AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF PREVENTION OF COVID-19 INFECTION IN ADOLESCENTS, THEIR TEACHERS AND PARENTS

Abstract

Introduction: The epidemic caused by the coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 (Covid-19) has been declared a public health emergency of international importance. At the moment, Bulgaria is breaking the end of the fourth wave, which according to the health authorities is the most severe one, compared to its precedings. The "Delta" variant of the virus with a higher incidence among children is dominant, which raises new concerns. Health awareness, adherence to recommended measures and adherence to healthy prevention practices are needed to ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff and to prevent the spread of the disease in the school environment. The aim of the present study is to examine the knowledge about Covid-19, the methods of prevention and the sources of health information used among adolescents, their parents and teachers. Material and methods: A sectional on-line study was conducted among adolescents aged 16-17 from two Plovdiv language schools (n = 57), their teachers (n = 22) and parents (n = 35). An electronic form with 24 questions has been developed, and spread via social media - the school platform for online learning, official e-mails of teachers, facebook parent groups. From а total of 114 participants in the study, 76.3% were women and 23.7% were men. Chi-square test was used to study the level of association between variables at a significance level of p <0.05. Results: The analysis of the results outlines a positive trend for awareness among the participants of the study about the cause of the Covid-19 pandemic (81.6%) and the mechanisms of transmission of the infection. The majority of respondents share the opinion that maintaining hand hygiene (86.8%), good health habits such as covering the nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing (71.9%) and avoiding contact with patients (94.7%) help preventing the Covid-19 infection. More than ½ of the participants attach a significant importance to wearing a protective mask, others 21.9% express distrust of this preventive measure, and 16.7% are convinced that the mask does not protect against infection with the virus. The most frequently used sources of information about Covid-19 are the mass media - television and radio (78.1%) and the social media (62.3%), while GPs and school institutions fall into the background. Conclusion: Health awareness and knowledge among adolescents, their parents and teachers about Covid-19 shows high personal responsibility and control of personal health. Crucial to strengthening the role of the school in health promotion is organization of educational interventions in the school environment.