Epilepsy awareness among parents of school children--a municipal survey

A pilot study was undertaken to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of parents of school-going children in a semi-urban municipal area of Bengal. An open-ended questionnaire with 14 questions were put in local language. A total of 1068 parents were interviewed with 76.9% males and 23.1% females. Most of them (60.7%) having an educational level above primary but below higher secondary school level; 41.4% surveyed believe epilepsy is caused by an infection and 40.8% have the idea that it is contagious too; 80.3% have the idea that epilepsy can be treated but 7.3% interviewed carry the idea that it cannot be treated at all. Only 35.9% responders are ready to allow an epileptic child to attend school and sit together with other children. In terms of first-aid management only 36.6% mentioned some useful first-aid measure. The general public attitude is reflected in this study. False belief and negative attitude leads to barrier in children education. Larger and comprehensive community-based educational programme is very much essential to bring about a change in negative attitude towards epilepsy.     

金坛市小学生营养知识、态度、行为及相关因素研究

目的:了解目前金坛市小学生营养相关知识、态度、行为(KAP)水平及其影响因素,为在小学生中开展营养教育提供依据.方法:选取金坛市3所学校共462名五年级小学生,采用自填问卷方式进行调查.结果:调查对象营养K、A、P分的及格率分别为44.5%、84.6%、86.9%,主要缺乏对中国居民膳食指南、营养与健康相关知识等方面的了解.母亲文化程度、学生性别和学校是被访者营养知识、态度及行为的主要影响因素.此外,营养知识、态度及行为3者间存在相关性.调查对象营养知识的实际来源主要是老师、家长和广播电视.结论:金坛市小学生的营养知识水平普遍较低,营养行为存在不合理现象,但改变不合理膳食结构的态度良好.应加强小学生的营养健康教育,提高学龄儿童的营养知识,改善其饮食行为.     

Obesity among female school children in North West Riyadh in relation to affluent lifestyle

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of obesity among elementary school female students and to identify some obesity-associated risk factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study surveyed healthy female school students (grades 4-6) during 2006-2007. Four private schools in North West Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were selected where the majority of high income families enrolled their daughters. One thousand and two hundred students were included. A pre-designed validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Weights and heights were measured, and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Students were categorized into obese and non-obese according to BMI by age scale. RESULTS: A total of 1072 students participated in the study with a response rate of 89.3%. Obesity was prevalent among 14.9% of students. We observed that the proportion of obese students inversely increased by age and schooling grade (p<0.001). Ninety-five percent of the students living in villas or big houses were obese. Approximately 89.2% admitted that they are performing some exercises; however, 13.8% of them were obese. Consuming fast food and soft drinks were common practiced among obese students. Watching television on daily basis was prevalent among 97.5% of obese students. CONCLUSION: The existence of obesity promoting factors, calls for integrating interventions at family and school level to match changes in social and cultural context. Awareness is needed to enhance healthy lifestyle.     

Knowledge and attitudes of female school students on medications in eastern Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge and attitude of female students on medications in Al-Khobar city, the eastern province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: The target population consisted of the third-grade intermediate, and all the 3 grades of secondary school female students in the Al-Khobar area, KSA. A multistage stratified sampling design was adopted at the end of 2001. At the first stage, 13 schools were selected, of which classes were selected in each level using a simple random sampling design. All students in the selected classes were included in the study. The total number of selected students was 1331 females. RESULTS: The mean age of students was 16.1+/-1.7 years. Students from the government schools constituted 72.8%. Two-thirds of the students were in the secondary school grade. The Saudi single students constitute the majority. The study shows that self-administration of medications by female students was highly prevalent. Thirty-eight percent of the students have used over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Only 153 (11.5%) of the students used medications under medical supervision. Paracetamol was used as a painkiller during menstruation by a high proportion (576 students, 43.3%), while 43.5% used antibiotics during the previous year. Television was the main source of knowledge on medications and health. Age and knowledge of medication's side effects were the main variables found to be significantly associated with the use of antibiotics and OTC medications. CONCLUSION: Self-administration of medication was widespread among adolescent girls. There is an immediate need to better understand, and improve the knowledge and medications usage in the schools.