Impact of educational intervention on osteoporosis knowledge among university students in Beni-Suef, Egypt

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a geriatric disease that has an adolescent onset. It is mandatory to improve osteoporosis awareness, in older populations, as well as in the younger population. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of an interventional education program on osteoporosis knowledge among university students, to evaluate the level of osteoporosis knowledge, to identify their sources of knowledge and to evaluate the impact of some variables on their level of knowledge. A cross-sectional interventional study design including 393 students from five randomly selected colleges of Beni-Suef University was conducted between September 2016 and January 2017 using a self-administered questionnaire and the Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT). Students were targeted in an educational intervention program. Immediate and 3 months’ post-intervention assessments were done to ascertain any changes in knowledge. Of the 393 students, the mean total score of the OKAT was 11 ± 3.21 before intervention. The internet was the main source of information regarding osteoporosis among students. After interventional health education, the level of osteoporosis knowledge of students was significantly improved. Implementation of an educational health program improves the knowledge of university students concerning osteoporosis. Thus, the findings of the present study may be used to convince the educational authorities to provide health education programs about osteoporosis and its related factors in universities or even include them in the university curriculum to improve knowledge of this disease among students and ensure the accuracy of information they receive.