The knowledge level and attitudes of pregnant women in passing on sickle cell disease - Research Paper Example

The paper tells that sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disease where the body makes sickle-shaped red blood cells containing abnormal hemoglobin. Sickle cells are stiff and sticky and tend to block blood flow in the blood vessels of the limbs and organs. Blocked blood flow causes serious infections, pain, and organ damage. Patients are born with it. People who inherit a normal gene from one of the parent and sickle hemoglobin gene from the other parent exhibit a sickle cell trait. People with a sickle cell trait do not have Sickle cell anemia but have one gene that causes the disease.

Approximately 2,500 people have sickle cell anaemia. This disease is now prevalent among pregnant women. A study on sickle cell anaemia in pregnant women is very significant for it will impart knowledge on this condition in relation to the woman’s and the in-born child’s health. However, the study is challenging as people have very little knowledge on this disease. The study seeks the relevance between the level of knowledge and the attitudes of pregnant women with the sickle cell trait from the Mississippi Delta and the sickle cell disease.

To achieve this, the researcher will rely on an interview done in Mississippi Delta on Africa-American pregnant women and other relevant literature. Age, marital status, economic status, occupation, and level of education are some of the demographic variables the researcher used. According to the interview, only 20% of the respondents have enough knowledge about the sickle cell trait. . This implies that there is very little knowledge on the sickle cell trait hence the increased spread of sickle cell anaemia from pregnant women to their inborn children.

Contents Contents 4 Background 6 Problem Statement 7 Purpose 8 Research Questions 8 Philosophical Basis 8 Definitions 10 Summary 11 Introduction 12 Concept Development 14 Major Related Studies 15 Summary 17 Study Design 19 Sample 19 Inclusion criteria 19 Interviews 20 Data Collection Plan 20 Ethical Considerations 21 Data Analysis Plan 22 Stage 1 22 Stage 2 22 Stage 3 22 Stage 4 23 Stage 5 23 Stage 6 23 Stage 7 23 Strategies for Rigor and Validity 24 Summary 25 REFERENCES 26 Introduction 32 Demographics of the Sample 32 Major Themes 33 Summary 35 Introduction 37 Limitations 39 Summary 41 REFERENCES 43 DEMOGRAPHIC TOOL 44 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 46 CONSENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH STUDY 47 ASSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH STUDY 49 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background Sickle cell disease is a disorder of the blood that is genetic in nature.

Defective hemoglobin molecules that aggregate to form sickle-shaped, elongated, and inflexible rod-like structures that are unable to pass through small blood vessels (Papadakis et al, 2006) characterize it. As they are unable to pass through these small vessels, these sickle-shaped cells pile up together leading to blockages and starving tissues and organs of oxygenated blood. This results in regular periods of pain and is associated with damage to important body organs and tissues and can cause serious medical problems.

Blockage may cause problems such as vaso-occlusive, hemolytic, splenic sequestration, and aplastic crises. Other medical conditions that may result include infections, stroke, priapism,