The Effectiveness of a Structured Teaching Program on Students' Knowledge of Food and Water-Borne Illnesses and How to Prevent Them in A Selected Group of Upper-Primary Schools in Chamarajanagar

Abstract

Background Water-borne and food-borne infections are becoming a significant global public health concern. The primary reason is food tainted by germs, including parasites, bacteria, and other diseases. Campylobacter, Shigella, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli are the most virulent bacteria that cause food and water-borne illnesses. Objectives •To evaluate the pre-test knowledge of the chosen upper primary school pupils about food and water-borne illnesses and how to prevent them. •To assess the success of a structured educational program on food-borne and water-borne illnesses and how to prevent them by looking at the subjects' post-test knowledge gains. •To determine the relationship between the pre-test knowledge score and the demographic variables they have chosen. Methods The effectiveness of a structured teaching program on upper primary school pupils' understanding of food and water-borne diseases and how to prevent them was evaluated using an evaluative technique. Results The pre-test mean score was 9.63, whereas the post-test mean score was 17.33, according to the mean and standard deviation of the knowledge scores. The difference in school children's knowledge scores about food and water-borne illnesses and how to prevent them was examined using the paired "t" test. A significant difference between the mean pre-test and post-test knowledge scores was shown by the calculated "t" value of 19.16. This demonstrates how well a planned training program worked to raise school children's understanding of food and water-borne illnesses and how to prevent them. Interpretation and Conclusion The study's findings show that, as showed by the post-test results, schoolchildren's comprehension considerably improved. As a result, the structured teaching approach helped pupils learn more about food-borne and water-borne diseases.