Evaluation of Knowledge among Adolescents toward Polycythemia

This study aims to shed light on adolescents' awareness of polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder characterized by an increased red blood cell count above normal. It was noted during the study that there is a clear lack of research examining adolescents' health awareness of such diseases, despite their importance as clinical conditions. To address this, we conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study of 300 adolescents in Maysan Governorate, Iraq. The research sample was segmented into three different age categories (10-13 years, 14-17 years, and 18-21 years). A reliable and undeniable questionnaire was developed for assessing adolescents’ understanding of a certain disease, which includes identifying the related information sources, its cause, the symptomatology, and the prevention techniques.As the participants aged, the results demonstrated an increase in overall awareness of health, especially in terms of polycythemia vera. Older age groups demonstrated greater awareness and understanding of the disease, its causes, symptoms, and prevention methods compared to early adolescents. The study also demonstrated the extent to which adolescents relied on non-institutional sources such as family, peers, and the internet for information, rather than schools or formal health radio programs. The close relationship was revealed in the search for causes of illness based on adolescents' perceptions of lifestyle factors such as unhealthy eating, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption. Teens considered headaches, high blood pressure, and nosebleeds to be the most common symptoms. Preventive measures mentioned by study participants were clearly diverse, with the older group focusing on exercise, healthy eating, cupping therapy, and medical consultations.