Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) Knowledge Among Senior High School Students Before and After a Structured Health Education Intervention at Canossa College – San Pablo City, Inc.
Keywords:
Health literacy, Senior High School, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM)Abstract
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a growing public health concern, often developing gradually due to insulin resistance and remaining undiagnosed until complications arise. This study aimed to enhance senior high school students’ knowledge of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and increase preventive awareness, thereby supporting Sustainable Development Goals 3 on good health and well-being, and Goal 4 on quality education and health literacy. Using a quantitative, pre-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest design, 185 students at Canossa College in San Pablo City completed a validated questionnaire assessing their knowledge of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), including its definition, symptoms, risk factors, complications, and preventive measures. The educational intervention consisted of structured group discussions, take-home pamphlets, and posters displayed in the school canteen, a high-traffic area to ensure repeated exposure. Results showed significant improvements across all domains: knowledge of T2DM diagnosis increased from 35.14% to 73.51% (38.37% improvement, p = 0.048), understanding of risk factors improved from 36.76% to 69.19% (32.43% improvement, p = 0.008), and awareness of complications such as liver involvement rose from 23.24% to 57.84% (34.59% improvement, p = 0.008). These findings indicate that multi-modal school-based health education effectively enhances adolescents’ health literacy and corrects misconceptions related to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. However, the study evaluated knowledge outcomes only and did not directly measure behavioral or lifestyle changes. While generalizability is limited to a single institution, the study highlights the value of integrating structured T2DM education into school curricula to improve health knowledge and preventive awareness and support achievement of SDGs 3 and 4.
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