Exploring Stroke Awareness among Future Educators: A Study of Science Education Students in Colleges of Education, Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The overall purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge level of stroke amongst education biology students of colleges of education in Enugu state, Nigeria.  The significance of these research is to improve public health outcomes by enhancing the knowledge about stroke symptoms, risk factors and the importance of rapid response as increased awareness can lead to earlier recognition of stroke signs, prompt medical attention and ultimate better treatment outcome. Descriptive survey research design was employed. The study was carried out in Enugu state. The population consists of 5773 students, which were made up of all the students in the selected colleges of education in Enugu state. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The findings show that a higher percentage of education biology student have knowledge on stroke including its causes, symptoms, risk age/population, diagnosis/treatment and preventive measures however, the students lack knowledge in areas of diagnostic methods like computer tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The recommendations include that Health personnel should visit school from time to time to educate the students more on the dangers of stroke. There should be massive check of blood pressure programme in our local health centers since this is the major cause of stroke. Educational programmes adapting transformational learning and strategies should be adopted by National commission for colleges of education (NCCE), policy makers and curriculum developers. Finally, limitations of the study were highlighted and suggestions for further studies were made.