Assessment of Knowledge and Awareness Regarding Asthma among School Teachers in urban area of Quetta, Pakistan

Objective : Current study is conducted to assess the level of knowledge, awareness and source of information of asthma among school teachers those who are working in government and private schools in urban area of Quetta district in Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Methodology : A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among School teachers in Quetta city of Pakistan. Convenience sampling approach was used to recruit 330 teachers based on sample size calculation. A contentand face-validated questionnaire was used to collect the data from the participants. The collected data were reviewed and statistically analyzed by using SPSS. Man Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to relate the study variables. Results : The recent study shows that 57% teachers have knowledge about asthma and exacerbate factors which increased the risk of asthma attack. Knowledge of female teachers were better as compared to male teachers (p = 0.002). Education levels and school type also affect the knowledge of teachers. Conclusion : This study highlights that school teachers need to train to recognize the early symptoms of asthma in the class room and seek appropriate treatment. The delay of such necessary treatment can have serious consequences or even death. An educational program is needed for Quetta teachers to increase their knowledge about asthma and to meet the needs of a child with asthma to improve wellbeing and school attendance.