Health Misconceptions Research Articles

Mental health misconceptions among at-risk populations: The case of hotel workers

Mental health misconceptions among at-risk populations: The case of hotel workers

Potential Reinforcement of Health Misconceptions in YouTube Videos: Example of Elbow Enthesopathy (Tennis Elbow)

Background and Objectives: We evaluated the prevalence of potential reinforcement of common unhealthy misinterpretations of bodily sensations in social media (YouTube videos) addressing elbow enthesopathy (eECRB, enthesopathy of the extensor carpi radialis brevis, tennis elbow). Methods: We recorded video metric data on 139 unique YouTube videos when searching “lateral epicondylitis” and “tennis elbow.” We designed a rubric to assess the level of potential reinforcement of unhelpful thinking in videos about eECRB. Informational quality was scored with an adapted version of the DISCERN instrument. We then assessed the factors associated with these scores. Results: Sixty-five percent (91 of 139) of videos contained information reinforcing at least one common misconception regarding eECRB. Potential reinforcement of misconceptions was associated with longer video duration, higher likes per day, and higher likes per view. No factors were associated with information quality scores. Conclusions: These findings of a high prevalence of potential reinforcement of misconceptions in YouTube videos, in combination with the known associations of misconceptions with greater discomfort and incapability, point to the potential of such videos to harm health. Producers of patient facing health material can add avoidance of reinforcement of unhelpful thinking along with readability, accuracy, and relevance as a guiding principle.

Paradoxical choice of Korean consumers: categorization effect, health halo and averaging bias

PurposeThis research aims to elucidate why consumers decide to eat meals that seem to be higher in calories and salt, despite their goal being to consume fewer calories and sodium. Korean participants are to be used for this study. The present research further investigated the impacts of categorization and averaging bias in relation to the health halo phenomenon, specifically focusing on traditional food and textured vegetable protein (soy meat) burgers. Thus, the present research investigated how consumers' intentions contrasted with their consumption goals in food choice circumstances.Design/methodology/approachWe partitioned the survey due to the COVID-19 epidemic. A single, well trained surveyor first surveyed customers at cafés in Seoul and six other Korean cities. We received 102 in-person survey replies. A total of 254 advanced degree or undergraduate students from two universities completed an online questionnaire. There are 356 responses. Two studies were conducted where participants were instructed to evaluate the perceived healthiness, calorie content, and sodium level of different food items. The specifics of each study are elucidated in the main body of the paper.FindingsThis study shows that Koreans categorize meals as virtue or vice depending on their perceived healthiness, validating the categorization effect. Furthermore, this research demonstrated that consumers' perceptions of the health benefits of traditional meals and soy meat burgers impact their categorization. Koreans also assessed the average of the vice and virtue and found vice-virtue combination meals healthier than the vice alone. This affects how calories and sodium are perceived. This study also shown that high virtue affects averaging bias more than weak virtue in meals with vice and virtue combo.Originality/valueThis study extended food categorization and averaging bias to non-US consumers and confirmed this contradictory meal choice is universal. Health halo also affects food health perception. The results of this study revealed that Koreans consider traditional food healthier than western junk food. Korean customers incorrectly assume soy meat burgers have fewer calories and sodium than regular burgers. Thus, this study explains Korean consumers' food health misconceptions related to paradoxical consumption.

The correction of health misconceptions in older adults with cognitive impairment

AbstractBackgroundThe use of a refutational technique (e.g., “myths” versus “facts”) to correct health‐related misconceptions is ubiquitous, yet little work has addressed whether older adults’ cognitive status influences misconception correction. We examined belief in COVID‐19 misconceptions in older individuals with and without cognitive impairment, and whether a simple refutational technique would be effective at reducing misconception belief in these populations.MethodOlder adults (N = 62, 36 Males) took a pretest of 10 COVID misconceptions (from the CDC) over the telephone. Participants received immediate corrective feedback (i.e., the correct answer and an explanation of the correct answer). Individuals took a surprise retest after 25 minutes and again one week later. Cognitive status was assessed with a telephone‐administered neuropsychological battery and Montreal Cognitive Assessment‐Blind (MoCA‐Blind). Cognitive status groups were compared on misconception belief and corrections. Exploratory analysis correlated corrections with performance on the neuropsychological battery and demographics.ResultsOlder adults (M = 75.26 years, SD = 6.61) were split into a cognitively impaired group (N = 28) and an unimpaired group (N = 34) based on recommended cutoffs for the MoCA‐Blind; these groups did not differ in terms of age or education. Impaired older adults endorsed more misconceptions on the pretest than unimpaired older adults, t(60) = 3.61, p < .001, d = .92. Importantly, both groups made equivalent corrections from the pretest to the first retest (p = .439, d = .21) and maintained those corrections across the one week delay (p = .907, d = .03). Only memory errors on the recognition portion of the neuropsychological battery were associated with performance gains (r = ‐ .33, p < .01). Individuals who made more false alarms (i.e., incorrectly recognizing a word as having been presented) were less likely to correct misconceptions.ConclusionA refutational technique can be effectively used to correct health‐related misconceptions in even older adults who are cognitively impaired. Moreover, this easily‐implementable technique was effective for older adults of all ages and education levels. Rather, recognition memory errors alone were important in the correction of misconceptions.

Online Program Delivering Tailored Messages Appears Feasible to Motivate Healthier Nutrition and Dental Behaviors in Low-Income Caregivers of Young Children

ObjectivesTest feasibility and usefulness of an online tailored, nutrition and dental health message program for low-income caregivers of young children. MethodsCaregivers were recruited from early educational and family resource centers in low-income communities. Smartphone optimized and aligned with the Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Framework, the online program queried about nutrition and oral health misconceptions, intake and liking of foods/beverages, and frequency and liking for oral health behaviors. Messages, developed from our quantitative and qualitative research, were tailored to the child’s preferences and preventative oral health behaviors to inform and motivate healthier behaviors. Feasibility was assessed by caregiver-reported acceptability and relevance of the survey and messages as well as willingness to improve or maintain nutrition and dental health behaviors. ResultsMost caregivers (83%, n = 140) completed the program (avg = 16.5 min) and were female (88%) with diverse race/ethnicity (39% non-Hispanic White). Nearly all agreed they could answer questions and fix mistakes quickly (≥92%) and the survey got them thinking about their child’s nutrition and dental health (91%). Some caregivers had misconceptions that young children need special, non-family foods (34%) and dental care as less important for children with baby-teeth (17%). Some children failed to meet recommended frequency of teeth brushing (29%), flossing (44%), and dental visits (9%). More children did not meet recommended intakes of vegetables (55%), dairy products (64%), and whole grains (53%). Among all children, the least liked were protein foods, high-fiber foods, and vegetables. Most caregivers agreed the messages were helpful (89%) and they learned new information (81%). Nearly all were willing to try or continue ≥1 health-promoting behavior for their child. ConclusionsThese preliminary findings support that the tailored messaging program addresses needed nutrition and dental health promotion, with a feasible online survey and relevant tailored messages that encourage target behaviors caregivers are willing to improve. The tailored message program can inform one-on-one motivational sessions for goal setting toward healthier nutrition and dental health behaviors. Funding SourcesAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation funded.

Decoding the Myths: Exploring the Mental Health Misconceptions in College Students

Mental health issues have taken a centre stage in health sector with growing number of cases every year. Knowledge and awareness about mental illness among general population has increased with the available opportunity of sharing information on various open-source social networking platform in the recent years. Despite this, lack of awareness and related issues has always been an obstacle in reaching to the maximum and optimizing the impact. This study aimed to understand the awareness about mental health related matters among the young population particularly college students in the age group of 17- 25years. A survey questionnaire with several common myths and facts was used to serve the aim of the study. Several interesting findings yielded out of the data analysis. Overall, the data indicated adequate awareness about mental health. Specifically,the results indicated good awarenessabout the prevalence of mental illness, the need for treatment, rehabilitation of mental health patients. The areas of concern with respect to awareness quotient is found to be lack of adequate knowledge of mental health professionals and lack of awareness about the etiological factors underplaying mental disorders was also clearly reflected.

Older and younger adults’ revision of health misconceptions

ABSTRACT Although ample younger adult research has detailed effective strategies for revising misconceptions, research with older adults is less extensive. Older adults may be less able to correct errors in knowledge due to age-related changes in cognition, but it is also possible that older adults’ revision of misconceptions has been limited by methodologies which do not provide adequate support for correction. In two experiments, we examined how older and younger adults revise health-related misconceptions when provided with cognitive support in the form of explicit detailed feedback and an immediate test. Older and younger adults in Experiment 1 answered true/false health statements, received feedback with a detailed explanation of the correct response, took an additional test on the same statements immediately following the initial test, and completed a final test 1-week later. Older and younger adults corrected a similar proportion of misconceptions immediately and maintained most of those revisions across a 1-week delay. In Experiment 2, older adults corrected the same proportion of misconceptions on the final test regardless of whether or not they received a test immediately following feedback. Overall, older adults revised health misconceptions as effectively as did younger adults but variables influencing correction (e.g., belief in feedback) may differ.

Leisure and Tourism in the Health Concept of Women and Their Health Misconceptions

The pursuit of good health continues to be a popular pursuit in the 21st century, however not everyone understands it in the holistic sense which encompasses physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and societal dimensions. Further, many do not understand how these dimensions influence their health, which leads to misconceptions and making faulty choices in healthy lifestyle practices. Leisure is strongly correlated to health and leisure activities which have been shown to have both direct and indirect effects on one’s health. Research also indicates gender inequalities in leisure disadvantage women disproportionately. This paper first summarizes the understandings of misconceptions, health, leisure, tourism, and their intersections, then introduces a small sample pilot study on the health concepts and misconceptions of female university students in Hungary.

Health Education - Health Misconceptions - Teacher Training Lessons Learnt from a Hungarian Pilot Study

A major goal of schools is to provide students with knowledge and skills applicable (Csapó, 1998). However, teachers have to deal with the misconceptions of their students described as ideas based on experience leading to faulty understanding or naïve ideas (Martin et al., 2002). Schools are of primary importance in transmitting health-related knowledge, skills, attitudes and responsibilities, and health education provided by teachers is key in fighting against the health misconceptions students bring from their immediate environment and those transmitted by the Media. The aim of the present study was to pilot the research questionnaire designed to measure the health misconceptions of teacher trainees. The pilot sample contained 68 students. The research tool was an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire (Chronbach’s Alpha: 0.878) containing open-ended questions referring to the participants’ understanding of health, as well as multiple-choice questions on health misconceptions, together with background socio-demographic questions. From among the holistic dimensions of health (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, societal, social) the physical dimension dominated the health concept of the respondents (95.2 percent). Looking at the sample mean, they correctly assessed that lifestyle (43 percent) plays the most important role in the development of their health. From among the 37 presented health statements, misconceptions could be detected in case of 23 statements (62 percent). The source of their existing misconceptions about health was the Media and family members. Our research intends to show which areas of health should be addressed more among future educators and thus indirectly among students, which misconceptions are worth clarifying at the outset.

Pharmacy students’ beliefs in popular myths about health and therapy

Objective: Pharmacy students are among the next generation of health-care providers who can promote medical knowledge based on scientific data or low-quality health content. Their susceptibility to popular myths related to health and medicine however threatens the proper selection and use of the best available evidence when dealing with patients in community and hospital pharmacies. The objective of this study was to explore such beliefs held by pharmacy students. Methods: A self-administered survey was completed by a sample of 195 Polish pharmacy students (years 1 and 2 as well as years 4 and 5). The students ranked their attitudes towards 36 popular mythical statements on a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ (1 point) to ‘strongly agree’ (5 points). The respondents gave fewer than half the correct answers regarding both general knowledge and more specialised pharmacy knowledge. Results: We explore some of the statements that were not influenced by the education process. The important determinants of student susceptibility to myths about pharmacy and therapy were year of study and preferred sources of scientific information, including the language used in these sources. Conclusion: More attention should be given to evidence-based medicine skills, including the selection of proper scientific information and the adoption of a critical perspective towards all transmitted information among student pharmacists. This approach would reduce the risk of future pharmacists, as care providers, popularising potentially harmful health myths and misconceptions when educating their patients.

Refuting Mental Health Misconceptions: A Quasi-Experiment with Abnormal Psychology Courses

Misconceptions about psychological phenomena are prevalent among students completing college-level psychology courses. Although these myths are often difficult to eliminate, efforts incorporating a refutational focus have demonstrated some initial promise in dispelling these beliefs. In the current quasi-experimental study, four sections of an online undergraduate Abnormal Psychology course ( n = 113 total students) were randomly assigned to receive either a myth-debunking poster assignment or class as usual. Students in the myth-debunking sections were assigned one of five mental health-focused myths and corresponding refutational readings to guide their development of posters aimed at informing their classmates about the misconception, disputing the misconception, and citing relevant evidence as support. Beliefs about common misconceptions (five directly addressed in the assignment and five filler myths) were measured at the beginning and end of the semester. Results indicated that students in the myth-debunking condition were significantly ( p < .001, d = 1.09) more likely to know the truth, at the conclusion of the course, compared to the control group. Overall, the myth-debunking intervention appears to have been effective at reducing students’ misconceptions about popular psychological myths, perhaps even some non-targeted psychological misconceptions.

A cross-sectional survey of the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding tuberculosis among general practitioners working in municipalities with and without asylum centres in eastern Norway

BackgroundThe number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in Norway is increasing due to immigration from countries with high TB prevalence and few studies have been conducted on general practitioners’ (GPs) knowledge of TB in low incidence countries. The main purpose of this study was to explore knowledge, attitudes and practices of TB among Norwegian GPs using a modified Knowledge Attitude Practice (KAP) survey template.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 30 questions was distributed by email using SurveyMonkey to GPs working in municipalities either with or without an asylum reception centre in Eastern Norway (GPwAS or GPw/oAS). The questionnaire assessed demographic data and had 14 questions on TB knowledge and 7 questions on attitudes and practices. Descriptive and inferential analysis of the data was carried out using SPSS 18.ResultsOne hundred ninety five GPs responded and 42% worked in a municipality with an asylum reception centre. There was no significant difference between the two GP groups in relation to demographic variables (all p-values > 0.2). GPwAS were more experienced in diagnosing TB patients compared to GPw/oAS (63.4% vs 44.2%, p = 0.008). There was no significant differences in participation in TB training between the two groups (8.5% vs 7.6%, p = 0.71). The majority of GPs (69%) did not consider TB as a major public health threat and misconceptions of TB epidemiology were identified. Overall, 97 (49.7%) GPs had good TB knowledge level and good TB knowledge level was associated with experience in diagnosing TB patients (p = 0.001) and recent TB training (p = 0.015).ConclusionGaps in TB knowledge and awareness among GPs in Norway need to be addressed if GPs are to be more involved in TB management and prevention in the future. TB training had an effect on the GPs knowledge level and GPwAS had more experience with TB patients but our survey revealed no major differences in KAP between GPwAS and GPw/oAS.

Adolescent mental health education InSciEd Out: a case study of an alternative middle school population

BackgroundMental illness contributes substantially to global disease burden, particularly when illness onset occurs during youth and help-seeking is delayed and/or limited. Yet, few mental health promotion interventions target youth, particularly those with or at high risk of developing mental illness (“at-risk” youth). Community-based translational research has the capacity to identify and intervene upon barriers to positive health outcomes. This is especially important for integrated care in at-risk youth populations.MethodsHere the Integrated Science Education Outreach (InSciEd Out) program delivered a novel school-based anti-stigma intervention in mental health to a cohort of seventh and eighth grade at-risk students. These students were assessed for changes in mental health knowledge, stigmatization, and help-seeking intentions via a classroom activity, surveys, and teacher interviews. Descriptive statistics and Cohen’s d effect sizes were employed to assess pre–post changes. Inferential statistical analyses were also conducted on pilot results to provide a benchmark to inform future studies.ResultsElimination of mental health misconceptions (substance weakness p = 0.00; recovery p = 0.05; prevention p = 0.05; violent p = 0.05) was accompanied by slight gains in mental health literacy (d = 0.18) and small to medium improvements in help-seeking intentions (anxiety d = 0.24; depression d = 0.48; substance d = 0.43; psychosis d = 0.53). Within this particular cohort of students, stigma was exceptionally low at baseline and remained largely unchanged. Teacher narratives revealed positive teacher views of programming, increased student openness to talk about mental illness, and higher peer and self-acceptance of mental health diagnoses and help-seeking.ConclusionsCurricular-based efforts focused on mental illness in an alternative school setting are feasible and integrated well into general curricula under the InSciEd Out framework. Preliminary data suggest the existence of unique help-seeking barriers in at-risk youth. Increased focus upon community-based programming has potential to bridge gaps in translation, bringing this critical population to clinical care in pursuit of improved mental health for all.Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, ID:NCT02680899. Registered 12 February 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02680899

Cardiac health knowledge and misconceptions among nursing students: implications for nursing curriculum design

BackgroundCardiac misconceptions are common among healthcare professionals. The development of professional knowledge is considered an essential component of nursing education. Nurses, regardless of their grade, skills, and experience, should be updated with information so as to be able to rectify their misconceptions, as these could affect patient health outcomes. As the literature evaluating the cardiac knowledge and misconceptions of nursing students is sparse, a study of the subject seems warranted.MethodsA cross-sectional sample survey was used to study the cardiac knowledge and cardiac misconceptions of nursing students in Hong Kong. The study sample included 385 senior nursing students from three universities. Their level of knowledge of cardiac disease was assessed using the modified Coronary Heart Disease Knowledge Test. The York Cardiac Beliefs Questionnaire (YCBQv1) was used to examine cardiac misconceptions.ResultsThe scores for the nursing students’ level of knowledge were diverse. Their mean score in the Cardiac Knowledge Test was 12.27 out of 18 (SD 2.38), with a range of 2–17. For cardiac misconceptions, their mean score in the YCBQv1 was 6.98 out of 20 (SD 2.84), with a range of 0–14. A negative correlation, r = −0.33 was found among students with more knowledge and fewer misconceptions. (p < 0.001). The Chi-square tests found some associations between the students’ experiences of caring for cardiac patients and misconceptions about stress and physiology.ConclusionsThe results of our analyses indicate a diversity in levels of knowledge among the nursing students. Students with higher scores in cardiac knowledge did not necessarily have fewer misconceptions. There were associations between the students’ misbeliefs and their caregiving experiences with cardiac patients. This study presents a framework for designing the contents of cardiac nursing programmes and is a starting point for promoting research on misconceptions held by undergraduate nursing students. A new paradigm of teaching should include inputs from both perspectives to help students to make critical use of theoretical knowledge to rectify their misconceptions and pursue excellence in the working world.

Toddler Formulas: Nutritional Value and Marketing Claims

BackgroundA previous report found that toddler formula brands (fortified milks for children 1–3 years old) spent almost $17 million in adverting in 2015, an increase of 74% compared with 2011. Pediatric nutrition experts specifically recommend against serving these products due to lack of scientific evidence of advantage over whole milk and recommend adding a multivitamin if nutrient deficiencies are of concern. Parents may think that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces strict regulations for toddler formulas when the only regulation is in terms of ingredient safety. Several concerns have been raised concerning the use of structure/function claims (connections of nutrients or ingredients with effects on the human body) due to possible consumer confusion. Given the growing market for toddler formulas and the increase in marketing it is necessary to expose the nutritional content and ingredients in these products. Study objectiveTo characterize the nutritional quality of toddler milk and determi...

Post-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Patients’ Perceptions and Management of Femoral Arterial Access Sites After Attending a Nurse-Led Clinic: A Pilot Study

Background: After undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), patients are discharged home and expected to self-manage all aspects of their post-discharge care, while awaiting cardiology review. This wait-time can be stressful for both first and repeat revascularisation patients in light of potential post-discharge complications which may be experienced. Patients may also have health misconceptions regarding their access site and management. Aim: To explore patients’ perceptions and management of arterial access sites post- nurse-led clinic attendance. Methods: Participants were part of a randomised controlled clinical trial. Intervention group participants received face-to-face nurse-led education and support. Standard care participants received follow-up telephone calls. As a duty of care the researcher engaged with some standard care group participants. Follow-up occurred at four time-points. Data were collected via participant self-report. Participants in both groups discussed their access sites and provided images to reflect their perception of healing at each time-point. Results: Overall, for all participants, minor vascular complications occurred post-procedurally and included bruising and small haematomas. Descriptions of participants’ access sites and healing were accurately reflected by photographic and/or diagrammatic images provided. All participants reported engaging in regular wound-site observation. Repeat revascularisation patients highlighted paying greater attention to their wound site than on previous occasions given the study's requirements to provide access site images. Conclusion: Overall, nurse-led follow-up demonstrated that regular contact and reinforcement of patient education facilitated greater access site observation and confidence to self-manage. Despite intervention group participants receiving additional education, all participants, based on having nurse contact reported better site care.

The Importance of Advocating for Oral Health Education Programs on College Campuses: Original Research on the Systematic Examination of Oral Health Beliefs among College Student Minorities

Consistent oral hygiene habits are paramount for the efforts to preserve our overall health. Minimal research has been conducted focusing on college students and more specifically, those classifying as minorities. By narrowing down the field of oral health research to college educated minorities, such as Asian and Hispanic individuals, it is evident that there is a lack of oral education programs available to these individuals. Research focused on college students enables common misconceptions to be identified. Thus, systemic examinations need to be conducted regarding various oral health beliefs in an academic environment. This study investigates oral health beliefs of university students classifying as minorities in efforts to provide new insights as to why common misconceptions are held, even at an educated level. An oral health survey of 829 students was conducted at the University of California, Merced in the Fall of 2015. Most of these students self-identified as Latino (51%) or Asian (22%). A significant number of UC Merced minority students exhibited inaccurate oral health knowledge, which consequently may predispose individuals for a higher risk of developing poor oral hygiene. Oral health misconceptions may have been overlooked and therefore, universities need to provide educational advocacy programs to promote effective hygienic oral practice.

Exploring Dental Care Misconceptions and Barriers in Pregnancy

Poor oral health is increasingly linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth and low-birthweight infants. Little is known about childbearing women's experiences in obtaining dental care. The objective of this study was to explore Florida women's experience of barriers in obtaining dental care before and during their pregnancies. Study data were derived from a larger data set of a study that examined barriers to prenatal care. One month after giving birth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 253 African American women, 18 to 35 years old, who were residents of one of three Florida counties. Interview questions about women's experiences on obtaining oral health care before and during pregnancy, and recall of guidance about oral health care during prenatal visits were transcribed and analyzed qualitatively. Through subject-level content analysis, key themes were assessed about the participants' perspectives on obtaining oral health care before and during pregnancy. Most participants did not obtain dental care and did not recall receiving dental information during prenatal visits. Barriers to dental care included lack of insurance, difficulty in finding a dentist, low priority given to dental care, misconceptions about the safety and appropriateness of dental care during pregnancy, and sporadic anticipatory guidance during prenatal care. Misconceptions about the appropriateness of oral health care during pregnancy may affect women's access to and use of this care. Given the implications of poor oral health on possible adverse birth outcomes and its larger connection with the general health of mothers and babies, attention to oral health misconceptions and barriers is warranted.

Haitians Get Creative in Effort to Rebuild Shattered System

Haitians Get Creative in Effort to Rebuild Shattered System

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

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.