Teachers’ Perception of Gastroenteritis among Children in Early Childhood Education Centers in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State

Abstract

Gastroenteritis is a main cause of death among children, particularly those below five years old. Gastroenteritis is held responsible for childhood fatalities-mortality. This study, therefore, ascertained teacher’s perception of the outbreak of gastroenteritis among children in the early childhood centers in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State. Study adopted the descriptive survey design. The sample size for the study was 100 teachers.  Instrument for data collection was titled Perception on Gastroenteritis Questionnaire (PGQ). Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The results obtained showed that teachers had high perception that negligence to rotavirus vaccination, ingestion of contaminated food or water, parents /teacher negligence, poor sanitation, overcrowding and among others. Based on the findings, the author concluded that all stakeholders, parents, education planners, childhood educators, teachers, and governments are urgently called to design implementable policies to prevent gastroenteritis among the children.