A study to assess the knowledge and perception regarding Conjunctivitis among adults of Pune city

Abstract

Conjunctivitis, also termed as “pink eye”, is an irritation or inflammation of the conjunctiva that covers the whiter part of the eyeball. The causes could be various like invasion of bacteria or viruses or even allergies. Conjunctivitis can be highly contagious and can spread through contact with eye secretions from someone who is infected.1  Maharashtra has lot of upcoming conjunctivitis cases in month of  July, 2023. The state has recorded 40,132 cases, media reports stated citing public health department data. Among the 22 districts where the cases have been reported, Pune city has highest number of cases with 8,195.2The present study title: “A study to assess the knowledge and perception regarding Conjunctivitis among adults of Pune city.” The objective was to assess knowledge and perception regarding conjunctivitis, correlate both and associate it with demographic variables. Material and Methods: Researcher adopted non experimental descriptive research design. It was carried out on 100 samples. The Non-probability convenient sampling technique was used. The data was collected using self-structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done mainly using inferential and descriptive statistics. Result: Only 4 (4% of adults) had adequate understanding about conjunctivitis, compared to 54 (54%) who had inadequate knowledge, 42 (42%) who had moderate knowledge. The average adult's conjunctivitis knowledge score is 5.24 ± 1.7. The majority of adults, 60 (60%) have an average perception of conjunctivitis, 32 (32%) have a poor perception of it, and only 8 (8%), have a good perception regarding conjunctivitis. Adults' average impression scores of conjunctivitis are 5.82± 1.4. The p value was (0.07) for knowledge and perception which is greater than (0.05). This shows that null hypothesis is accepted. There is no any correlation between knowledge and perception. The demographic variables like marital status and availability of primary information in adults shows significant association between knowledge and perception regarding conjunctivitis respectively.

Conclusion: The study concludes that maximum of the members had inadequate knowledge of conjunctivitis and average perception about conjunctivitis. Recommendation: Similar comparative study may be conducted using urban and rural population.