Role Perception of School Health Programme Among Rural and Urban Public Primary School Teachers in Southwestern Nigeria

Background

School Health Programme [SHP] remains a veritable tool in attaining and sustaining the total well being of the school aged children, thus contributing immensely to achieving MDG goals. Its implementation depends primarily on the teachers who spend considerable time with the pupils daily. There is paucity of literature on the knowledge and role perception of teachers as regarding the SHP among public primary schools in Southwestern Nigeria.

Objective

This study assessed and compared the knowledge and role perception of rural and urban public primary school teachers regarding SHP.

Methodology

A comparative cross sectional survey of selected rural and urban public primary schools was conducted using semi-structured self administered questionnaires. Information was obtained on respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of SHP and perception of their role in SHP. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16.

Results

A total of 811 teachers were surveyed; 387 in rural and 424 in the urban primary schools. The mean age of teachers in the urban public primary schools was 44.8±7.0 years compared with 40.1±8.1 years among those in the rural. Overall, majority of the teachers, 84.6% had inadequate knowledge of SHP with similar proportion of rural, 84.2% and urban, 84.9% (p = 0.972). About half, 55.4% of the teachers had poor perception of their role in SHP with a significantly higher proportion of teachers in the urban schools, 59.9% compared with their rural counterparts (p = 0.032).

Conclusion

Majority of the teachers had inadequate knowledge of SHP and a poor perception of their roles in it in both rural and urban areas. The pre-service and in-service training of the teachers should be accorded utmost priority.

Key words: role, teacher, perception, school health programme