Publications

Acne vulgaris is a common inflammatory skin condition affecting teenagers around the globe. Lack of knowledge and false beliefs about acne are factors contributing to non-adherence to acne treatment that would result in treatment failure. Since acne is a highly prevalent skin condition in Lebanon, educating Lebanese adolescents about acne is vital to achieve a better treatment outcome. The aim of the present study is to assess the baseline knowledge of a sample of Lebanese adolescents using an acne questionnaire and increase the level of knowledge by providing an interactive audio-visual presentation. The socio-demographic variations among individuals and the different sources of their information had no statistically significant effect on the % knowledge of participants (p>0.05) that recorded 54.05% ± 12.43% at baseline. The % knowledge score after the educational session increased significantly by 39% (p <0.01), and the gained information were well retained after one month, as it revealed no significant difference when compared to the % knowledge assessed directly after the educational session (p=0.083). As a conclusion, the remarkable increase in the % knowledge of participants and its retention after 1 month post-intervention would propose that interactive presentations are essential educational tools for acne that are helpful in providing accurate information and correcting false beliefs.