ASSESSMENT OF PHARMACY STUDENTS’ AWARENESS OF NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASE AND THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARDS PARTICIPATING IN ITS PREVENTION AND CONTROL

Chinelo Nneka Ikeanyi, Ngozi Prinsca Onuigwe, Jane Osareme Ogugua, Bilkisu Mohammed Kuchazi*

Outbreaks of some Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are on the increase in Nigeria. As future healthcare professionals, pharmacy students need to be equipped with the required knowledge and skills for management of NTDS. This study aims to assess pharmacy students’ awareness of NTDS and their attitude towards participating in its prevention and control. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 408 pharmacy students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with the aid of a three-sectioned, structured questionnaire using a convenient sampling method. Section A obtained demographic information of respondents. Section B assessed the students’ awareness of NTDs. Section C assessed the students’ attitude towards participation in the prevention and control of NTDs. The collected data was entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for data cleaning, after which it was exported into the IBM SPSS software for inferential and descriptive analysis. The p-value was set at < 0.05, at a 95% confidence interval. Half (204, 50%) of the respondents were males; 201 (49.3%) were between the ages of 18 and 29 years, while 209 (49.3%) were in the BPharm program. Most (313; 76.7%) of the respondents were not aware of NTDS. The majority (305, 74.9%) had not received lectures or training that provides information on NTDs; 328 (80.6%) will want the study of NTDs to be included in their undergraduate pharmacy program; and 211 (51.7%) had negative attitudes toward participation in the prevention and control of NTDs. The pharmacy students were not aware of the NTDS and had a negative attitude towards participation in their prevention and control. There is need for review of undergraduate pharmacy curriculum for an effective prevention, control, and elimination targets of NTDs to be achieved.