EVALUATION OF AN OCCUPATIONAL-HEALTH EDUCATION-PROGRAM AMONG 11TH GRADE STUDENTS

Background There is a paucity of publications on occupational health a s part of the educational curricula in high schools. We investigated t he extent to which a new occupational health education program for 11t h graders succeeded in achieving changes in their knowledge and attitu des. Methods Six classrooms were randomly assigned to either 96 partic ipating students or to a control group (n = 100) that did not particip ate. Data on knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs were collected before a nd 4 months after completion of the course by means of an anonymous se lf-reported questionnaire. One point was assigned to each answer that was either correct or in the desired direction. Scoring was measured b y adding up the points and then converting the total into a scale of 1 00. Results The experimental group had a statistically higher mean sco re (from 24.56 to 80.74) after completing the course. The central grou p had low scores at both time 1 (20.15) and time 2 (1700). At least 50 % more students of the experimental group gave correct answers after t he course, while there was no such change in the control group. Conclu sions Our findings indicate that occupational health learning can occu r in the secondary school setting and confirm the program's effectiven ess in achieving desired changes in the immediate outcome of knowledge , attitudes, and beliefs in different areas of occupational health. Th e subject of occupational health is a topic with relevance to larger e ducational objectives and policies. rn many countries all over the wor ld as well as in Israel, this curriculum can potentially be integrated into the body of the current instruction of ''Life Abilities,'' which are courses that cover topics that prepare the youngsters for adult l ifestyles. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.