Background and objective Consanguinity refers to the marital practice between individuals who share blood relations. It is commonly observed in the Middle East, particularly through first-cousin unions. Previous studies have associated consanguineous marriages with an increased risk of genetic disorders and higher infant mortality rates. Much of the research conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on consanguinity is either outdated or does not specifically address the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of our target population. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of UAE adults regarding consanguinity and its genetic consequences. Methods This was a cross-sectional study using convenience sampling to target UAE adult residents. A 37-question online survey was created, piloted, and then shared on social media platforms in both English and Arabic. The participants' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding consanguinity, premarital testing, and genetic disorders were assessed. Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results The sample included 447 participants: 172 (38.5%) were men and 275 (61.5%) were women. Regarding nationality, 335 (74.9%) were non-local Arabs, 78 (17.4%) were Emirati nationals, and 34 (7.6%) were non-Arabs. Results show that 186 (41.6%) of participants had good knowledge, while 168 (37.6%) and 93 (20.8%) had moderate and poor knowledge, respectively. Higher knowledge scores were more common among participants with certain demographics, including women, non-local Arabs, healthcare sector employees, and individuals with non-related parents (p < 0.05). Regarding attitudes, 268 (60.0%) of participants had negative attitudes toward consanguinity. Negative attitudes were more frequent among participants with specific demographic characteristics, including female gender, younger age, non-local Arab ethnicity, students, unmarried individuals, and having non-related parents (p < 0.05). Additionally, 402 (90.0%) of participants believed that premarital testing is necessary. Conclusions This study shows that greater knowledge of the health consequences of consanguinity is associated with more negative attitudes toward the practice, indicating that awareness can influence societal perspectives. Demographic factors such as age, gender, and culture have a strong impact on attitudes, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to shift perceptions of consanguineous marriages across different cultural groups.
Alali et al. (Sun,) studied this question.