Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Public Primary School Teachers on Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse in Southwestern Nigeria

Sekinat Olajumoke Owoyemi¹, Obioma Chukwudi Uchendu^{1, 2,} and Olayide Olubunmi Olabumuyi²

¹Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, P.M.B. 3017, G.P.O. Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

²Department of Community Medicine, University College Hospital, P.M.B. 5116, G.P.O. Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Cite this paper:
Sekinat Olajumoke Owoyemi, Obioma Chukwudi Uchendu and Olayide Olubunmi Olabumuyi. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Public Primary School Teachers on Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse in Southwestern Nigeria. American Journal of Educational Research. 2020; 8(8):536-542. doi: 10.12691/education-8-8-4

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The professional role of primary school teachers in school-based programs makes them important stakeholders in child sexual abuse prevention. OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of primary school teachers on primary prevention of child sexual abuse in Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State. METHODS: Cross-sectional design that utilized a two-stage cluster sampling technique was used to select 463 public primary school teachers in Agege Local Government of Lagos State. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on respondents’ socio-demographic profile, knowledge, attitude and practices on primary prevention of child sexual abuse. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and multivariate regression analysis were done. Statistical significance was set at 5%. RESULTS: The mean age of the teachers was 46.4±6.5 years and the majority (70.8%) were females. Adequate knowledge of primary prevention of child sexual abuse was found among 14.3% of respondents. 12.7% had a positive attitude towards primary prevention of child sexual abuse and good practice on primary prevention of child sexual abuse was found among 82.5% of the teachers. The male teachers were found to be about 2 times more likely to have adequate knowledge compared to female teachers (OR 1.9; 95% CI= 1.05-3.73) and were about 4 times more likely to have a good practice on primary prevention of child sexual abuse (OR 3.5; 95% CI= 1.71 - 6.97). CONCLUSION: The knowledge and attitude of primary teachers on the primary prevention of child sexual abuse in Lagos State was low.

Keywords:
knowledge attitude practices teachers primary prevention child sexual abuse

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