A Survey of Jellyfish Sting Knowledge among Naval Personnel in Northeast China

• Main Authors: Ting Kan, Li Gui, Wenwen Shi, Yan Huang, Shuang Li, Chen Qiu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2016-07-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: naval personnel; jellyfish sting; knowledge; medical education; occupational and environmental health
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/7/725

Background: Jellyfish envenomation is common along the coastal area, and can cause severe consequences. Naval personnel are among the high-risk population for this injury. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge regarding jellyfish envenomation among naval personnel in a navy unit in northeast China. Methods: A predesigned questionnaire was distributed to 120 naval members in January 2015. The data of 108 respondents were included in the statistical analysis. Results: We found that 38.0% of the respondents selected jellyfish sting as the common wound in their units, and 13.0% had experienced or observed this injury. In addition, 63.0% of the participants rated their own knowledge as “low” or “none”. The average score they got was 5.77 ± 2.50, with only 16.7% getting a score above 60% of the full score. The correct rates of five questions were below 60%. No statistical differences existed in the knowledge score among different groups of respondents defined by socio-demographic variables. Conclusions: Jellyfish sting is common in this navy unit, but personnel got a low score on the knowledge assessment. They also lacked confidence in first aid. Medical education and training should be implemented to address this issue.