AN EXPLORATION OF THE POTENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS LIVER CIRRHOSIS DUE TO ALCOHOLISM AMONG COMMERCIALS AUTO DRIVERS IN BENGALURU SOUTH REGION THROUGH VAT PROGRAM - A PRE-EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Introduction: In recent years, liver disease has been responsible for about 2 million fatalities worldwide, with 1 million of such deaths resulting from cirrhosis complications and 1 million each from viral hepatitis and hepatocellular cancer. The National Institutes of Health estimates that alcohol use may be accountable for 10,000 to 24,000 deaths from cirrhosis per year. According to the most recent WHO data, 184,193 people in India died from liver disease in 2018, accounting for 3.0% of all fatalities. The issue of whether or not commercial car drivers are aware of liver cirrhosis brought on by alcoholism still exists because there is a shortage of awareness on the condition. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the knowledge and attitude toward liver cirrhosis due to alcoholism. Methodology: A pre-experimental study with one group pre-test and post-test design was undertaken to conduct the study from 20 august to 30 October using a simple random sampling technique. The study involved 60 commercial vehicle drivers who completed a standardized knowledge assessment and an attitude scale. Pen and paper were used to collect the data, which was then exported for additional analysis into SPSS version 20.0. The descriptive statistics were presented with mean standard deviation, frequency and percentage. The data were analyzed using a paired t-test. The chi-square analysis was used to check the association. Results: The study revealed that 46 drivers (76.7%) had inadequate knowledge, 14 drivers (23.3%) had moderate knowledge whereas none of them had adequate level of knowledge towards liver cirrhosis. And regarding assessment of attitude, data findings showed that that 40 (66.7%) of the participant had unfavorable attitude, 20 (33.3%) of them had neutral favorable attitude whereas none of them had favorable attitude regarding cirrhosis ofliver. The paired t test was carried out and it was found out invariably significant at p<0.05 level in both knowledge and attitude level with demographic variables. Conclusion: Our data suggest thatcommercial auto drivers have significantly less knowledge regarding liver cirrhosis due to alcohol consumption and also, they are showing a poor attitude towards liver cirrhosis as a major problem. So, it is very important to make sure that the commercial drivers including auto drivers should know about the health hazards related to alcoholism and also to reduce road accidents and unwanted behaviors. Our findings will support the stakeholders, auto rikshaw union leaders, and government policymakers to make a significant decision to improve public knowledge related to alcohol-related health problems.