Knowledge and perception about asthma in a Nigerian university community (original) (raw)
Background: Asthma, a global health issue, affects people of all ages and backgrounds. There are some misconceptions about asthma. This study assessed the knowledge and perception about asthma in a Nigerian university community. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among students in University of Nigeria Nsukka on WAD 2021. A self-administered structured questionnaire was filled by conveniently sampled students in a strategic location on campus. Inferential statistics utilized the Pearson's Chi-Square test and multiple linear regression with P < 0.05 of statistical significance. Results: One hundred and fifty-eight (158) students participated in the study. Majority of the participants were between the ages of 18 to 23 years (n = 128; 81.0%), in their first or second year of university (n = 106; 77.1%), and in Social Sciences or Arts (n = 147; 93.0%). Less than a tenth of the participants had been previously diagnosed of asthma (n = 12; 7.6%). Close to a quarter of them had a family history of asthma (n = 37, 23.4%). The awareness about asthma was high (n = 155; 98.1%). Less than half of the participants had good knowledge of asthma (n = 52; 32.9%) and positive perception of asthma (n = 76; 48.1%). Conclusion: Majority of the students had high awareness about asthma but with poor knowledge of the disease. In addition, less than half of the participants had positive perceptions about asthma. These necessitate the need for health education on asthma.
Sign up for access to the world's latest research.
checkGet notified about relevant papers
checkSave papers to use in your research
checkJoin the discussion with peers
checkTrack your impact
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.