0.147, C.I=0.06-0.34].

Conclusion: The study reveals that the level of care and support given to SCD children may reflect in their parent’s level of education, depth of knowledge about the disease and financial capability, therefore attention to the psychosocial problems of parents and/or caregivers of these children is of utmost importance.