Effect of Training on Perception and Knowledge of Teachers towards common Adolescent health Problems in a School of Bangalore

Abstract

Introduction: Involvement of teachers is the first and most crucial step in developing health care strategy for the adolescents, however there is paucity of literature in India. Objective: To assess the effect of training on perception and knowledge of the school teachers towards the common health problems among adolescents. Material & methods: An intervention study was conducted in a private school of rural Bangalore in November 2015. A pre-tested open-ended questionnaire containing questions regarding the socio- demographic profile of the teachers and common adolescent health problems was administered to the study subjects before and after one-day workshop for the teachers. Training workshop included sessions on adolescent health issues particularly mental health and life skills. Data was entered in MS-Excel and analyzed with the help of SPSS version 21. Results: A total of 75 teachers participated and their age was 31.07 years. 25 (33%) of them had obtained education till B.Ed. Majority (60; 80%) of teachers were Hindu by religion. After the training perception of the teachers about adolescent health problems improved significantly. 99% of teachers were able to recall common adolescent mental issues particularly depression, anxiety and body image perception disorders after the training. Knowledge scores of the teachers regarding the common adolescent problems for both the genders increased significantly (p <0.05). Conclusion: Training about life skills and on identifying the symptoms related to the common mental disorders should be provided to the teachers on a regular basis.