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Knowledge of cholera and its prevention amongst urban residents of a district in Abuja: The pivotal role of health education


G.O. Anetor
F. Abraham

Abstract

Objectives: Cholera is endemic in many Africa countries including Nigeria, where it is still endemic despite all the control measures put in place. It is still a disease of public health importance. The northern parts of Nigeria been implicated in the recent spike in cholera cases in Nigeria. Durumi, one of the communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been observed to have cases of cholera in recent times but with paucity of data on the occurrence of the disease in Durumi. This study examined the knowledge of cholera and its prevention amongst the residents of Durumi to get baseline information and ascertain the role of health education in curtailing cholera in the community.
Methods: A Descriptive (cross-sectional) survey design. Multistage sampling was used to select 360 participants (171 females and 159 males) and a self-developed validated questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages and inferential statistics of Chi-square to test the hypotheses at 0.05 significant levels.
Results: Knowledge of cholera significant (p-value .000<0.05); age group below 50 years contributed higher percentage scores than those above 50 years old. Awareness of preventive measures to cholera also significant (p-value .000<0.05); the age group below 50 years contributed higher scores than those above 50 years old. Findings suggest insufficient knowledge and awareness of preventive measures of cholera for age > 50 years.
Conclusion: Durumi residents appear to have adequate knowledge and awareness of cholera preventive measures. Targeted health education may be employed to prevent cholera in Durumi.


Keywords: Cholera, knowledge, prevention, Abuja, health education


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eISSN: 2467-8252
print ISSN: 2360-7793