PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS HEALTH, NUTRITION AND DISEASE AMONG FEMALE SCIENCE STUDENTS OF ODUMEGWU OJUKWU UNIVERSITY IGBARIAM, ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the perception and attitude of one hundred and ninety three female science students of Odumegwu Ojukwu University Igbariam , Anambra State towards health, nutrition and diseases. In line with the objectives of the study, three research questions and two null hypotheses were postulated adopted. The survey research design was adopted. The accessible population for the study consisted of 193 students in Odumegwu Ojukwu University Igbariam, Anambra State. Structured questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. Reliability of the instrument was done using split-half techniques and it yielded reliability co-efficient of .82. The data collected were analyzed using mean score and chi-square statistics. The result among others is that there were significant differences in the attitude to health of female science students based on their area of discipline (0.033<0.05). However, the students perception and attitudes towards health, nutrition and diseases did not vary based on their academic level and teaching experiences. Based on the findings and conclusion, recommendations are made pertinent among which is female science students should be exposed to nutrition education at all level of Nigeria education and in all discipline of study.