Abstract
The study examines senior high school students' understanding and attitudes toward information on their health in the Kumasi Metropolis. Multiple sampling techniques (convenient and simple random sampling techniques) were used in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 391 respondents for the study. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the sociodemographic data. Again, the study used Pearson's correlation coefficient to show the degree of relationship between the level of knowledge of health information and attitudes toward seeking and sharing health information. The study found students' knowledge of the causes and symptoms of malaria, cholera, and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) to be appreciably high as a result of readings from textbooks and health professionals. Again, the study found that the students preferred sharing their health information with friends than their parents and schools' authorities. The study further found that the major sources of students' health information included health professionals and textbooks. Lastly, even though some of the students claimed internet sources to their health information, it was not a major source to the student body at large. The study recommends strong health systems on the campuses of senior high schools as they have become communities on their own as a result of the emergence of the free senior high school program. The monitored positive peer-counseling group should also be encouraged by the schools' management and by extension the counseling units for the students to share views on themselves, particularly on health issues where they deem fit.
Highlights
Information about health is very important if society wants its citizens to stay healthy
We present and discusses data collected from 391 students in Kumasi Metropolis concerning health information through questionnaire administration
The results show that 34 (8.7%), 54 (13.8%), 48 (12.3%), 130 (33.2%), and 125 (32.0%) noted rarely, not often, often, very often, and extremely often, respectively, that they seek information on their health from health professionals. This clearly shows that the majority (77.5%) of the respondents often seek information on their health from the health professionals
Summary
Information about health is very important if society wants its citizens to stay healthy. Information on health is data collected regarding a person’s medical history that include signs and symptoms of disease, diagnoses, medical procedures, and outcomes [1, 2]. To ensure improved information on people’s health, a health information system is introduced (Chen et al, 2018) [3]. The goal of health information systems is to improve treatment for patients by having the most current patient’s data available to every healthcare practitioner who treats this client [3, 4]. Health information system is available only at healthcare facilities and accessed and used by health professionals for treatment.
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