Effects of addiction-related education on the knowledge and awareness levels of civil servants: An intervention in a district of İzmir

This single-group quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design to measure changes in the knowledge and awareness levels of religious officials in the context of an education program about addiction. Data were collected using the Substance Addiction Awareness Scale and the Substance Addiction Knowledge Test before and after the education given to the participants. Paired-samples t-tests were used in the analyses of the data. After the education program, significant increases were seen in the scores of the participants on the overall Substance Addiction Awareness Scale and all its dimensions except for the personal attitudes and opinions dimension. The results of the Substance Addiction Knowledge Test showed that the knowledge levels of the participants about addiction increased after the education program. The results of this study showed that providing a group of professionals who are in contact with society with education about addiction could increase the awareness and knowledge levels of these professionals.