Jigger Infestation a Menace to Children’s School Attendance
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Date
2014
Authors
Mwoma, Teresa
Makena, Beatrice
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
www.iiste.org
Abstract
This study intended to investigate the relationship between jigger infestation and participation at school by preprimary
school and lower primary school children. The objective of the study was to find out the relationship
between jigger infestation and children’s rate of school attendance. The study was carried out in Gatundu District
because it is one of the highly jigger infested districts in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study utilized the
Ecological systems theory and it employed the descriptive survey design. The population of the study comprised
of pre-primary, lower primary school children and their class teachers from all the public schools in Gatundu
District. Forty four jigger infested children were purposively sampled for the study. An equal number of pupils
not infested were randomly sampled to be compared with those who were infested. The teachers handling preprimary
school and lower primary classes were also purposively sampled. Questionnaires for teachers,
observations schedules for children and document analysis were utilized for data collection. Qualitative and
quantitative methods of data analysis were applied. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used
to prepare and organize data for analysis. Pearson’s correlation coefficient test was used to compute the
relationship between the variables. Frequency distribution tables, percentages, and descriptions were utilized for
data presentations. Findings revealed that jiggers were a major threat to the realization of children’s educational
goals. The Pearson correlation coefficient indicated that jigger affected children’s school attendance in that r = -
0.123, n=44 and sig(2 tailed)= 0.426.The study recommends that the school managers liaises with other
stakeholders to seek for strategies of curing those infested, carry out routine checkups on children and sensitize
communities on the causes, dangers and preventive measures of the jigger parasite in order to help all children
realize their full educational potential in life.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Jigger infestation, school attendance, Jigger infestation, health hazard
Citation
Journal of Education and Practice, Vol.5, No.1, 2014