Teenage years are the “best years of one’s life”. For many
college and high school students today, nothing is more agonizing than their poor
academic performance and anxiety. Our sense of smell plays a major role in
solving these problems. Objectives: To assess the level of memory and anxiety
among adolescents before and after cinnamon chewing gum. Design: True
Experimental design where one group pre test and post test with control group
design. Setting: Seventh Day Adventist High School, Vijayawada, Andhra
Pradesh. Participants: Adolescents who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Selection
criteria: Adolescents who were both male and female and studying 8th – 10th
standard were selected Methods: out of 30, 15 adolescents in control group and 15
adolescents in experimental group were selected by using stratified random
sampling technique. Pre and post test assessment was done by using modified
P.G.I memory assessment scale to assess memory and modified Max Hamilton’s
anxiety rating scale to assess anxiety. Results: Most of them were in the age group
of 13 and 14 years studying 9th standard. From the findings, in memory the mean
difference was 31% and in anxiety 22% in experimental group whereas in control
group memory 1% and anxiety 7%. Paired ‘t’test score in control group was 0.54
in memory and 1.86 in anxiety. In experimental group, paired ‘t’test score was
23.7 in memory and 17.2 in anxiety when compared to the level of significant
(p<0.05) it was high. Unpaired ‘t’ test score for memory was 18.6 and anxiety was
24.1. It seems that cinnamon chewing gum on memory and anxiety among
adolescents was effective. There was a moderately negative co-relation between
memory and anxiety which revealed that when the level of memory increased,
level of anxiety was decreased. There was no significant association between post
test scores on memory and anxiety in control and experimental group and their
demographic variables. Conclusion: Olfaction in human beings plays a major role
in recollecting memories and relaxation. The scent of cinnamon acts on the
cerebral cortex, boosting the brain function and as a tranquilizing agent in stress.
Clinical practice: To prove this study they need supportive research to be
warranted. Cinnamon can be used for type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis. This study
can be applied for Alzheimer’s patients in improving memory and stress in elderly
people
