Knowledge of Asthma among Teachers in Public Primary Schools in a Resource-Limited Country

Asthma is a major cause of school absenteeism among children. It is therefore important that teachers have a good knowledge about asthma in order to help prevent and manage asthma attacks in children at school.

To determine the knowledge of asthma and the factors associated with the knowledge level among teachers in public primary schools in Abuja, Nigeria.

A descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among teachers in 24 public primary schools using multi-stage sampling method. The questionnaires were self-administered and level of knowledge was assessed as good, fair and poor.

Four hundred and three teachers participated in the study. Thirteen (3.2%) and 16 (15.1%) had a diagnosis and family history of asthma respectively, while 175 (43.4%) knew a person who had asthma. Majority, 370 (91.8%) had no formal training on asthma. The responses were mainly correct to questions about asthma symptoms such as chest discomfort 298 (73.9%) and asthma triggers such as dust 349 (86.6%), and mainly incorrect to questions about comorbidities like itchy skin 42 (10.4%), use of antibiotics for symptom relief 165 (40.9%) and pupil engagement in exercise and sports 279 (69.2%). Only 90 (22.3%) had good knowledge of asthma. An association was seen between mean age (p =0.0007), mean duration of teaching (p =0.32) and level of asthma knowledge.

Teachers play an important role in the management of asthma in school children. They therefore need to be empowered to provide adequate asthma care especially with willingness to acquire such knowledge.