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Awareness of Non-communicable diseases and their Risk Factors among Adolescents: A Comparative Questionnaire Study

Background: Non-communicable diseases are also known as chronic diseases. The burdens of noncommunicable diseases are increasing day by day. Disability and early death are the results, which are turning out to be the biggest concern for health in the world. The purpose of the study was to assess the awareness of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors among adolescents studying in selected high schools at Mangaluru. Methods: A comparative descriptive research design was adopted for this study. The sample was drawn through a simple random sampling technique and the sample consisted of 120 (60 each) urban and rural adolescents. The tool used for the study was a demographic proforma and structured knowledge questionnaire. Conclusion: The mean percentage of the awareness scores among urban adolescents was 60.31% when compared to rural adolescents 43.06%. There was a significant difference in the level of awareness on non-communicable diseases and its risk factors between urban and rural adolescents that is, the calculated t value (t118=25.55) is greater than the table value (t118=1.98) at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study suggest that schools should play an active role and on another side parents need to provide a supportive environment for their children to adopt a healthy lifestyle.