A Study on Middle School Students' Recognition Level for Dementia and Necessity of School Health Education

중학생들의 치매에 대한 지식수준 및 학교보건교육의 필요성

Background & Objectives: The current study aims to convey correct knowledge of dementia that is be on the rise as the most significant social problem and provide basic data for implementing immediate school health education for dementia which is the basis of improving quality of life for patients with dementia, their family and the society by analyzing recognition level for dementia among male and female students in the 2nd grade of middle school and the necessity of school health education for dementia. Methods: The current study conducted a survey with a total of 150 students. 25 male and female students respectively selected from three middle school taking into account regional characteristics. The study also processed the survey results using SPSS-PC Program 12.0 and gained the following results by implementing Frequency Analysis. Cross-tabulation Analysis and ANOVA Analysis. Results: As for respect for grandparents, 55.3% of the respondents said they respect their grandparents. while 39.3% answered so-so and 5.3% said they don't respect their grandparents. As for the number of they meet grandparents, 36.0% of the respondents said they meet grandparents once or twice a month, which was the most frequent answer. On the other hand, 24.7% are once or twice every six months, 13.3% are once or twice a year and a week, respectively, and 6.7% said that they seldom meet their grandparents. In a question about whether they had recognized dementia after explaining dementia in detail, 82.7% said' yes' while 17.3% said' no'. But few students recognized it when they were asked using a terminology' dementia' first. The average score of knowledge level integrating the most fundamental 16 questions about dementia was $11.20{\pm}1.73$. Also 83.3% of the respondents answered that they had no experience in health education about dementia while 16.7% said presented positive answers. In the necessity of health education about dementia, 73.3% of them said' necessary' while 21.3% said' so-so' and 5.3% said 'not necessary. Conclusions: From the above study results, it was found that it is time to emphasize the necessity and importance of school health education for improving respect for the old and a sense of responsibility for support and converting recognition for dementia in Korea that has social structure of the trend toward the nuclear family and heads for an aged society. However, the fact that the above things are not implemented at all in reality can expand disparate views among family members in the future and further can cause even more serious problem by neglecting senior problems. Therefore, the government, social organizations, especially school organizers should recognize the necessity and importance of school health education and actively begin cultivations of students' character by implementing the education about dementia at the early stage.