Assessment of knowledge regarding noncommunicable diseases and their risk factors among students of higher secondary school: an interventional study

Abstract

Background: The development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) as a major public health issue in India is owing to a rise in aging population and changes in the behavior because of environmental factors. Adolescence, an age of transformation, is known for the susceptibility to taking up behavior that induces NCD development. Objective: To assess the knowledge of children of higher secondary school regarding NCDs and their risk factors before and after educational interventional training. Materials and Methods: This interventional study was conducted among purposively selected 116 students of Eklavya higher secondary school of Patan city, Gujarat, India, from March to May 2015. After taking permission from the principal and written consent of parents, baseline knowledge of students regarding NCDs and their risk factors was assessed by a predesigned, pretested, semi-structured questionnaire. Single educational training for 45 min was given to the students, and their postintervention knowledge for the same was assessed after the training. Assessment was done by Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Result: Baseline knowledge of the students regarding the risk factors of hypertension such as high salt consumption, obesity, stress, and lack of physical activity was 25.9%, 23.3%, 65.5%, and 21.6%, respectively, which significantly increased to 73.3%, 61.2%, 92.2%, and 45.7%, respectively, after the intervention. Baseline knowledge of the students regarding the hazards of obesity such as hypertension, cancer, heart attack, and diabetes mellitus was 27.6%, 13.8%, 43.1%, and 22.4%, respectively, which significantly increased to 81.0%, 36.2%, 80.2%, and 51.7%, respectively, after the intervention. Baseline knowledge of the students regarding the hazards of smoking, alcohol consumption, and lack of physical activity such as cancer, hypertension, heart attack, and obesity was 74.1%, 14.7%, 26.7%, and 13.8%, respectively, which significantly increased to 89.7%, 56.0%, 74.1%, and 48.3%, respectively, after the intervention. Baseline knowledge of the students regarding preventive measure of NCDs such as meditation, avoiding cigarette smoking/alcohol consumption, and avoiding junk food was 11.2%, 11.2%, and 5.2%, respectively, which significantly increased to 40.5%, 46.6%, and 37.9%, respectively, after the intervention. Conclusion: There was a significant improvement in the knowledge regarding NCDs of high-school children after our single educational session. Such education interventions are to be done on a regular basis to improve their knowledge and discourage them from adopting harmful lifestyles that cause NCDs.