Objective: To understand the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) to cope with common respiratory infection in middle school students in Changsha and to strengthen health education on respiratory infection.
Methods: The 5 districts in Changsha were included. One junior school and one high school were randomly selected from each district, from which a cluster sample class in each was randomly selected. An anonymous questionnaire was used to survey 560 students in the first and second year students in each school.
Results: In terms of basic knowledge of common respiratory diseases 56.6% of students had adequate "total awareness" scores, whereby the rate among urban students was higher than that of rural ones. In situations of respiratory infection outbreaks, 55.9% of students were actively knowledgeable of common respiratory disease, 43.4% of the students read related news, and 80.0% of the students followed the advisories of schools, teachers and parents. Students' knowledge of correct measures to prevent common respiratory infection was 79.5%, with girls ranking higher than boys, and urban students higher than rural ones. Students' knowledge of correct measures to treat these diseases properly was 65.7%. The Internet, television and radio were the students' main sources of knowledge.
Conclusion: KAP levels of common respiratory infection among middle school students in Changsha is low. Schools, especially rural schools, should strengthen the health education and explore more effective methods of health education. The responsible public health authorities should exploit the Internet and mass media to disseminate accurate and pertinent health information.