DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2013.v01i02.017

Pages: 101-110

Abstract: Gastritis occur suddenly (acute gastritis) or gradually (chronic gastritis) and caused by the risk factors like smoking, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, spicy food, drugs, stress, swallowed foreign bodies and bacterial infection such as Helicobacter pylori will affect the normal lining of the stomach produce inflammation, irritation of gastric mucosa and excessive gastric secretion leads to manifestations like abdominal pain, indigestion, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and burning pain in epigastric region. Presently, the study was undertaken to determine the level of knowledge by structured knowledge questionnaire, factors influencing by a rating scale, relationship of knowledge and influencing factors, knowledge score with selected demographic variables and association of influencing factors with selected demographic variables regarding gastritis among distant mode learners. A descriptive survey design was used for the study. The sample consisted of 100 distant learner’s age group of 17-25years and data was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that majority of the subjects (60%) have moderate/ average knowledge scores and the majority of the subjects (88%) had less risk score for gastritis. There was a positive correlation between the knowledge score and factors influencing scores. There was a significant association between the knowledge scores, factors influencing scores with selected demographic variables. It is to conclude that the knowledge and risk factors are inversely proportional and subsequently motivated to prepare a pamphlet on gastritis and distributed to subjects, this may helps the learners to gain knowledge regarding gastritis.