Knowledge and awareness of ocular allergy among undergraduate students of public universities in Ghana

Ocular allergy is a growing public health problem that greatly impacts the day-to-day life of sufferers and their families. Other aspects of their activities of daily living such as schooling, professional, and social life are affected hence an increased awareness and knowledge of ocular allergies,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	BMC ophthalmology Vol. 16; no. 1; p. 190
Main Authors:	Kyei, Samuel, Tettey, Bernard, Asiedu, Kofi, Awuah, Agnes
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England BioMed Central Ltd 28-10-2016 BioMed Central
Subjects:	Adolescent Adult Allergic reaction Allergy Awareness College students Conjunctivitis, Allergic - diagnosis Conjunctivitis, Allergic - etiology Conjunctivitis, Allergic - prevention & control Cross-Sectional Studies Demographic aspects Eye diseases Eye Infections - complications Female Ghana Health aspects Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Humans Male Ophthalmology Risk factors Students Young Adult Ghana Ocular allergy Conjunctivitis Knowledge Assessment Allergen
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Summary:	Ocular allergy is a growing public health problem that greatly impacts the day-to-day life of sufferers and their families. Other aspects of their activities of daily living such as schooling, professional, and social life are affected hence an increased awareness and knowledge of ocular allergies, their detection and treatment is paramount. This study was to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of ocular allergy among undergraduate students of public universities in Ghana. A descriptive cross sectional survey was conducted among 1000 students from three selected public universities in Ghana. Each respondent completed a questionnaire that had questions concerning awareness and knowledge of ocular allergy. Out of the 1000 students, 347 (34.7 %) were aware of ocular allergy. Of these 347 students, the level of knowledge of ocular allergy was generally low. Majority of the students had their source of information about ocular allergy from the media and the internet. There was statistical significant association among awareness of ocular allergy, sources of information and programme of study (p < 0.001). Level of awareness among university students is generally low. Students' programmes of study influenced their knowledge of ocular allergy. Public health measures are recommended to help educate students on the prevention and control of ocular allergy as well as the complications associated with this condition.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1471-2415 1471-2415
DOI:	10.1186/s12886-016-0366-2