Abstract:
An allergy is a hypersensitivity reaction initiated by immunological
mechanisms. Beauticians work with cosmetic products which contain
allergens. They should be able to identify and prevent allergies
associated with cosmetics. The objective of study was to describe the
knowledge of beauticians in selected beauty salons on prevention of
allergic reactions and associated factors for their knowledge. A
descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among beauticians in
selected beauty salons in Biyagama MOH area using a pretested
interviewer-administered questionnaire. Knowledge was assessed by
using a 10 item questionnaire. The possible range of the knowledge
score was 0-25 which was then converted to 0-100 and categorized as
‘Good’ if ≥75%, ‘Moderate’ if 50%-75% and ‘Poor’ if <50%. Data
analysis was carried out using SPSS version 26.0. Comparisons were
made between mean knowledge scores of beauticians from different
socio-demographic and service related categories using the
independent sample t-test. The level of significance was considered as
p<0.05. Response rate was 82% (n=107). The majority were females
(57%,N=61). The mean age was 32.6 years (SD=±9.16). The mean
knowledge score was 55.25% (SD±11.34) with 71.96% (N=77) having
a ‘Moderate’ knowledge. Only 1.87% (N=2) had ‘Good’ knowledge.
Knowledge scores were significantly higher among beauticians who are
females (T=2.57, df=105, p=0.011), educated ≥A/L (T=-3.45, df=105,
p=0.001), having professional qualifications (T=5.88, df=105, p=0.000),
trained on skin care (T=2.26, df=105, p=0.026), and bridal dressing
(T=2.52, df=105, p=0.013). The majority of beauticians had moderate
level of knowledge on prevention of an allergic reaction. Higher level of
knowledge was observed among female beauticians with higher
educational, professional qualifications, trained on skin care, bridal
dressing.
