Child to parent education in prevention of acute respiratory in-fections in rural school under rural health training center

Abstract

Introduction: Acute Respiratory illness in developing countries is one of the major cause of mortality and mor-bidity among under five children with more than 7 million deaths every year worldwide. Most prevalent ill-nesses of childhood include acute respiratory tract infections, malnutrition and diarrhoeal diseases in the middle and low-income countries.

Aim: Aim of the study is to find out the change in level of knowledge, attitude and practice of parents after receiving health education from their school going children.

Methods: A government aided higher secondary school from rural health training center of KIMS Karad was selected with the permis-sion of headmaster of school for the study. From the school 9th standard and their mothers were study popula-tions which were selected by applying above exclusion criteria. A pre-structured and pretested questionnaire was used to get the information regarding definition, causes, signs, symptoms, treatment, prevention respiratory infections etc. Intervention is carried to with posttest of both students and mothers.

Results: Poor and average KAP regarding Acute Respiratory Infections among children had significantly increased to Good after giving Health Education and demonstration to study group children compared to control group to whom these sessions were not conducted. Even KAP of mothers of children for whom sessions were conducted had increased significantly, from poor to good, in comparison with mothers of children for whom sessions were not conducted.

Conclusion: A appropriate and holistic health education on the causation, symptoms, signs, its prevention can help in early identification of the ante respiratory diseases and hence health seeking behavior. Hence children especially the school going children can be used as an effective tool to transmit health education among the families and communities.