Table 3 Comparison of attitudes toward thalassaemia among ethnic groups
Items | Proportion of agreement (%) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ethnic group | ||||||
All participants (n = 2846) | Malay bumiputra (n = 2050) | Non-Malay bumiputra (n = 154) | Chinese (n = 484) | Indian (n = 153) | P | |
Premarital screening for thalassaemia is necessary for the general public | 90.6 | 91.4 | 87.0 | 88.4 | 91.5 | NS |
Couples who are thalassaemia carriers should not marry | 34.7 | 34.9 | 35.1 | 33.7 | 34.0 | NS |
Couples who are thalassaemia carriers should not have children | 31.3 | 27.1 | 29.2 | 48.3 | 34.0 | P < 0.001 |
Termination of a pregnancy with thalassaemia major is necessary as it not only brings suffering to the affected child, but it is also a burden to the family, community and country | 36.6 | 36.0 | 25.3 | 41.5 | 39.2 | P < 0.01 |