Opolskie voivodeship secondary school students’ knowledge about fetal alcohol syndrome and its determinants

Abstract

Background: Alcohol consumption during pregnancy may result in a wide range of morphological and neurodevelopmental abnormalities, most notably fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Objectives: To evaluate: (1) Opolskie Voivodeship high school students’ level of knowledge on the subject of FAS (2) the factors contributing to this level of knowledge (3) sources of information about FAS which are accessible and preferred by secondary school students. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in 2018 among 228 adult students of Opole secondary schools. The authors used a diagnostic survey based on original questions they developed for the study. The students’ knowledge was assessed using a four-level scale (very good, good, sufficient, and insufficient). Results: Only 37.28% (85) of students surveyed had ever heard of FAS. A total of 135 people (59.21%) had sufficient knowledge, 57 respondents (25.00%) had a good level of knowledge, 28 respondents (12.28%) had insufficient knowledge, and 8 respondents (3.51%) had very good knowledge. The level of women's knowledge was higher than that of men (p=0.001). The majority claimed that there was a need to raise awareness of FAS (77.19%; 176). Respondents indicated they believe teachers (51.75%; 118) and family members (50.88%; 116), followed by health care workers (42.11%; 96) should be primarily responsible for this education. Conclusions: A definitive minority of those surveyed had a good or very good level of knowledge about FAS, which indicates the necessity of increasing the education level of this group on this specific topic. Taking into account students’ expectations that teachers aid in such education, FAS educational programs should be implemented at schools.