The Faculty of Nursing at the University of Baghdad discussed a master’s thesis entitled “University students’ willingness to undergo genetic testing before marriage: the expanded health beliefs model as a theoretical framework” by student Nora Karim Nour, supervised by Dr. Muhammad Baqir Habib, in the faculty’s main hall.
The thesis aimed to determine the extent to which factors such as age, socioeconomic status, and personal beliefs about testing influence students’ intention to undergo testing. The study concluded that social norms play a major role in predicting students’ intention to undergo genetic testing, and also pointed to gender differences in some aspects related to perceived benefits and motivation for testing.
The study recommends that community health nurses design awareness programs to increase awareness of the importance of this test, based on the expanded health beliefs model. The researcher received a “very good” rating.
This study is an important step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals related to Goal 3, Good Health and Well-being, by highlighting the importance of premarital genetic testing to reduce genetic diseases and improve the health of future generations.