Lifestyle riskfactors of noncommunicable diseases: Awareness among school children.

ABSTRACT

Background: Currently, the health scenario is riddled with the burden of noncommunicable diseases. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the awareness of school children regarding the risk factors of noncommunicable diseases (NCD). Setting and Design: Three hundred and seventy-five school children, studying in classes 6 to 10, formed the study subjects. Materials and Methods: The school selected for the study was a government school, located in a rural area. The socioeconomic status of the children was mainly in the upper lower and lower class. Students from the 6 to 10 grades formed the study subjects and from among them, a random sample of 375 children were selected for the study. A close-ended questionnaire relating to 3 most commonly occurring NCDs, namely, Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD), and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) was administered to the students. Statistical Analysis: Frequency and proportions were used to analyze the data. Results: It is found that awareness among the school children regarding lifestyle risk factors of NCDs is not satisfactory. The areas of least knowledge were found to be regarding passive smoking, early age at marriage, and reuse of cooking oil as risk factors for NCD. Conclusion: The study recommends the need for curriculum-based health education regarding the prevention aspects and motivation of the children to incorporate healthy lifestyle practices into their daily lives.