EFFECTIVENESS OF AN EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION IN CHANGING THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE REGARDING SKIN CARE AMONG TEENAGE SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN OF SOUTHERN PART OF THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An educational interventional study will be conducted in the Grade VIII and XII students of the senior secondary schools of the Trivandrum district. Those students fulfilling the inclusion criteria shall be enrolled into the study after getting informed written consent from parents and informed assent from the students. The assessment will be conducted in two sessions as part of a medical camp involving dermatologists. Before the awareness class, students will be given a predesigned and pretested semi-structured self-administered questionnaire that includes socio-demographic variables, exposure to mass media, their current knowledge, and myths about skincare practices. This questionnaire can be completed in 5 minutes. A detailed interactive session using power point presentations and pamphlets which provide basic information on routine skincare practices, malpractices, and myths will follow. A post-test test will be administered three months after the lecture to the same group of students, using the same questions. For each questions fixed marks will be awarded and total marks for both pre and post-test will be analysed.

DATA COLLECTION TOOLS

A structured pre- and post-awareness questionnaire will be administered, covering socio-demographic variables, knowledge, practices, myths, and general information regarding skin

INTERVENTION

The intervention will involve classes conducted with the help of PowerPoint presentations. Each class will last approximately 45 minutes and will cover all aspects of skin care knowledge, practices, myths, and general information. All the doubts will be addressed during this session.