Altitude education improves acute and retained knowledge: is 5-minutes all it takes?

Introduction:
Millions of travellers visit altitude annually and may be naïve to the risks/dangers or signs/symptoms of altitude-related illnesses. Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a common altitude illness, typically observed above 2500m. Worryingly, ~55% of altitude travellers possess limited knowledge of AMS. This study aimed to 1) quantify baseline altitude knowledge in young adults (18-35 years), 2) assess acute changes in knowledge following a lecture (30-min) or animated video (5-min), 3) assess 3-month retained knowledge and 4) compare educational method effectiveness.

Methods:
124 participants (75 males, 49 females, 19±1 years) completed an online survey (via JISC.com) to assess “Baseline Altitude Knowledge” via 20 question related to 1) altitude exposure and physiological responses, 2) altitude-related illnesses and AMS symptoms, and 3) AMS prevention and treatment methods. Using a cross-over design, participants were randomly assigned to Group A (n=60) who initially watched a 30-min online lecture or Group B (n=64) who initially watched a 5-min animated video. Following educational interventions, participants immediately repeated the survey to assess “Acute Altitude Knowledge from Baseline”. Three months later, participants completed the survey to assess “Retained Altitude Knowledge”, and then, Group A watched the 5-min animated video, whilst Group B watched the 30-min online lecture. Finally, all participants repeated the survey to assess “Acute Altitude Knowledge from Retainment”. Knowledge was categorised using the number of correct scores: ‘Low’ (≤25%), ‘Moderate’ (26-74%) and ‘High’ (≥75%).

Results:
For all 124 participants, 54±24% of questions were correctly answered, demonstrating Moderate “Baseline Altitude Knowledge” (Group A: 50±27%, B: 55±25%, P>0.05). Following educational interventions, High “Acute Altitude Knowledge from Baseline” was found in Group A (75±22%) and B (75±23%, both P<0.05). Three months later, Moderate “Retained Altitude Knowledge” was found in Group A (69±24%) and B (60±27%, both P<0.05). Finally, High “Acute Altitude Knowledge from Retainment” was then found in Group A (75±21%) and B (75±23%, both P<0.05) following the alternate educational interventions.

Conclusion:
Both methods of education improved altitude knowledge. Young adults present a moderate baseline level of altitude knowledge, which significantly improves following an online lecture and animated video. Altitude knowledge is better retained after 3-months following a 30-min online lecture, however a 5-min animated video to “top up” education, restores a high level of altitude knowledge.