Knowledge and Attitudes of Adolescents towards Asthma: Questionnaire Results before and after a School-Based Education Program


Razi C. H., BAKIRTAŞ A., Demirsoy S.

INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, cilt.156, sa.1, ss.81-89, 2011 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 156 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2011
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1159/000322251
  • Dergi Adı: INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.81-89
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Education, Adolescents, Asthma, PREVALENCE, TEACHERS
  • Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Background: Previous studies on school-based education programs have reported that asthmatic and nonasthmatic adolescents, teachers and school personnel do not have enough information on asthma. However, the number of education programs including adolescents without asthma is not sufficient. The aim of the present study was to determine the knowledge of school children about asthma and to investigate whether their knowledge of asthma can be increased by an education program through a booklet distributed as a handout. Methods: This cross-sectional prospective questionnaire survey was carried out in a private school in Ankara, Turkey, between February and April 2006. 720 adolescents in grades 6, 7 and 8 were included. Knowledge about asthma was evaluated by a scoring system before and after the education offered by means of a booklet. Results: The final analysis was conducted on 642 students in total. The number of right answers in 5 categories, percentage of right answers and total questionnaire score improved significantly after the education received (p < 0.001). The total questionnaire scores of the girls (p = 0.002), those students with a university graduate mother (p = 0.006) and those with a physician parent (p = 0.041) were higher than those of the other pupils. Conclusion: Theoretical material in the form of a booklet can be used in a school-based asthma education program in order to improve the knowledge of adolescents about asthma. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel