A study to evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching program (stp) on knowledge and practice regarding prevention of cardio vascular diseases among the students of a selected college of Kerala

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally, claims an estimated 17.9 million lives each year. It is a major cause of disability and premature death throughout the world, and contributes substantially to the escalating costs of health care. Modifications of risk factors were found to reduce mortality and morbidity in people with diagnosed or undiagnosed cardiovascular disease. Teaching programme was found to be helpful in prevention of absolute cardiovascular risk among young adults. Objectives of the study: 1. To evaluate the impact of structured teaching program (STP) on knowledge and practice regarding prevention of cardio vascular diseases among college students. 2. To find out relationship between knowledge and practice of college students regarding prevention of cardio vascular diseases. Methodology: A one group pre-test, post-test design, quasi-experimental was carried out at Najath College of Science And Technology, Karuvarakundu, Malappuram, Kerala. A total enumeration sampling technique was used to select 62 undergraduate students for the study. Structured knowledge questionnaire and an expressed practice questionnaire were used to collect the data. Results: The administration of structured teaching programme (STP), significantly increased the knowledge (P< 0.001) and improved practice (P< 0.001) of the students regarding prevention of cardio vascular diseases. The study reported a statistically significant positive correlation (r = 0.60, P=<0.001) between post-test knowledge and practice. The study found that the knowledge of the students was not dependent of a selected demographic variables whereas practice was influenced by gender (χ2=4.14, P = 0.041). Conclusion: The study emphasizes the importance of a structured teaching module in prevention of cardiovascular diseases among students at different levels of professional education. Therefore, the pre-tested regular health education programs would be instrumental to improve the knowledge and practice of the students in prevention of cardiovascular diseases