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PubMed2001

Knowledge of the risks and benefits associated with oral contraception in a university-aged sample of users and non-users.

As research has shown that knowledge concerning the health risks and benefits of oral contraceptive (OC) use is a contributor to OC compliance, the following study examined an educated sample of young women to determine the level of knowledge concerning the risks and benefits of OC use. A 28-item questionnaire was developed by the research team and distributed to female undergraduate students. Five questions were designed to assess the respondent's knowledge of OC. Overall, it found that OC users answered 71.9% of the questions correctly, whereas non-users answered significantly fewer questions correctly. As well, the number of correct responses increased with academic year, indicating that younger women were less knowledgeable about OC. The results of this study indicate that despite increased efforts to educate women, knowledge of OC remains a major problem, even in a sample of women with relatively high socio-economic status.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Emergency contraception: knowledge and use among Danish women requesting termination of pregnancy.

The aim of this study was to describe knowledge about and use of emergency contraception (EC) among Danish women requesting termination of pregnancy. The study included 1514 women (response rate 83.7%) referred during the period August 2000 to May 2001. Sufficient knowledge of EC was defined as knowledge about both the correct time limit and where to acquire the EC. We found adequate knowledge in 44.7%. These women were typically younger, better educated and more often singles, nulliparae, and users of contraception. No relation was found to the type of contraception used or to previous terminations of pregnancies. EC was used in the actual pregnancy by 6.6% and 24.1% had used it previously. Actual or formers users were characterized in the same way. The general knowledge about EC has not improved significantly during the last few years and there is still need for information about the correct use of EC.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Psychometric characteristics of questionnaires designed to assess the knowledge, perceptions and practices of health care professionals with regards to alcoholic patients].

UNLABELLED: Failure of the French health care services to diagnose and manage problem drinkers has been established on many occasions. This results from a relative lack of knowledge of the basics of alcoholism and the low level of involvement of health care professionals in the management of these patients. In response to this inadequacy, the French Public Health Ministry promoted the development of managed care and coordination of care for these patients. Teams in charge of coordinating care for problem drinkers have been implanted in 96 French hospitals since 1996. These teams aim to provide support to health care providers caring for problem drinkers. For this purpose, they have delivered continuing medical education designed to prepare health care providers to identify and manage these patients in various settings. However, no formal assessment of the impact of these interventions on the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of health care professionals has been planned. The assessment of these interventions can rely on qualitative methods such as observation, focus groups, or individual interviews. However, qualitative methods require specific skills, are time-consuming, and cannot be implemented on a large scale. In contrast, quantitative methods using survey questionnaires or standardized instruments appear to be more appropriate for large scale or repeated evaluations. However, the accuracy of ratings provided by these instruments can be affected by many methodological factors, including the quality of the instrument in terms of validity, reliability, and sensitivity to changes. The aim of this paper is to describe the properties of French and English language questionnaires designed to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of health care professionals with regards to alcoholic patients. METHODS: The instruments were retrieved by searching the Medline, Pascal, and Sudoc computerized bibliographic databases from January 1964 to December 2002. The following medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and text words were used: "*alcoholism/psychology/therapy", "questionnaire", "healthy care surveys", "attitude of health personnel", and "*knowledge/attitude/practice". In addition, the table of contents of the French journals devoted to alcoholism that were not indexed in electronic bibliographic databases were examined (Alcoologie et addictologie, Alcoologie). The bibliographies of relevant articles were also examined for additional citations. Finally, a phone survey of 34 professionals caring for alcoholic patients located in French university hospitals was carried out to retrieve unpublished questionnaires. Two authors independently extracted data from each study using a standard date abstract form. Disagreements were resolved through consensus. They extracted information on the development process and properties of validity, reliability, and sensitivity to changes. Validity is a concept concerned with the extent to which an instrument actually measures what it is supposed to measure. It is assessed through different facets (content, construct, criterion, discriminant, and predictive validity). Reliability reflects the amount of error inherent in any measurement. Sensitivity to change corresponds to the property of an instrument to identify small but clinically significant changes in attitude or practice. RESULTS: A total of 57 relevant publications involving 39 original instruments were identified. Eighty questionnaires were not available, despite the solicitation of their developers. Overall, the study included 21 instruments. Of these, 20 were English-language questionnaires and one was in French. The conceptual frameword was specified for only two questionnaires: "the Addiction Belief Scale" and "the Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire". The number of items ranged from 9 to 122. Items were derived from qualitative surveys in only two cases. In the other cases, they were derived from the literature, expert panels, or form unknown sources. The internal construct validity of eight questionnaires was assessed using principal component analysis, factor analysis, or cluster analysis. We considered that external construct validity was analyzed by testing empirical hypotheses derived from the literature for 15 of the instruments studied. Predictive validity cas evidenced for only one questionnaire. Internal consistency was documented for seven instruments, using Cronbach's coefficient. Test-retest or inter-rater reliability was assessed for none of the instruments. The sensitivity to change of two instruments was analyzed. The response rate to the instruments ranged from 46% to 93%. DISCUSSION: The main finding of this study is that properties of validity, reliability, and sensitivity of questionnaires designed to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of health care professionals with regards to alcoholic patients are neglected. Moreover, these questionnaires generally lack a theoretical background. Hence, the interpretation of responses to these questionnaires may be misleading. The present study has several limitations. The search strategy could be criticized for searching only a small number of databases, and selecting French and English language questionnaires. However, given the large range of journals included, it was unlikely that the strategy has limited the generality of the results. In addition, we identified no additional relevant articles by contacting professionals working with alcoholic patients in French university hospitals. Articles reporting instruments designed to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of health care professionals with regards to alcoholic patients are incomplete. Journals should require minimum evidence of validity, reliability, and sensitivity when reporting results of surveys, development of questionnaires or standardized instruments. CONCLUSION: The psychometric characteristics of French language questionnaires were given very little attention. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of their continuing medical education programs, the teams that train French medical staff caring for alcoholic patients should either develop a standardized survey questionnaire following a strict methodology or translate an English language instrument, which would also require a cross-cultural validation.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed2000

University students' knowledge of AIDS.

In this paper, a cross-sectional exploratory design is utilized for the purpose of assessing the knowledge level of HIV/AIDS infection among a convenient sample of university students. The sample consisted of 1013 students at the Bachelor's level across the university faculties (Scientific, Medical and Humanities). Chi-square test of significance was utilized to examine crucial differences amongst students regarding their self-assessed, as well as, general knowledge of HIV/AIDS. The results indicated the presence of a "knowledge-deficit" problem among the students in terms of what can or cannot transmit HIV/AIDS, taking into consideration that 54% of the students stated that they "knew very little about AIDS" and 14% said that they "never heard about AIDS". Moreover, the results revealed the presence of certain misconceptions (myths) with regard to students' general knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Significant differences in the students' level of knowledge appear in relation with students' age, sex, academic level of university education and the faculty they attend. The study explains these results and comes out with appropriate recommendations, the most important of which is the need for introducing a tailored-cut course on HIV/AIDS to be offered to students as part of their study plans/curricula.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Fishing for understanding: nurses knowledge and attitudes in relation to nutritional care.

Many studies have demonstrated that malnutrition is a significant problem amongst hospital patients, but little is known about what nurses actually do, and what factors influence this. This study aimed to explore the nutritional attitudes, knowledge base and nursing care of qualified nurses in an acute hospital. A survey of nurses' records for documented nutrition related activities was carried out for all (141) patients from five wards for two weeks, followed by a questionnaire, focused on nutrition-related attitudes, activities and knowledge, to all qualified nurses of these and a further four wards (110 nurses). Results revealed evidence of some knowledgeable and pro-active attitudes and nursing care; however, there was little association between knowledge, stated attitudes and behaviour and discrepancies were observed between questionnaire responses and documented activities. Ajzen and Fishbein's (1980) theory relating beliefs, attitudes, intentions and behaviour was not supported although this might be attributed, in part at least, to nurses not regarding weighing patients as nutritional assessment. Behaviour appeared to have been influenced by a variety of factors and relationships between attitudes, knowledge and activities seemed far from straightforward.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1995

Adults with congenital heart disease: patient knowledge of endocarditis prophylaxis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether adults with congenital heart disease have adequate knowledge of infective endocarditis and endocarditis prophylaxis and to ascertain whether an educational program effectively improves patient knowledge and compliance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We asked 102 consecutive patients to complete a 12-question survey to assess their knowledge of heart disease, infective endocarditis, and endocarditis prophylaxis. RESULTS: Of 102 patients, 100 (98%) completed the questionnaire. Sixty-eight patients knew the name of their heart disease. Fifty patients correctly defined endocarditis, but only 43 knew hygiene measures that could prevent endocarditis. Ninety-six patients knew that they needed to take "a medicine" before dental procedures, and 76 of those patients (79%) knew that an antibiotic was necessary. Patient use of cardiac medications and a history of endocarditis correlated significantly with knowledge of endocarditis. Patients who had been to the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic at least once knew endocarditis prevention measures and the importance of regular dental and cardiology follow-up significantly more frequently than did first-time attendees. Despite educational counseling, however, patient recall of endocarditis and its prevention is disappointing. CONCLUSION: Many adults with congenital heart disease have inadequate knowledge of their cardiac lesion, endocarditis, and endocarditis prophylaxis. Educational efforts for adults with congenital heart disease need to be updated and reinforced regularly.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

New mothers' knowledge and attitudes about perinatal human immunodeficiency virus infection.

OBJECTIVES: To assess new mothers' attitudes toward perinatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, their knowledge about perinatal HIV, and their trust of government and scientists. METHODS: In a cross-sectional survey of 1362 postpartum women at four United States locations in 1997, a standardized interview was administered to new mothers 24-48 hours postpartum to determine their HIV test acceptance, attitudes, and knowledge. RESULTS: Seventy-five percent of women who were offered HIV tests reported being tested. Although 95% of women were aware of perinatal HIV transmission, only 60% knew that HIV can be transmitted through breast-feeding, and only 51% knew of medication to prevent perinatal transmission. Eighty-four percent of women thought that all pregnant women should be tested for HIV, and 60% thought that prenatal HIV testing should be legally mandated. Twenty percent of women indicated mistrust of government and scientists regarding origins of HIV and potential cures for AIDS. Knowledge about perinatal transmission was unrelated to receipt of prenatal HIV tests. When other factors were controlled for, mistrust was not significantly associated with getting tested. CONCLUSION: Incomplete knowledge of prevention of perinatal HIV transmission and mistrust were prevalent among new mothers. Knowledge deficits or mistrust did not appear to reduce reported prenatal test rates, but our data suggest that future public health efforts need to educate women about methods of preventing perinatal HIV transmission and at enhancing their trust in the public health system.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Little knowledge and limited practice: emergency contraceptive pills, the public, and the obstetrician-gynecologist.

OBJECTIVE: To assess Americans' knowledge and attitudes about emergency contraceptive pills and the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of obstetrician-gynecologists with respect to emergency contraceptive pills. METHODS: A random sample of a national cross-section of 2002 Americans, age 18 and older, including 1000 women and 1002 men, was surveyed by telephone between October 12 and November 13, 1994. A nationally representative sample of 307 obstetrician-gynecologists, whose names were drawn from the American Medical Association Physicians' Masterfile, was surveyed by telephone between February 1 and March 21, 1995. Both Surveys addressed knowledge and attitudes about unplanned pregnancy and contraception options, including emergency contraception. Despite response rates of 50 and 77%, respectively, both unweighted samples closely mirror the populations from which they were drawn. RESULTS: Americans are not well informed about emergency contraceptive pills. Only 36% of respondents indicated that they knew "anything could be done" within a few days after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. Fifty-five percent said they had "heard of" emergency contraceptive pills, and only 1% had ever used them. Ninety-nine percent of obstetrician-gynecologists reported being "familiar" with emergency contraceptive pills. Twenty-two percent were "somewhat familiar." Among those who said they were "very familiar" with the method (77%), the majority considered emergency contraceptive pills to be "very safe" (88%) and "very effective" (85%). Overall, 70% of obstetrician-gynecologists surveyed said they had prescribed emergency contraceptive pills within the last year, but on an infrequent basis; 77% of those who prescribed emergency contraceptive pills did so five or fewer times. CONCLUSION: Public knowledge about the availability and use of emergency contraceptive pills is limited, as is the practice of prescribing the pills among obstetrician-gynecologists. Because patients rely on health care providers for information on birth control, health care providers can improve knowledge about the availability of emergency contraceptive pills among their patients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Determining the effect that consultation-liaison psychiatry in primary care has on family physicians' psychiatric knowledge and practice.

The impact of a community-based consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry service on family physicians' levels of psychiatric knowledge, diagnostic and treatment confidence, and patterns of referral to mental health care agencies was evaluated over a 12-month period. The physicians with long-term access to the C-L service had higher levels of psychiatric knowledge than those with short-term or no access. However, there was no evidence that the C-L service produced changes in the physicians' levels of clinical confidence, referral likelihood, or psychiatric knowledge during the evaluation period. Significant predictors of psychiatric knowledge were age (younger) and gender (women). The participating physicians were highly satisfied with the service and preferred it over other possible referral agencies. However, community C-L services in family practice appear to have a limited role in the provision of psychiatric care and are not an efficient way for improving family physicians' levels of psychiatric knowledge or altering their practices. The appropriate role of community C-L psychiatry may be as one component of a comprehensive service-delivery strategy integrated within ongoing, formal family-physician educational programs.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Health workers and the human immunodeficiency virus: knowledge, ignorance and behaviour.

The attitude of health personnel towards the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has a great influence on public opinion. Thus appropriate knowledge about HIV and its routes of transmission, plus safe and professional behaviour are crucial. A survey of 359 Norwegian health workers (75% response) revealed that factual knowledge was good. Fear of occupational transmission was substantial, but was not reflected in behaviour: 25-50% of the personnel reported not using gloves when exposed to blood. No relationship was found between knowledge and behaviour. A majority (79%) of the sample held the view that every hospital patient should be routinely tested on admission. Seventy-four per cent advocated preoperative screening, with special precautions if the results are positive. Knowledge did not seem to influence these attitudes. It is concluded that the behaviour of health personnel in relation to occupational risks is unrelated to factual knowledge, and further studies are needed to uncover behavioral determinants.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2003

Educating African-American men about prostate cancer: impact on awareness and knowledge.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether an education program on prostate cancer could improve awareness and knowledge among African-American men. African-American men have the world's highest incidence of prostate cancer and more than twice the mortality compared with white men. Screening programs for prostate cancer have not been successful in attracting African-American participation. One explanation is a poor awareness and knowledge about the disease among this high-risk population. METHODS: We surveyed 900 African-American adults attending prostate cancer education seminars in community settings throughout Illinois between March 1998 and January 2001. Participants were asked to complete a multiple-choice questionnaire on topics related to prostate cancer. The main outcome measures were a change in awareness and knowledge of prostate cancer after the 1-hour educational seminar. RESULTS: The mean survey score improved from 26.0% before the seminar to 73.3% after it (P <0.0001). Every multiple-choice question was answered correctly more often after the seminar than before it. Increasing levels of education and income were associated with higher before and after scores (P <0.001). Men achieved a significantly greater score improvement (mean 48.1%) compared with women (mean 41.1%; P = 0.006). Previous screening for prostate cancer was reported by 23% of the participants. Using logistic regression analyses, higher levels of education and income correlated with higher rates of screening. After the seminar, 63.1% stated the intention to undergo screening. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that prostate cancer awareness and knowledge can improve dramatically after a 1-hour seminar on the topic. Additional studies to evaluate the long-term retention of knowledge and impact on behavior are warranted.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Communication about contraception and knowledge of oral contraceptives amongst Norwegian high school students.

Communication about contraception and specific knowledge of oral contraceptives (OCs) were examined in a sample (n = 4,650) of Norwegian high school students. Data were collected through a 44-item questionnaire especially developed for the study. The response rate was 73% and data from a total of 1,714 girls and 1,389 boys were eligible for analyses. More females (83%) than males (54%) discussed contraception at least monthly. Discussions were predominantly held with peers and not adults. Females were far more knowledgeable about OCs than males. Respondents knew more about side effects and the pill's relative efficacy than about risks of cancer and tromboembolism. The most significant predictors of high knowledge scores were gender and OC use (females). Also predictive of high knowledge scores were frequent discussions about contraception with peers. Talks about contraception with health workers were unrelated to knowledge scores.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Public opinion and knowledge about childhood sexual abuse in a rural community.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the knowledge and attitudes of the general public about child sexual abuse (CSA) through a population-based survey. METHOD: A survey was completed by 246 respondents living in Klamath Falls, a small city in rural eastern Oregon. Specific areas of inquiry included who respondents believed were likely perpetrators of CSA, when a child was most likely to disclose sexual abuse, whether respondents believed that children would be truthful, reasons a child might not acknowledge that they had been sexually abused, what respondents knew about how CSA could be diagnosed, and what attitudes respondents thought that a sexually abused child might have towards the perpetrators of their abuse. Finally, respondents were asked how they would report a suspected case of CSA and about their receptivity to personal safety training to prevent CSA. RESULTS: While significant proportions of respondents were fairly knowledgeable about CSA, gaps in knowledge were found in all age groups and ethnic groups. Groups with the most significant knowledge deficits about CSA included men, unmarried respondents, respondents who had not had children, respondents in younger age groups, respondents of Latino descent, and respondents with low incomes or low education. Respondents were most likely to report CSA to their physician or the police. There is community interest in training about CSA and its prevention. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that significant deficits as well as strengths in knowledge about CSA exist in this rural community, and identify populations to which community education about CSA could be directed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Patients' and nurses' knowledge of cardiac-related symptoms and cardiac misconceptions.

OBJECTIVE: To compare knowledge and reported incidence of cardiac-related symptoms among patients with nurses' knowledge and estimated incidence of symptoms in this patient group. DESIGN: Retrospective collection of patient data by means of postal questionnaire and postal survey of hospital nurses. SETTING: Five non-randomly selected hospitals in northeast England. SUBJECTS: One hundred seventy-five male patients with a first uncomplicated myocardial infarction (MI), cared for by 168 registered nurses working in coronary care or medical wards. OUTCOME MEASURES: Reported and estimated occurrence of 11 common cardiac symptoms in the 3 weeks after MI and 15-item knowledge and 10-item misconception scales about cause of and recovery from MI. RESULTS: The percentage of nurses who correctly estimated the incidence of symptoms was low, 25% of nurses did not make any correct estimates, and the mean number of correct estimates was not associated with nurses' experience or qualifications. The overall mean score for the knowledge scale was 9.6 (SD 1.9) for nurses, which was significantly higher (t=7.5, p<0.001) than that for patients (mean 7.9, SD 2.3); the nurses' score was not significantly associated with experience or place of work. For the misconception scale the mean score for nurses was 6.8 (SD 1.5), which was significantly higher (t=6.85, p<0.001) than the mean score for patients (5.5; SD 2.6); nurses working in specialized cardiac wards and more experienced nurses had significantly higher scores. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses should be provided with sound knowledge on cardiac symptoms and risks so that they can educate patients accordingly and, in particular, can correct misconceptions about the condition, prognosis, and appropriate lifestyle changes. Advanced-training personnel should recognize the need to enhance nurses' skills in patient education and rehabilitation; the importance of these skills also should be recognized in first-level training.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of a postdischarge education class on coronary artery disease knowledge and self-reported health-promoting behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of a single 2-hour postdischarge education class on knowledge and health-promoting behaviors of patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. DESIGN: Descriptive, two-group, posttest survey. SETTING: Midwestern community hospital. SUBJECTS: One hundred fourteen patients who had experienced a cardiac catheterization, 53 patients who had attended a postdischarge coronary artery disease education class, and 61 patients who had not attended the class. OUTCOME MEASURES: Knowledge of coronary artery disease and coronary artery disease risk factor, and health-promoting behaviors. RESULTS: Those who attended the postdischarge class scored significantly higher on both knowledge and health-promoting behaviors. CONCLUSION: Patients who attended a single 2-hour postdischarge education class had significantly higher knowledge of coronary artery disease and coronary artery disease risk factors. Knowledge may better prepare people to increase health-promoting behaviors.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Knowledge of and preference for the DOMINO delivery option.

OBJECTIVE: To examine women's knowledge of and preference for the DOMINO (Domiciliary In and Out) delivery option in order to explain why uptake is lower than might be expected. DESIGN: Descriptive study using a self completion postal questionnaire. SETTING: Mid Staffordshire Health Authority (now part of South Staffordshire Health Authority). SUBJECTS: A systematic random sample of 1568 women aged 16-44 drawn from the Staffordshire Family Health Services Authority register of patients registered with a general practitioner. All women were included, regardless of childbirth experience. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Preference and knowledge levels for this delivery option. MAIN FINDINGS: The response rate was 74%. Thirty-nine per cent had heard of the DOMINO option prior to receiving the questionnaire. Sixteen per cent expressed a preference for this option (95% CI 11.1-21.9). Some women who expressed a preference were excluded owing to high risk factors, giving an adjusted preference of 11% (95% CI 5.2-16.4). Preference was not related to either age, pregnancy experience or previous knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: More women expressed a preference for the option than would be expected from examination of national and local uptake figures. Lack of knowledge appears to be an important factor in explaining the low uptake. Purchasers, therefore, need to set contracts reflecting more realistic preferences and ensure that women have information on all options available to them, so that at the beginning of pregnancy women are enabled to make a shared decision on the choice of delivery. Both purchasers and providers need to monitor uptake and levels of knowledge.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Neurolathyrism in Ethiopia: assessment and comparison of knowledge and attitude of health workers and rural inhabitants.

A cross sectional community based study was done in the Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia in 1999-2000 to assess and compare knowledge and attitude towards neurolathyrism among health workers and the rural community. A sample of 217 health workers selected by probability proportional to size and randomly selected 589 heads of household from a rural district were interviewed using pre-tested questionnaires. Neurolathyrism was widely known among the health workers and the community. More than half of community respondents associated the disorder with walking or lying on the straw and the stalks of grass pea. In a multivariate analysis. poor neurolathyrism knowledge among the community was associated with illiteracy and with presence of a neurolathyrism patient at home. Among health workers, contact with vapour or steam of grass pea foods was the commonest cause cited. In a multivariate analysis nurses had the poorest knowledge among the health workers. Depending on the subject, health workers and community respondents had more or less knowledge than the other. The prevailing recurrent adverse climatic conditions might promote grass pea as a 'friendly' crop to the poor peasants in marginal areas who otherwise rely on it only during times of food shortages and could increase the incidence of neurolathyrism. The poor knowledge among health workers and the community and the general neglect of neurolathyrism requires urgent intervention. Appropriate strategies for the dissemination of information education, and communication (IEC) are needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Effects of a randomized health education intervention on aspects of reproductive health knowledge and reported behaviour among adolescents in Zimbabwe.

Unwanted teenage pregnancy and the attendant morbidity and mortality necessitate an understanding of the factors influencing adolescent sexuality and the implementation of programmes designed to improve their knowledge and reproductive behaviour. A randomized controlled study on reproductive health knowledge and behaviour was undertaken among adolescent pupils drawn from a multi-stage random cluster sample. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess aspects of reproductive health knowledge and behaviour at baseline followed by a health education intervention, except for control schools. Results are based on 1689 responses made up of 1159 intervention and 530 control respondents. There was a significant increase in correct knowledge about aspects of menstruation in intervention as compared with control schools [odds ratio (OR) = 4.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.4-6.1). Significantly, (OR = 2.0, 95%CI = 1.1-3.9) more pupils from intervention than control schools scored correctly on practice relating to menstruation. Pupils from intervention schools were more likely (P < 0.001) to know that a boy experiencing wet dreams could make a girl pregnant and that a girl could get pregnant at her first sexual intercourse (OR = 1.4, 95%CI = 1.1-1.9). Knowledge of family planning was low in both groups at baseline but was high at five months follow-up in the intervention schools. The findings point to the need for early school-based reproductive health education programmes, incorporating correct information on reproductive biology and the subsequent prevention of reproductive ill health.

Adolescent↗