FIRST-AID RESOURCES AVAILABILITY AND ATTITUDES OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN TAMALE METROPOLIS, GHANA

Abstract

Aims: This study aims to explore the availability of first-aid resources in Senior High Schools and the attitudes of students towards giving first-aid in Tamale Metropolis, Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was performed. This study was conducted in three different senior high schools, namely, Ghana Senior High School, Business Senior High School and Vitting Senior High School during April - July 2020. The study recruited 381 students across the three schools. Students were categorized per their course of study and randomly sampled to attain the sample size. The median was used to determine the likeliest response of the ‘average’ respondent and Inter-Quartile Range (IQR) was used to measure dispersion in Likert scale questions. Results: About 57.2% of participants stated that equipped first-aid kits were not provided in dormitories. All three schools lacked fire extinguishers in the dormitories. The schools also lacked equipped sick bays. A significant relationship was found between students’ perception of school safety and their attitude towards giving first aid (p-value = 0.005). Conclusion: All schools had implemented the Ministry of Education safety standards and guidelines to a lesser extent. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education must play its supervisory role by ensuring the implementation of safety standards and guidelines on health and safety in the schools.