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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol.7, No.8
Publication Date: August 25, 2020
DOI:10.14738/assrj.78.8928.
Tokede, A. M., & Rose, A. O. (2020). Socio Psychological Factors As A Panacea To Adolescent’ Social And Health-Related Preventive
Practices Of Corona Virus In Ibadan South West, Oyo State Nigeria. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(8) 568-576.
Socio Psychological Factors As A Panacea To Adolescent’ Social And
Health-Related Preventive Practices Of Corona Virus In Ibadan
South West, Oyo State Nigeria
Tokede, Abiodun Morenike
Federal College of Forestry,
Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan.
Appah Ogechukwu Rose
Ph.D, Federal College of Forestry,
Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan.
ABSTRACT
The Corona Virus pandemic has evolved and continues to be a very
serious emergency across the globe. It is observed that many people do
not take the prevention of this disease seriously, thus this study focused
on the influence of demographic factors, corona virus awareness, and
perception on social and health-related preventive practices of
secondary school adolescents in Ibadan south west Local Government
Area in Oyo state, Nigeria. The survey was conducted on one hundred
and sixty (160) adolescents selected from four (4) private and four
(public) secondary schools in Ibadan southwest LGA using a two-stage
random sampling procedure. The instrument for data collection is a
questionnaire titled Awareness, Perception and Adolescents’ Social and
Health- Related Preventive Practices of Corona virus (APSHRPCV). It
was used to obtain information on demographic factors, awareness
(R=0.86), perception (R=0.84) and social and health-related preventive
practices (R=0.83). Data was analysed using descriptive (frequency,
mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson
moment correlation and regression analysis). The result revealed low
level of adolescents’ Covid-19 social and health-related preventive
practices. It was observed that relationship between their awareness
and perception of COVID-19 is a positive low relationship. Also it was
revealed that awareness and perception can predict adolescents’ social
and health-related preventive practices. It is, therefore, recommended
that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) put in place more
campaigns through adolescents’ friendly social media to increase their
awareness and perception, since positive awareness and perception is
found to enhance adolescents’ Covid-19 social and health-related
preventive practices.
Keywords: adolescents, Corona virus, Social and health related preventive
practices.
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Tokede, A. M., & Rose, A. O. (2020). Socio Psychological Factors As A Panacea To Adolescent’ Social And Health-Related Preventive Practices Of Corona Virus
In Ibadan South West, Oyo State Nigeria. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(8) 568-576.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.78.8939 569
INTRODUCTION
The coronavirus belongs to a family of viruses that may cause various symptoms such as
pneumonia, fever, breathing difficulty, and lung infection (Wuhan Municipal Health and Health
Commission. 2020). The World Health Organization (WHO) used the term COVID-19 to refer to the
virus in Wuhan, China on 29 December 2019 (Li, Guan, Wu, Wang, Zhou L and Tong, 2020; CDC.
2019; WHO, 2020). COVID-19 presents in different ways ranging from severe illness and mortality
to mild symptoms and even been asymptomatic. Symptoms may develop between 2 to 14 days
following exposure to the virus (Novel Coronavirus, Wuhan, China: Symptoms. CDC, 2019). In a very
short time, the disease spread across China and cases were reported with an exponential increase
in morbidity and mortality rates. The disease has evolved and continues to be a very serious
emergency across the globe.
On 11th March 2020 the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, having met the epidemiological
criteria of having infected over 100,000 people in at least 100 countries (Callaway, 2020). Nigeria's
first index case arrived on February 28 2020; since then the cases have risen every day
to 46,577 confirmed cases and 945 deaths as of 9th August 2020 (NCDC, 2020). Nigeria inclusive is
known to have fragile health systems and this remains a source of concern, especially in the event
of increased outbreaks. As these cases continue to escalate, it is estimated that between 9–11% of
infected patients will eventually need critical care and require intensive care (ICU) (Remuzzi and
Remuzzi, 2020).. Most adult patients were between 35 and 55years old (Medical Expert Group of
Togi Hospital, 2020). Oyo State recorded her first case of COVID-19 on March 17th, 2020, through a
United Kingdom returnee.
A total of 34 confirmed cases were identified all within the capital city, Ibadan and two transferred
from other states. In Oyo state there are 1,513 cases confirmed, 685 cases on admission, 809 cases
discharged and 19 deaths as at Monday 6th July (NCDC, 2020). A study on early transmission
dynamics of the virus reported the median age of patients to be 59years, ranging from 15 to 89years,
with the majority (59%) being male (Li et al., 2020). It was suggested that the population most at
risk may be people with poor immune function such as older people and those with renal and
hepatic dysfunction (Li et al., 2020). However, there were also some identified cases among
adolescents, children and infants (Medical Expert Group of Togi Hospital, (2020), Wang and Wang,
(2020))
Adolescence, occurring between 12 and 19 years is a phase of physical, cognitive, and psychological
development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (WHO, 2007). It is
a time characterised by storms and stress because being neither a child or an adult can be
conflicting. It is a period when young people begin to challenge authorities and values and be
influenced by their peers. It is also a time for developing independence (Kruger., Gouws, and Dicker,
(2011); Lahey, van Hulle, Keenan, K. et al.,(2008). In many cities of Nigeria, Ibadan inclusive,
adolescents are mostly found to be secondary school students. These secondary school adolescents
are typically associated with so many social and health risk behaviours. Health risky behaviours
mostly acquired during adolescence are reflected on to adulthood, and also influence cognitive
performance, emotions, and overall quality of life (Patience & MacDonald, (1999); Anderson &
Mueller, (2008)). According to Odunyemi (2017), health risk behaviour remain high among in
school adolescents as 70.2% of respondent samples were involved in substance use (alcohol,
cigarette, Indian hemp, tramadol), sexual activities, physical violence, and unhealthy dietary
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol.7, Issue 8, August-2020
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behaviours in selected private schools in Ibadan, Oyo state. All the health and risk behaviours
engaged by the adolescents makes him or her vulnerable to underlying illnesses and also the COVID- 19 virus. Aside this, it has been established that all ages, adolescents inclusive can catch COVID-19
and that infected people in all age groups can transmit the virus.
According to the NCDC, there are several social and health related practices. These are social and
health behaviour taken by individuals to maintain, attain, or regain good health and that can prevent
the spread of the corona virus. For Ibadan, with the largest city in West Africa, emphasis has been
on improving the surveillance systems in containing importation of the deadly virus, from other
states, imposition of curfews, isolation of suspected carriers of the virus, quarantine of individuals,
introduction of health and social preventive measures like regular hand wash and sanitizing,
maintaining social distance, compulsory wearing of masks in public places. Also the partial lock
down of public places like religious houses, stadium, shopping malls, banks, schools at all levels,
clubs, markets and public offices etc. With the partial ease on the lock down of schools in Oyo state,
Ibadan in particular on 6tth July, 2020, a large number of adolescents will be leaving the confines of
their homes, the watch of their parents, and be exposed to the outside world.
There are anecdotal reports of Nigerians against the resumption of schools because of the beliefs
that secondary school adolescents may be at risk of contracting the corona virus as a result of their
inadequate social and health-related preventive practices thus expressing fears on the spread in the
future, but the extent to which the awareness and perceptions will influence the social and health- related preventive practices of COVID-19 is unclear. Such information on the awareness and
perceptions of adolescents is needed, on a wider scale, not only to identify existing awareness and
perception gaps but also to articulate optimal measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission in
Ibadan and Nigeria at large. Additionally, if the disease were to sporadically erupt in local or regional
pockets from time to time, and/or the so called second wave of the disease were to transpire then
knowing the demographic variables, level of adolescents’ awareness and perception of COVID-19
and how it affects their social and health preventive practices could be a guide on how to treat them
and educate them further. It is therefore expedient to assess the adolescents; awareness, perception
of COVID-19 and observe if it has influence on their health and social related preventive practices
of the virus.
Research Questions
1. Is there any relationship between students’ awareness and perception of COVID-19?
2. What is the level of COVID-19 social and health-related preventive practices of secondary school
adolescents in Ibadan Southwest Local Government Area?
3. What is the joint contribution of students’ variables, awareness and perception on social and
health- related practices of the students?
4. What is the relative contribution of students’ variables, awareness and perception on social and
health- related practices of the students?
METHODOLOGY
Descriptive and correlational survey were adopted for this study. Descriptive survey study is a type
of study where data collected are described in a systematic manner based on the characteristics,
features and facts about a given population. Correlational survey seeks to establish the relationship
that exists between two or more variables. It does not involve manipulation of variables, rather, it