Knowledge and Awareness Regarding Trisomy 21 among Parents of School Going Down Syndromes in Islamabad and Rawalpindi: a Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study
Ibtesam-e-Fajar, Iram Yasir, Mahnoor Sukaina, Daniyal Ahmed, Sundus Asghar Baig, Iman Baig, Aamna Khokhar
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ABSTRACT
Background: Down syndrome or
trisomy 21, is mostly associated with characteristic facial features, delayed
physical growth and mild to moderate intellectual disability with
co-morbidities. Not many people are well aware of facts related to down
syndromes.
Aim: To identify the level of awareness and knowledge among
parents of school going down syndrome.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey
conducted at special children’s schools in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, from
February 2021 to March 2021. Sample size was 44. We adopted convenience
non-probability sampling technique. Parents that fulfill the inclusion criteria
i.e. school going down syndromes, 5 to 32 years of age and residents of
Islamabad and Rawalpindi, in an interactive counselling session, keeping the
questionnaire anonymous. After data collection it was entered in SPSS v25 for
statistical analysis.
Results: Analysis of the questionnaire regarding the
Knowledge of physical features of a child with Down syndrome showed that most
97% of the people were aware about facial profile and nose. 65.9% people
responded positively regarding their knowledge about small head, ears and nose.
88.6% had knowledge about wide, short hands and short fingers. 65.9 knew about
single deep crease across palm. 88.6 told that Down’s children had long tongue.
45.5% knew they have squint. 88.6% have knowledge about loss of muscle tone.
Regarding memory 45.5% knew they have poor memory while 93.2% knew they are
slow learners.
Conclusion: Our selected candidates are mostly well aware
of this condition but there is still the need for spreading further awareness
to overcome the problems faced by the child and for their better management.
Keywords: Awareness, Down Syndrome, Communication