Acne Vulgaris: knowledge and attitude among Nepali school students

Background: The studies on Acne vulgaris conducted in many parts of the world show that it is very common in adolescents but little is known from Nepal. Objectives: To assess knowledge and attitude regarding Acne vulgaris among school students. Methods and Materials: This was a descriptive study conducted among 100 students of class 9 & 10 of Kumudini Homes Higher Secondary School, Pokhara, Nepal. Tools were demographic proforma, knowledge questionnaire & attitude scale on Acne vulgaris. Data was collected by self administered structured questionnaires using simple random sampling. Data was analyzed using Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: Most of the students belonged to age group15-17years (82%). Majority were boys (65%) and most were non-vegetarian (91%). The study showed that 52% of them had good knowledge while 48% of them had average knowledge on Acne vulgaris. The study also revealed that majority (69%) had favourable attitude and rest of them had moderately favourable attitude (31%). Hundred percent were aware that Acne is also known as pimples and occur most commonly in adolescents. Students had some misconceptions regarding acne as they thought it is not necessary to use medicine if acne is gone once (56%) and using extra medicine can make acne go away (33%). Conclusion: The findings of the study pointed out that the students were surrounded by the myths & misconceptions on acne. It shows that this important adolescent health issue needs to be addressed through the introduction of related educational programs at schools.