Effect of Nutritional Health Education On Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Anemia Among School Going Adolescent Girls of Belgaum Taluka - A Controlled Trial

Abstract

Aims and objectives ABSTRACT To assess the effect of nutritional health education on the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding anemia among school going adolescent girls. Study design: A controlled trial. Study population: Adolescent school going girls of VI and VII std of Belgaum. Sample size: A sizeable sample of 500 students of VI and VII std of the six government schools. Methodology A written consent was taken from the Principal of the concerned schools. A predesigned and pretested questionnaire was used. This included baseline characteristics of the study population and questions related to anemia. In study group, initially a pretreatment Hb estimation was done by Sahli’s method and predesigned and pretested questionnaire was distributed to the students. Deworming was done and iron tablets were given for two months to those students who were anemic. An educational talk with emphasis on nutrition and its impact on anemia was undertaken in the study group. In the control group the same protocol is followed except for the educational talk. After a period of two months, follow up was done for both the groups which included Hb estimation by Sahli’s method and administration of the post test questionnaire. Results The mean hemoglobin values were significantly higher in the study group than in the control group. Students in both the groups were unaware of the definition of anemia during pre-testing session. Scores for nutritional knowledge and practices regarding anemia in the study group were significantly higher after III intervention when compared with the baseline where as the scores of the control group did not show significant improvement from baseline. Nutrition knowledge scores regarding basic knowledge of anemia, causes, symptoms and signs, iron rich food, prevention, treatment and complications of anemia were significantly higher in the study group than in the control group after eight weeks. Conclusion The awareness regarding various aspects of anemia amongst adolescent girls was observed to be poor during pre-testing, which could lead to adverse health consequences. Significant improvement in the knowledge, development of positive attitudes and healthy practices regarding anemia and its prevention was observed in the study group after imparting health education. Hence the school system can be used as a vehicle together with information, education and communication to bring about awareness regarding anemia and its consequences among the female adolescents, which is potentially the most nutritionally vulnerable segment of the population.