EFFECTS OF CARDIOVASCULAR EDUCATION ON KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND HEART DISEASE AT-RISK BEHAVIOUR OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN IBADAN, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Cardiovascular Disease (CD) is a prominent life threatening, non-communicable disease leading to death of many men and women. The working condition of teachers in secondary schools in Ibadan among other factors exert pressure on them, making them prone to Cardiovascular Disease (CD). Previous studies focused largely on prevalence, causative factors and management of CD using descriptive survey with little emphasis on how Cardiovascular Education (CE) can build teachers’ capacity to enhance their knowledge, attitude and reduce CD at-risk behaviour among them. This study therefore was carried out to determine the effects of CE on knowledge of, attitude towards CD and CD at-risk behaviour among secondary school teachers in Ibadan, Nigeria. It also examined the moderating effects of age and gender.

Extended Parallel Process and Health Belief models were employed, while the pretest - posttest control group quasi experimental design of 2x3x2 factorial matrix was adopted. Two Local Government Areas (LGAs) (Ibadan North and Ibadan Southwest) were randomly selected from the existing five LGAs in Ibadan metropolis, while 20 public secondary schools were randomly selected from each LGA. Five classroom teachers who were purposively selected from each school; making a total of 200 teachers. The two groups were randomly assigned to treatment (Ibadan North- 100) and control (Ibadan Southwest- 100), while treatment lasted eight weeks. Instruments used were CD knowledge (r=0.83), Attitude towards CD (r=0.79) and CD at-risk Behaviour (r=0.91) scales. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Analysis of Covariance and Scheffe post-hoc test at 0.05 level of significance.

Participants were male (39.0%) and female (61.0%) with mean age of 40.2±3.1 years. There were significant main effects of treatment on CD knowledge (F(1;185)=48.31; partial η2=0.21), attitude towards CD (F(1;185)=5.82; partial η2=0.30) and CD at-risk behaviour (F(1;185)=5.33; partial η2=0.03) of the teachers. Participants in CE had higher post mean scores (knowledge: 62.55, attitude: 69.48 and CD at-risk behaviour: 71.09) than those in the control (knowledge: 48.64, attitude: 60.07 and CD at-risk behaviour: 63.00). The main effects of age and gender on knowledge, attitude and CD at-risk behaviour were not significant. There was a significant two-way interaction effect of treatment and age on CD at-risk behaviour (F(2;185)=3.97; partial η2=0.04) in favour of teachers between 30-39 years from CE group, while there were none on knowledge and attitude. The two-way interaction of treatment and gender as well as age and gender were not significant. There was a significant three-way interaction effect of treatment, age and gender on CD at-risk behaviour (F(2;185)=3.97; partial η2=0.04) in favour of female teachers from CE group, but not on knowledge and attitude to CD. Cardiovascular education enhanced knowledge of and attitude towards heart disease as well as reduced heart disease at-risk behaviour among secondary school teachers in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Health and safety education experts should utilise this intervention on teachers periodically.