Eficacia de una intervención educativa orientada al conocimiento sobre la protección de la salud contra la...

Air pollution remains a major global public health challenge, and reducing its harmful health effects is urgent, particularly for children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of knowledge-oriented education on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of air pollution health protection (APHP) in primary school students.

We conducted a single-arm pre-post intervention study by enrolling 635 primary school students. A two-month knowledge-oriented education intervention was performed through health lectures, educational videos, and the distribution of educational materials. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the KAP of air pollution before and after the intervention.

After the intervention, the capability of air pollution protection was significantly improved as suggested by the significantly increased total score of KAP from 83.90±8.75 to 92.28±4.75, as well as its components including knowledge (20.45±3.13 vs 23.20±2.16), attitudes (31.60±4.03 vs 34.54±2.09), and practices (31.84±4.89 vs 34.52±2.67) (all P<0.05). These increments seemed to be more apparent in students who did not live with their parents and those whose mothers had a higher education level.

Our pilot study found that KAP of APHP was significantly improved by knowledge-oriented education in primary school students and provided preliminary evidence for its potential effectiveness in the improvement of APHP. A well-designed randomized trial is warranted to demonstrate this effectiveness.