Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Health Care Workers towards NOMA in a Tertiary Institution in North-western Nigeria

Abstract

Background: NOMA is a potentially life-threatening necrotizing condition characterized by the destruction of oral and perioral tissues. NOMA is fatal in 90% of cases but the rate is reduced to about 8% with early recognition and treatment. Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of health workers towards Noma in a tertiary teaching hospital in north-western Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out among health care personnel using a self-administered questionnaire between October 2019 and February 2020. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions covering the domains of knowledge and, attitude/practices. The total score for each domain was obtained and then categorized as low (less than or equal to 50%), fair (51 to 69%), and good (70% and above). Results: A total of 156 respondents filled and returned the questionnaires. Male respondents constituted 103(66%) as against 53(34%) Female respondents. The age range of respondents was 19 –54 years with a mean±SD of 32.8±6.6 years. Out of 156 respondents, 123(78.8%) were aware of Noma. The total score recorded in both the knowledge and attitude/practice domains were 72.5% and 47.5% respectively. Conclusion: The awareness of Noma among the study population was good. Those that were aware of the disease have good knowledge of it, however, the attitude and practices were low. Therefore, there is a need for continuous medical education among health care workers.