Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Rabies in and Around Lafia Metropolis, Nigeria
Reuben Christopher Rine,
Gyar Silas Dogara,
Mwanta Dachung Pam
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2017
Pages:
27-33
Received:
6 June 2017
Accepted:
27 June 2017
Published:
25 July 2017
Abstract: Rabies is endemic in Nigeria and other developing countries, killing 55,000 people annually. This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of rabies in and around Lafia, Central Nigeria. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 200 consenting respondents from urban and sub-urban areas in Lafia. Of the 200 respondents, 76.5% heard of rabies with 89% and 64% from urban and sub-urban areas. There was no significant difference on the awareness of rabies among respondents from urban and sub-urban areas (P>0.05). Although there was misperception about the cause of rabies, 41% of the respondents indicated that it can be transmitted through dog bite and contact with open wound, as 36.5% were aware that human and other domestic animals can be affected by rabies. Sudden change in behavior was the obvious clinical manifestation after dog bite as asserted by 42.5% of the respondents. Majority (54.0%) of the respondents will seek post-exposure prophylaxis after dog bite, 18.5% will seek traditional treatment, 16.5% both the later and the former while 11.0% will not take any measure. However, 77.5% of the respondents indicated that legs were the commonest place of dog bite, 69.5% mentioned children as the most risky population. Only 14.0% and 18.5% of the respondents vaccinated their dog and were also vaccinated against rabies while 25.5% and 22.5% recorded the availability of both vaccines. After dog bite, 53.5% and 37.5% of the respondents will prefer to tie and kill the dogs, as 9.0% will take no action. Therefore, the need for rabies awareness programmes within the study area is vital. Rabies vaccines, immunoglobulin and facilities that administer them must become affordable and readily available locally for both dogs and humans.
Abstract: Rabies is endemic in Nigeria and other developing countries, killing 55,000 people annually. This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of rabies in and around Lafia, Central Nigeria. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 200 consenting respondents from urban and sub-urban areas in Lafia. Of...
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Gender and Age Related Disparity in Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Among Elderly Pensioners in Port Harcourt, Rivers State
Braimoh Omoigberai Bashiru,
Achalu Ernest,
Okpako Johnson Egodotaire
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2017
Pages:
34-39
Received:
16 June 2017
Accepted:
5 July 2017
Published:
9 August 2017
Abstract: There is an increased interest in looking at age and gender differences in health and disease, including oral health. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of age and gender on oral health knowledge, attitude and practice of pensioners in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The research was analytic descriptive survey in design. A total of 543 old people were selected by systematic random sampling. Data was collected with a self-developed Oral Health Assessment Questionnaire (OHAQ) designed in four sections (A-D) and analyzed using SPSS version 20 (IBM SPSS Armonk, New York). Relationship between variables was established using independent t-test and ANOVA, and significance determined at 0.05 alpha level. A total of 543 pensioners were involved in the study, this consisted of 295 (54.3%) were males and 248 (45.7%) females. The age groups 60-64 years, 65-69 years and ≥70 years constituted 234 (43.1%), 206 (37.9%) and 103 (19.0%) of the respondents respectively. Thirty-seven percent, 34% and 41% of the respondents had good oral knowledge, positive attitude and good behavior respectively. The oral health knowledge, attitude, and behavior scores for females were 14.8, 30.2 and 10.8 respectively. These were significantly higher in females than in males. Oral health knowledge and behavior decreased significantly with increase in age, while there was a non-significant decrease of oral health attitude with increasing age. This study found that oral health knowledge, attitude and practice of the pensioners differ significantly with gender, as well as a significant decrease in oral health knowledge and practice with increasing age. The study recommends that promotion of oral health among the pensioners.
Abstract: There is an increased interest in looking at age and gender differences in health and disease, including oral health. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of age and gender on oral health knowledge, attitude and practice of pensioners in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The research was analytic descriptive survey in desi...
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