Perception and Acceptance of Female Education to Promote Health Practices

ABSTRACT

Education is a powerful driver of development and one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace and stability. Female education empowers and brings about socio-economic changes in families and societies. This study assessed the perception and acceptance of female education to promote health practices in Ikot Etetuk village, Ikot Abasi Local Government Area. Three objectives were developed which were: to assess the perception of female education, to ascertain the acceptance of female education and to explore the influence of female education on health practices in Ikot Etetuk, Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. Three research questions were developed from the objectives guide the study. The research design employed by the researcher was descriptive survey. The sample of the study composed of 150 participants selected through convenience or accidental sampling technique. Data collected were presented using frequencies and charts and interpreted using percentages. Results of the study revealed that most of the parents in Ikot Etetuk had a negative perception about female education with about 63.3% and mean value of 0.15, 76.6% of the parents in Ikot Etetuk didn’t send their girls to school and health promotion practices were directly influenced by female education with mean value of 0.16. Conclusions, drawn was that educated parents had a better perception and attitude towards female education than the uneducated parents. Based on the findings, recommendations made was that adequate information about female education and its benefit should be given to the people in both rural and urban areas to change their perception and improve their acceptance of female education. Implication of this study to nursing was that nurses working in health care facilities will gain ideas on how to carry out adequate health education especially to those mothers with low educational status on health issues.

Key Words: perception, acceptance and promotion of health practices.