Effect of Community-Based Education on Knowledge and Prevention of Communicable Diseases Among Adolescents

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Published: 2026-03-14
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61919/tb3q5x96
Keywords:
Community health education; communicable diseases; adolescents; knowledge; attitude; preventive practices; South Punjab; Pakistan; quasi-experimental study

Main Article Content

Haifa Arain
MBBS, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
Shah Fahad
Infection Prevention & Control Supervisor, MSF, OCP Project, Peshawar, Pakistan
Ghazal Ismail
Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan
Rizwan Ali Tunio
Assistant Professor, Chandka Medical College, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, Larkana, Pakistan
Murtaza Bacha
BS Public Health, Khyber Medical University, Pakistan
Zahid Iqbal Awan
Public Health Specialist, Health Department, AJK, Muzaffarabad, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Communicable diseases remain common in Pakistan, particularly where overcrowding, unsafe water, poor sanitation, and limited health literacy affect preventive behaviour. Adolescents are an important group for disease prevention because they interact across home, school, hospital, and community environments and may transfer health messages to families. Objective: To assess short-term changes in adolescents’ knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices regarding communicable diseases after a structured hospital-based community health education intervention. Methods: This quasi-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test study included 120 adolescents aged 10–19 years at a tertiary-care hospital in South Punjab, Pakistan. Participants were recruited through non-probability convenient sampling. Data were collected using a structured KAP questionnaire before the intervention and two weeks after a 30–40-minute education session using discussion, pictorial charts, local examples, and handwashing demonstration. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, and paired sample t-test was used for pre–post comparisons. Results: The mean age was 15.4 ± 2.1 years. Knowledge score increased from 12.6 ± 3.4 to 21.8 ± 2.7, attitude score from 18.4 ± 4.1 to 24.7 ± 3.3, practice score from 14.1 ± 3.9 to 20.9 ± 3.6, and overall KAP score from 45.1 ± 9.8 to 67.4 ± 8.2, with all comparisons showing p < 0.001. Good knowledge increased from 24.2% to 71.7%. Conclusion: The intervention was associated with significant short-term improvement in communicable disease-related KAP among adolescents.

Article Details

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Vol. 4 No. 5 (2026)

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Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

1.
Arain H, Shah Fahad, Ghazal Ismail, Rizwan Ali Tunio, Murtaza Bacha, Zahid Iqbal Awan. Effect of Community-Based Education on Knowledge and Prevention of Communicable Diseases Among Adolescents. JHWCR [Internet]. 2026 Mar. 14 [cited 2026 Jul. 4];4(5):1-12. Available from: https://jhwcr.com/index.php/jhwcr/article/view/1868

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