EFFECTIVENESS OF STRUCTURED TEACHING PROGRAMME ON KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE DIETARY PRACTICES AMONG OSTEOARTHRITIS PATIENTS IN SELECTED HOSPITAL, CHENNAI.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disorder characterized by degeneration of cartilage and underlying bone. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of structured teaching programme on knowledge regarding the dietary practices among osteoarthritis patients in selected hospital, Chennai. The present study was adopted a pre-experimental design. The required sample size was determined to be 136 patients. Using a convenient sampling technique, the sample was selected from osteoarthritis patients who attending the OPD and who are admitted in ward at the selected hospital. The findings from this study indicate a significant improvement in knowledge regarding dietary practices among osteoarthritis patients following the structured teaching programme. The percentage of participants with adequate knowledge increased from 31.62% before the intervention to 50.74% after, while the proportion of those with mild knowledge dropped from 30.15% to 12.50%. This highlights the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing participants' understanding of dietary practices. The significant increase in knowledge levels, as indicated by the post-test results, highlights the importance of educational interventions in empowering patients to manage their condition more effectively.