Thalassemic Adolescents’ Knowledge toward Patterns Nutrition at Blood Diseases Center

Abstract

There are two general forms of genetic diseases of the hemoglobin molecule: hemoglobinopathies and thalassemia. The two types of thalassemia are α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia, depending on which globin chain of the hemoglobin molecule is not formed efficiently. An estimated 60,000 newborns worldwide are impacted each year.

Adolescents with thalassemia were asked to participate in a cross-sectional, non-experimental (descriptive) study to find out how much they knew about healthy eating. This research was carried out between 1^st May, 2024 to 1^st March, 2025. One hundred teenagers with thalassemia who were attending the hematology center in the holy city of Karbala were chosen as a non-probability (purposive) sample. The 18 items on the tool were used to assess the knowledge of teenagers with thalassemia.

Our study at the Hematology Center in the holy city of Karbala revealed that 53% of patients were female, 34% were between the ages of 14 and 16, 70% lived in an urban area, 32% could read and write, 66% had a sufficient monthly income, 76% had major thalassemia, 69% exchanged blood every week, and 88% used blood transfusions as part of their treatment. The study's findings demonstrated that the patients' degree of nutrition awareness was modest.

Recommendations include holding seminars and educational courses for thalassemia patients regarding the right diet and foods that are good for them, as well as producing booklets with dietary guidelines and television shows or social media posts about the right diet for thalassemia patients.