Health Literacy about Dog Bite among School Going Adolescents in a Semi-Urban Area of Karnataka

  • Jugal Kishore Director Professor and Head, Department of Community Medicine, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India.
  • Manasi Panda Senior Resident, Department of Community Medicine, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India.
  • Pallavi Boro Assistant Professor, Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Naharlagun, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
  • Ranjit Kumar Mandal Wing Commander (Retd.), Director-Principal, BGS World School, Chickballapur, India.
Keywords: Rabies, Animal Bite, Adolescents, Health Literacy

Abstract

Introduction: Rabies is an acute viral zoonotic disease of the central nervous system which is invariably fatal. Studies suggest the common age group affected by dog bites to be children and adolescents. Most of the deaths due to rabies occur due to a lack of awareness resulting in delayed reporting, inappropriate wound management, and in some cases no post-exposure prophylaxis. Hence, the current study was attempted for assessing the health literacy regarding dog bites among school-going adolescents in a semi-urban area of Karnataka, India.
Materials and Method: The present study was conducted in a government school in Chickballapur. A pre-tested, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was devised to assess the health literacy status about dog bites among school-going adolescents in the age group of 11-16 years.
Results: A total of 320 students belonging to classes 7-10 participated in the study. The source of knowledge about rabies for them was majorly school (49.2%) and doctors (31.7%). 30.6% of them were unaware of the immediate steps to be taken following a dog bite incident. One-third of them (31.1%) were aware of rabies being a fatal disease.
Interpretation & Conclusion: The study showed that although several initiatives are run by the Government for preventing and controlling rabies, there are some schools in which students are unfamiliar with the causation and prevention of rabies. Educating children will make a positive impact on the awareness level about rabies among their family members which will ultimately have a positive impact on the community.

How to cite this article:
Kishore J, Panda M, Boro P, Mandal RK. Health Literacy about Dog Bite among School Going Adolescents in a Semi-Urban Area of Karnataka. J Commun Dis. 2022;54(1):76-83.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202253

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Published
2022-03-31