Child Health Behaviors and Health Education about Atopic Dermatitis in Ulsan Area

울산지역 초등학생들의 아토피 피부염과 천식 관련 생활습관과 보건교육 실태

Objectives: In this study, knowledge of environmental disease, experience of environmental health education and necessity of environmental health education of elementary school pupils were compared and analyzed. Methods: The population of this study was from grade 1 to 6 elementary school pupils in Ulsan city, Korea. Five elementary schools were randomly selected from Ulsan City. Seven hundred and twenty-eight responses from the five schools were analyzed (seventy-two were excluded). A self-administered questionnaire measuring sociodemographic variables, Knowledge of environment related disease(atopic dermatitis, asthma etc), as well as educational experience and necessity of environmental health education was analyzed. The survey results were analyzed using SPSS-PC Program 12.0 and the following results by implementing Frequency Analysis, Cross-tabulation Analysis and ANOVA are as follows. Result: Pupils of lower grades more informed than those of higher grades about atopic dermatitis. Among asthma sufferers, many responded that symptoms occurred or improved during the lower grades of elementary school. In terms of the lifestyles of patients with atopic dermatitis or asthma, female pupils, especially those in the lower grades, tended to make changes in their daily habits based on their disease. Also, parents tended to intervene/mediate more in the dietary habits and personal hygiene habits of lower-grade pupils compared to their higher-grade counterparts. Personal hygiene education is currently not provided in schools, and upper-grade pupils have more experience with personal hygiene education compared to lower grade pupils. 430 (59.0%) of pupils replied that education about personal hygiene is necessary in their curriculum. 490 (67.3%) of elementary pupils are aware of the close connection between education in hygiene and human health. When asked if education in hygiene should also be undertaken by teachers and parents, 406 (55.7%) students said that it should be done. Conclusions: Developing a concrete health education program and raising instructors' awareness of the necessity for education in hygiene. Placement of professionals in the personal hygiene education field, is important to provide good health education for elementary school pupils.