A Study to Assess the Level of Knowledge on Prevention of Leptospirosis among Schoolchildren in Selected School at Puducherry with a View to Develop Information Module

JOURNAL TITLE: Pondicherry Journal of Nursing

Author
1. Umamaheswari Ramesh
2. Kandasamy Renuka
ISSN
2279-0144
DOI
10.5005/jp-journals-10084-12170
Volume
13
Issue
4
Publishing Year
2020
Pages
3
Author Affiliations
    1. Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, Kasturba Gandhi Nursing College, Puducherry, India
  • Article keywords

    Abstract

    Background: Leptospirosis is one of the zoonotic diseases that has a worldwide distribution and is transmitted without any intermediary vertebrate or invertebrate or inanimate vectors directly to humans. It is an infectious disease caused by rats and skunks, opossums, raccoons, foxes, and other vermin spread by a specific form of bacteria called spirochete. Schoolchildren emerge as innovative individuals who plan for their potential position in society. Schoolchildren should have adequate knowledge about leptospirosis for early prevention. The purpose of the study was to assess the level of knowledge on prevention of leptospirosis among schoolchildren in selected school at Puducherry with a view to develop an information module. Aims and objectives: To assess the level of knowledge on prevention of leptospirosis among schoolchildren and to find out the association between the level of knowledge on prevention of leptospirosis among schoolchildren with selected demographic variables. Materials and methods: For this study, a descriptive research design was used. By a simple random sampling procedure, 60 samples of schoolchildren were chosen. The data were collected through a formal information questionnaire on the prevention of leptospirosis. Results: Regarding the level of knowledge of schoolchildren on prevention of leptospirosis, it was found that 1 (1.7%) had adequate knowledge, 18 (30%) had moderately adequate knowledge, and 41 (68.3%) had inadequate knowledge regarding prevention of leptospirosis. There was a significant difference in the level of knowledge on prevention of leptospirosis among schoolchildren. Conclusion: The study was conducted on 60 schoolchildren. This study proves that majority of schoolchildren had inadequate knowledge about prevention of leptospirosis. So, this present study helped the schoolchildren to know about preventive measures of leptospirosis through the information module.

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