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Assessment of High School students' First-Aid Knowledge, Attitudes, and

Practice in Selected Schools in the Chamarajanagar District

Article in Nursing and Health Sciences · July 2022

DOI: 10.14445/24547484/IJNHS-V8I2P101

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SSRG International Journal of Nursing and Health Science Volume 8 Issue 2, 1-7, May-Aug 2022
ISSN: 2454 – 7484 / https://doi.org/10.14445/24547484/IJNHS-V8I2P101 © 2022 Seventh Sense Research Group®

Original Article

Assessment of High School students' First-Aid

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice in Selected Schools
in the Chamarajanagar District
Vinay Kumar G1, Sushmitha H S2

Community Health Nursing Department, JSS School of Nursing, Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, India.
Fundamentals of Nursing Department, JSS School of Nursing, Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, India.

Received: 05 May 2022 Revised: 25 June 2022 Accepted: 01 July 2022 Published: 06 July 2022

Abstract - First-aid (FA) is the practice of providing initial care for an illness or injury by a trained but unqualified person
while waiting for access to medical attention. Every year, over a million kids worldwide pass away from injuries that may
have been avoided. This study aimed to evaluate the high school student's knowledge, attitude, and practices at a few
schools in the Chamarajanagar District.

A questionnaire on demographic Performa and a standardized self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the
data. An explorative method has been adopted, and using a straightforward random sampling method, 80 students were
chosen for the study.

Only 30% of the 80 respondents have a high level of knowledge, with the bulk of participants (70%) having a weak
understanding. A mere 17.5% of participants have a positive attitude, 32.5 percent have a moderately positive attitude, and
50% of individuals have an unfavorable view. 47.5 percent of the subjects don't practice first aid or practice it poorly. The
findings indicate that most students have poor first-aid practices, many have unfavourable attitudes about this first aid,
and many people who participated lack first-aid knowledge. IEC activities should thus start picking up in all schools,
particularly in rural regions.

Keywords - First-aid, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, High School students.

1. Introduction Teenagers and pupils in their second year of high school

First aid refers to the care provided to a victim of an are more susceptible to accidents and emergencies3.
accident, injury, or unexpected sickness before delivering
advanced medical care. It should work to maintain life, Due to an increase in risky conduct and violent acts
encourage healing, and stop the victim's condition from that were more difficult, laypeople first trained in first aid
getting worse. First aid should be administered, followed in England around 120 years ago. The purpose of the
by a timely referral to the appropriate medical treatment by training at the time was to impart life-saving skills that
the person caring for the wounded individual1. prevent an injured person's condition from worsening and
aid in their eventual recovery 4. Even while it might not
All people in India must learn survival skills and first lessen the effects of the crisis, early first aid will have a
aid because non-communicable diseases and injuries have secondary, preventive benefit. 5
become widespread in the country. Safety education
should start with schoolchildren since they can learn and On September 12, 2009, World First Aid Day was
have the zeal to preach and practice among their family observed under "First Aid for Humanity." More than 32
members, friends, and community. The bulk of at-risk National Societies contacted over 20 million individuals,
groups with injury tendencies are students. Due to the and more than 760,000 volunteers and staff were organised
6
natural atmosphere of the institution, this increases their . Additionally, that year, 2.3 million people in Europe
responsiveness to any form of educational training. received training through National Societies, and 7 million
Schools are the most effective sites for education on first globally received instruction in first aid certification
aid1. programs7.

First-Aid Management becomes a crucial role Several studies have recommended that all schools be
following any injuries to serious accidents resulting in required to teach first aid fundamentals because children
bleeding and fractures to children before the Child is are an excellent source of knowledge and can positively
transferred to a medical institution, as the Children are impact the neighborhood. When youngster is not with their
highly exposed to emergencies due to increasing activity. 2. relatives, they spend a lot of time at school, where they

This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

 Vinay Kumar G & Sushmitha H S / IJNHS, 8(2), 1-7, 2022

may meet situations that need first aid. People in affluent by having adequate knowledge of the prevention, control,
nations are sufficiently knowledgeable about first aid, and management of common illnesses and injuries22.
while the level of awareness in poor communities is This study's main goal was to determine the
inadequate 7, 8. School health services are frequently Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of First-Aid among a
ignored in developing nations, impacting how common chosen group of high school students in the
ailments are treated 9. Chamarajanagar District.

In contrast to the situation in wealthy nations like the 3. Objectives

UK, the School Health Program in India has focused very 1. To evaluate First Aid knowledge, attitude, and
little on First Aid training. In the school health curriculum, practice among high school students in
FA is a subject that is taught more frequently10. Schools Chamarajanagar schools.
can significantly contribute to health promotion for two 2. To determine whether there is an association
main reasons: first, they provide structured learning between high school student's knowledge of first aid
opportunities, and second, students spend a lot of time in and their chosen demographic factors.
schools participating in various activities, such as sports 3. To determine whether there is an association
and physical activity11. between high school students' attitudes about first
aid and the demographic factors they have chosen.
2. Need for the study 4. To find an association between Practices scores
First aid is a vital life skill that teaches kids risk regarding First-Aid among high school students
awareness, includes the tools to be safe, and enables them with their selected demographic data.
to assist others or themselves in a medical emergency. The
world's leading cause of morbidity and mortality, 4. Methodology
particularly in the middle- and low-income nations, is 4.1. Sources of information
injury13. First aid's main goals are reducing suffering, The data was collected from selected high school
speeding up the healing process, and preventing further students at the Schools of Chamarajanagar District.
harm. The initial course of treatment for injuries as first aid
is extremely important as it determines the future course of 4.2. Design and method
the disease and the likelihood of complications. 14 Quantitative research approach and a descriptive
research design.
Children need first aid more frequently than adults
because they spend most of the day in school and are more 4.3. Setting for a study
likely to be involved in sports and other extracurricular In the Chamarajanagar District, the assessment was
activities, which increases their risk of accidents and carried out in a few chosen high schools.
injuries15. In general, outdoor physical activities are
directly responsible for most kid injuries, 20 percent of 4.4. Sample
which occur during school hours16. When first aid High school students between the ages of 13 and 18
knowledge is applied correctly, it can distinguish between make up the sample in this study.
a temporary or permanent injury, a quick recovery, or a
long-term disability17. Students who are accessible for data collection and
agree to participate in the study meet the inclusion criteria.
Schoolchildren will function as radical change agents Children younger than 13 were not included in the study.
if properly trained and guided, transforming our society's
health situation. The school-based first aid program's yield 4.5. Samples taken
in terms of the total number of community members 80 High school students from chosen schools in the
trained per unit of instructional time can be further Chamarajanagar District make up the sample size.
increased by students teaching family members and
sharing materials with them at home. As a result, many 4.6. Technique for sampling
nations have started first aid programs for students, and a A convenient sampling technique was used to choose
lot of research has been done to back up the case for first the sample.
aid in schools19.
4.7. Data gathering
Everyone should be familiar with basic first aid The systematic self-administered questionnaire was
techniques, especially school-aged children. Globally, one modified from previous research to gather the data. It
million kids suffer avoidable injuries each year 21. included questions about the KAP assessment as well as
Reducing morbidity and mortality will be greatly helped socio-demographic data.

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 Vinay Kumar G & Sushmitha H S / IJNHS, 8(2), 1-7, 2022

5. Results
Section I- Description of selected demographic variables of study subject
Table 1. Distribution of High school students according to their demographic proforma
n=80
Sl.No Variables Frequency(f) Percentage (%)
1. Age in Years
a. 13-15 years 26 32.5%
b. 15-17 years 42 52.5%
c. >17 years 12 15%
2. Sex
a. Male 28 35%
b. Female 52 65%
3. Class
a. 8th 26 32.5%
th
b. 9 20 25%
th
c. 10 34 42.5%
4. Place of residence
a. Rural 76 95%
b. Urban 04 05%
5. Religion
a. Hindu 49 61.25%
b. Muslim 18 22.5%
c. Christian 13 16.25%
d. Others 00 00
6. Education qualification of parents

a. Illiterate 16 20%
b. Primary school 17 21.25%
c. High school 33 41.25%
d. College/diploma/degree 14 17.5%

7. The family income per year

a. <5000 13 16.25%
b. 5001-10000 29 36.25%
c. 10001-15000 18 22.5%
d. >15001 20 25%
8. History of any previous injuries

a. Fracture 15 18.75%
b. Cut injuries 26 32.5%
c. Head injury 05 6.25%
d. Other injuries 34 42.5%
9. Health camp attended
a. Yes 11 13.75%
b. No 69 86.25%
10. Duration of first aid camp Attended

a. < one week 9 11.25%

b. > one week 2 2.5%
c. Not at all attended 69 86.25%

The data presented, i.e., Table 01, shows that the majority of the participants in the research were in the 15–17 yrs age range, and 52 percent were
female and in the 10th grade (34). Also, the majority of these students belong to the Hindu religion (49) with their family income (29) between Rs.5000-
10,000 per month with their parent's education qualification of High School (33). Participants with a history of previous injuries are mostly cut injuries
(26) and have not attended any health camps (86).

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 Vinay Kumar G & Sushmitha H S / IJNHS, 8(2), 1-7, 2022

Section II: Description of First aid knowledge, attitude, and practice ratings of high school pupils.
Table 2. Frequency and percentage analysis of high school students according to their knowledge level
n=80
Level of Knowledge Frequency Percentage
a. Inadequate Knowledge 47 58.75%

b. Moderate Knowledge 24 30%

c. Adequate Knowledge 09 11.25

According to the information in Table 02, most high school pupils (58.75 percent) lack basic first aid skills.

Table 3. Frequency and percentage distribution of high school students according to their attitude level
n=80
Level of Attitude Frequency Percentage
a. Unfavorable attitude 40 50%
b. Moderately favorable attitude 26 32.5%
c. Favorable attitude 14 17.5%
The data presented in Table 03 shows that most high school students (50%) have an unfavorable attitude towards first aid.

Table 4. Frequency and percentage distribution of high school students according to their practice level
n=80
Level of Practice Frequency Percentage
a. Poor practice 38 47.5%
b. Moderately good practice 30 37.5%

c. Good practice 12 15%

The information in Table 04 demonstrates that most high school pupils (50%) have a negative opinion about first aid.

Section III: Association of Knowledge test results of high school pupils and certain demographic factors
Table 5. Association between high school students' first aid knowledge and their demographic characteristics
n=80
Sl.no Demographic variables Knowledge score Df Chi-square Inference
Below average Above average
Age
a) 13-15 21 05 02 3.14 NS
b) 15-17 26 16
c) 17& > 07 05
Sex
a) Male 20 08 01 0.78 NS
b) Female 32 20
Class
a) 8th 14 12 02 2.76 NS
b) 9th 15 05
c)
10th 24 10
History of previous injuries
a) Fracture
b) Cut injuries 11 04 02 2.80 NS
c) Head injury 20 06
d) Other injuries 04 01
20 14
1. Health camp attended
a) Yes 07 04 01 0.08 NS
b) No 47 22
2. Duration of camp
a) <one week 04 05 02 11.83 S
b) > one week 00 05
c) Not at all attended 49 20
The information in table -05 demonstrates the association between selected demographic factors and the first aid knowledge scores of high school
students from particular schools in Chamarajanagar. Variable such as duration of health camp attended is significant at 0.01 level, and remaining variables
are found not significant.

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 Vinay Kumar G & Sushmitha H S / IJNHS, 8(2), 1-7, 2022

Section IV: Association between high school students' attitude scores and their chosen demographic factors

Table 6. Association between early adolescents' Level of Attitude ratings and their chosen demographic characteristics
n=80
SI. No Demographic Attitude scores level Df Chi-square Inference
variables
Unfavorable Moderate Favorable
1. Age
a) 13-15 12 08 06 04 5.09 NS
b) 15-17 21 11 04
c) > 17 06 06 00
2. Sex
a) Male 13 11 04 02 0.13 NS
b) Female 24 19 09

3. Class
a) 8th 17 07 02 04 3.64 NS
b) 9th 10 08 02
c) 10th 16 11 07

4. History of previous
injuries
a) Fracture 07 06 02 06 5.22 NS
b) Cut injuries 14 07 05
c) Head injury 01 02 02
d) Other injuries 17 14 03

5.
Health camp attended 07 02 02 02 1.63 NS
a) Yes 32 26 11
b) No
6. Duration of health
camp attended
a) < one week 05 02 02 04 3.03 NS
b) > one week 02 00 00
c) Not at all attended 32 26 11

The information in Table 6 demonstrates that the association between the attitude level scores of high school children on first aid with selected
demographic variables, such as age, sex, class, previous injuries, health camp attended, and duration of the camp attended, were not found significant at
0.01 level.

Section V: Association of practice score high school children with selected demographic variables

Table 7. Association of the level of practice of high school students with their selected demographic variables
n=80
SI. No Demographic variables Practice scores Df Chi- Inference
level square
Poor Moderate Good
1. Age
a) 13-15 11 11 04 04 3.68 NS
b) 15-17 21 16 05
c) > 17 02 07 02
2 Sex
a) Male 12 07 09 02 5.49 NS
b) Female 18 26 08

3 Class 13 11 02 04 2.66 NS
a) 8th 07 10 03
b) 9th 14 13 07
c) 10th

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 Vinay Kumar G & Sushmitha H S / IJNHS, 8(2), 1-7, 2022

4 History of previous injuries

a) Fracture 10 04 09 06 17.57 S
b) Cut injuries 11 06 00
c) Head injury 00 05 06
d) Other injuries 12 16 02
5 Health camp attended
a) Yes 03 06 02 02 1.21 NS
b) No 31 29 02

6 Duration of health camp

attended
a)< one week 04 03 02 04 2.32 NS
b)> one week 04 02 00
c) Not all attended 30 30 09
The data in Table 07 shows an association between the level of practice scores of high school children in selected schools of chamarajanagar on first
aid with selected demographic variables. Variables such as the history of previous injuries are significant at a 0.01 level. Other Variables were not found
to be significant at the 0.01 level.

6. Conclusion 7. Recommendations
A valuable life skill is knowing how to give first aid. Comparable studies must be conducted in other
It gives kids the tools to manage risks, keep themselves private and public high schools in various districts and
safe, and aid others if they find themselves in a medical locations.
emergency. It might help them live. Our study found that
most high school students who took part in the survey had
inadequate first aid knowledge, a negative attitude toward
first aid, and poor first aid practice.

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