Impact of Modern Media about Awareness of Hepatitides among University Graduate Students in Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

To analyze the effectiveness of various media utilization for health education, false believes, and misconceptions about disease prevalence among the youngsters and to disseminate the findings to the health planners and mangers to establish new health education intervention about Hepatitis. A cross sectional descriptive self administered questionnaire based study was conducted to investigate the current state of knowledge about Hepatitides and the source of information among 200 boys studying in Government College University Lahore in the year 2009. Among 200 graduate students, 58.5% mentioned TV as their major source of information about Hepatitis. Similarly 44% discussed with parents, 41.5% with friends and 37.5% got information form magazines about Hepatitis. While using a cumulative Hepatitis knowledge score, statistically significantly better knowledge about Hepatitis was found among students whose parents monthly income was above 10,000. Similarly the students who watched medical forum and movies on TV or who watched dish antenna/cable programs and likewise the students who were having information from their relatives. It can be concluded safely from the data collected in this study that although general level of awareness regarding Hepatitis transmission and prevention seems to be satisfactory in the University boys included in the study. Yet a lot of misconception, beliefs and malpractices exists which need rectification. Those students who have more interaction, read more newspapers, watch more television talk shows have better knowledge. So these can be used as an appropriate route for dissemination of information. It was also identified that students in science have better knowledge because of their more exposure to the medical sciences.