Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of renal function knowledge of primary school pupils in Greece. We conducted a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 220 pupils, coming from the 5th and 6th grades of general education schools. A questionnaire consisting of 11 questions was developed from scratch. However, based on an analysis of Cronbach’s alpha values obtained when individual questions were deleted, two questions were removed from the analysis, and only nine remained for analysis and participated in the calculation of the knowledge score. Moreover, the gender and daily habits of pupils regarding water consumption and frequency of urination were recorded. Pupils had a high percentage of correct knowledge about the number of kidneys (95.2%), whether a child may have problems with the kidneys (85.5%) and whether a person can survive with one kidney (68.5%). Low levels of knowledge were observed in the function and role of the kidneys (36.4%), as well as the part of the body where the kidneys are located (30.9%). The median (interquartile range (IQR)) total knowledge score was 6 (5–7), with no difference detected between genders (p = 0.135). A statistically significant difference between pupils of 5th and 6th grades was found but the difference did not seem to be clinically significant (p = 0.035). The present research demonstrates that pupils’ knowledge of renal function and the protection of their kidneys needs improvement.
Highlights
At an identical age level, questionnaires were distributed between two grades of primary school (5th and 6th grade), that is, children aged 11 and 12 years old
Chronic kidney disease is a major public health problem: 11–13% of the world population suffers from this disease [29]
Our study reveals a lack of knowledge of kidney function in childhood
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Chronic kidney disease is a growing worldwide public health problem [1]. It is identified by the presence of kidney damage, either structural or functional, or by a decline in glomerular filtration rate below 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 of body surface area for more than three months [2]. The term chronic kidney disease defines renal dysfunction as a continuum, rather than a discrete change in renal function, both in children and adults [3]
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