A COMPARATIVE STUDY TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE PREVENTION OF SWINE FLU AMONG THE URBAN AND RURAL HIGH SCHOOL CHILDREN AT SELECTED SCHOOLS, BANGALORE, WITH A VIEW TO DEVELOP A SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE

Abstract

A comparative study to assess the knowledge regarding the prevention of swine flu among the urban and rural high school children at selected schools,Bangalore,with a view to develop a self-instructional module.Objectives:To assess the existing knowledge regarding prevention of swine flu among urban and rural high school children.To compare the level of knowledge on prevention of swine flu among rural and urban high school children and To find out to the association between level of knowledge regarding prevention of swine flu with their selected demographic variables. Material And Method: The descriptive comparative design was selected to assess the knowledge on prevention of swine flu among 100 high school students (50 urban and 50 rural). The tool used for data collection was structured questionnaire. Collected data was analysed by using descriptive and inferential statistics in terms of frequencies, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test and chi-square. Results: The majority of the students 87(87%) had inadequate knowledge and very few students 13(13%) had moderate knowledge, none had adequate knowledge regarding prevention of swine flu.The calculated "t" value is found to be significantly difference in the knowledge score of urban and rural high school children.The demographic variables educational status, area of residence,education of father and previous knowledge are significantly associated with knowledge scores of urban high schools' children. Conclusion: The knowledge of the swine flu should be imparted through information guidelines, as their level of understanding is quite good, so the investigator felt that school children should have awareness regarding cause, symptoms and preventive strategies through health education.