Abstract:

Objective: Our study is planned to measure the knowledge level of viral students who are studying high school in Kahramanmaraş province, to increase their awareness and to develop appropriate attitudes and behaviors accordingly. Material and Method: Our study was carried out in January 1 and March 31, 2020. 1101 students participated in our research. Our study is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The questionnaire forms with a total of 42 questions including sociodemographic features, which were created as a result of the literature review, were applied to the students in the classroom environment, under the supervision of the researchers, before and after the training. Information questions; It is prepared to measure general information about viral hepatitis, ways of transmission of the disease, groups that pose a risk for the disease, course of the disease and ways of prevention. In the research, t-test was used for comparing two-level groups, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparing groups with three-level levels. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between continuous variables and Chi-square analysis was performed to examine the relationships between categorical variables. All analyzes were done in SPSS.23 program and statistical significance level was accepted as p <0,05. Results: In the first measurement of the research, a total of 1101 high school students, 737 (66,9%) of whom were women and 364 (33,1%) of them, were included. The general knowledge point average of women is significantly higher than the average of men (p <0,001). The average of general knowledge scores of the participants who are healthcare workers in their families is significantly higher than those who are not (p = 0,045). General knowledge, knowledge and transmission routes of the vaccinated participants were significantly higher than those who did not (p <0,001). Participants who heard and received information about hepatitis previously had a higher mean score than those who did not (p <0,001). Conclusion: High school students in Kahramanmaraş have insufficient knowledge about viral hepatitis. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the education on health in primary and high schools. Students should be trained on the ways of transmission of hepatitis, the importance of prevention and vaccination, complications of the disease and treatment options. In addition, increasing school vaccination programs is crucial for both public health and preventing infections.

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