Evaluation of High School Students' Knowledge and Awareness of Medical Information, Specifically on ENT Diseases

Introduction: Every stage of education is valuable, but high school is the most critical period for career choice before university. This is because the university life, which is the basis for career selection, begins after high school. The aim of this study is to evaluate the medical knowledge and awareness of high school students, focusing on ENT (ear, nose, and throat) diseases, across different grades and fields. Material and Methods: A survey form consisting of two sections was used as the data collection tool in the research. The first section contains a demographic information form, and the second section consists of 7 multiple-choice questions. An independent sample t-test was used to compare the averages of correct answers and total scores according to gender, grades, and fields. The ANOVA test was used to compare results based on age groups. Results: Of the 54 students who participated in the study, 28 (51.9%) were female, and 26 (48.1%) were male. Of the participating students, 30 were from the Science-Technology (ST) department, and 24 were from the Anatolian High School (AL) department. After excluding 2 students who had previously participated in ENT disease-related training (both from the ST group), the percentage of students who answered the general ENT questions incorrectly was 6/24 (25.0%) in the AL group and 1/28 (3.6%) in the ST group. The number of students who requested additional health-related topics in the biology curriculum was 19/24 (79.2%) in the AL group and 27/28 (96.4%) in the ST group. Conclusion: It was found that due to the science (biology) intensity of their education, the ST group had higher health knowledge specifically related to ENT diseases compared to the AL group, and the difference between the two groups was significant (p < 0.001). Despite the higher level of correct responses and knowledge in the ST group, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in their demand for more biology lessons (p < 0.001). Discussion: Providing more biology lessons in high school would be beneficial both for career choices and for improving health literacy.