An Intervention Program for Strengthening Tuberculosis Control in Alexandria. Part II: Raising Awareness of Secondary School Students | ||||
| Journal of High Institute of Public Health | ||||
| Article 11, Volume 35, Issue 3, July 2005, Page 675-688 | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jhiph.2005.175669 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
| Hanan Shatat1; Bothaina Deghedi2; Mona Shama3; Manal Koura2; Naguiba Loutfy4 | ||||
| 1Tropical Health, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Egypt | ||||
| 2Primary Health Care, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Egypt | ||||
| 3Health Education, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Egypt | ||||
| 4Parasitology & Medical Entomology, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Background: Tuberculosis [TB] is making a steady comeback as a global scourge and had been declared a global crisis in 1993. The key for controlling TB is the rapid detection and cure of infectious cases. Thus providing basic information to the public about earliest symptoms of TB as well as reducing levels of prejudice against TB patients can increase diagnostic coverage. Objective(s): The aim of this work was to raise awareness about TB among secondary school students and to evaluate the health education program by measuring the students’ knowledge and attitude about TB before and after the health education sessions. Methods: The pre-test post-test design was used. Study population was 467 secondary school students selected by stratified random sampling from the six educational districts in Alexandria. A health education program was developed in the form of 12 sessions each one was 90 minutes lecture-discussion session followed by 30 minutes questions and answers and aided by slides and posters. A self-administered questionnaire was administered to the students before and after the intervention for evaluation of the program. It consisted of items that cover knowledge, perception on seriousness, and attitude towards TB patients. Results: Revealed poor knowledge about TB before the intervention. Although most students knew that TB is an infectious disease [80.9%], only 44% of the students knew that it was transmitted by droplet infection. 56.5% and 44.1% agreed that HIV/AIDS infection and malnutrition respectively are risk factors for TB. Wasting, night sweating, and productive cough were the known symptoms by 65.9%, 49% and 54.2% respectively. Staying in crowded places, smoking specially shisha [hubble-bubble], not covering the mouth during sneezing, and coughing and spitting on the floor were considered bad habits that enhance TB transmission by 76.4%, 67.2%, 57% and 50.1% respectively. Knowledge about the modes of transmission, symptoms, risk groups, and bad habits that help transmission of TB improved significantly after the intervention. Students who considered TB to be curable represented 49.7% of the sample before intervention and increased to 93.4% after the intervention. Before the intervention, only 11.6% of the students refused isolation of TB patients, 34.3% agreed that TB patients could be treated at home and 30.2% said that they would accept engagement to a previous TB patient. These figures improved significantly to 38.8%, 63.8%, and 50.5%, respectively after the intervention. Conclusion: Knowledge and attitude of students towards TB were generally poor. TB education program implemented in schools can enhance students’ knowledge and change their attitude towards TB patients. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Intervention Program; Tuberculosis Control; Alexandria | ||||
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