Objective: This study aimed to study knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the health risks of consanguineous marriage (CM) among the population in the Western region of Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 1,789 adults aged 18 years and above,residing in the Western region of Saudi Arabia, from June to July 2025, using a snowball sampling technique.An online questionnaire was designed based on a literature review.Results: The participants were predominantly females (70.3%), aged 21-30 years (42.3%), and university educated (58.0%), with 20.4% working in medical professions. Of the 762 who responded to the consanguinityquestion, 33.2% reported being in a CM, mostly with the first cousin (25.2%). Overall mean knowledge scorewas 73.4% 26.4%, with 80.8% scoring above 50%; mean attitude score was 70.1% 9.1, with 98.4% scoringabove 50%. Knowledge gaps were identified in awareness of premarital screening components (26.4% correct) and availability of premarital whole exome sequencing (51.6% correct). Female gender, younger age (18-20 years), university or high school education, and healthcare employment were independently associated with higher knowledge scores (p 0.05). Attitudes were uniformly positive toward genetic screening but varied toward CM. In practice, 60% reported avoiding CM if screening results were incompatible.Conclusion: While general knowledge and attitudes toward genetic screening were favorable, substantialeducational gaps persisted, particularly regarding available testing and residual genetic risk. This highlightedthe need for targeted public health education and campaigns for older, less-educated, and non-healthcarepopulations.
Alwafi et al. (2025) studied this question.
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