Assessment of Awareness, Attitude and Practice Towards Observation of Retinoblastoma Among Mothers of Underfive Children In Kaduna State, Nigeria
Assessment of Awareness, Attitude and Practice Towards Observation of Retinoblastoma Among Mothers of Underfive Children In Kaduna State, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
This study assessed awareness, attitude and practice towards observation of retinoblastoma among four hundred (400) mothers of under-five children in Kaduna State, Nigeria.
The study employed descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised of all mothers of under-five children in Kaduna State which are 2,050,608.
Three specific purposes, research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A multi-stage sampling technique comprising of systematic, simple random, purposive and proportionate sampling technique was used in selecting the required number of respondents for the study as stated above.
Four hundred (400) copies of the researcher-developed questionnaire were distributed using simple random sampling technique, of which 374 (93.5%) were retrieved and considered valid for the study.
Data collected was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20. Frequency and simple percentages were used to describe the demographic characteristics of the respondents,
while mean and standard deviations were used to answer the research questions. Inferential statistics of one-sample t-test was used to test the formulated hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level of significance.
The findings of the study revealed that awareness of retinoblastoma among mothers of under-five children in Kaduna State was significant (t=29.730, p= 0.001).
INTRODUCTION
The eye is one of the five major sense organs of the body, which makes vision possible. Problems associated with early development of the eye results into diverse eye problems including retinoblastoma.
Retinoblastoma (eye cancer) is a cancer of the eye that starts in the retina, the very back part of the eye (Boyd & Maturi, 2016).
The retina is the inner layer of cells in the back of the eye. It is made up of special nerve cells that are sensitive to light. These light-sensing cells are connected to the brain by the optic nerve, which runs out the back of the eyeball.
The pattern of light (image) that reaches the retina is sent through the optic nerve to an area of the brain called the visual cortex, allowing us to see.
The eyes develop very early as babies grow in the womb. During the early stages of development, the eyes have cells called retinoblasts that divide into new cells and fill the retina. At a certain point, these cells stop dividing and develop into mature retinal cells.
Rarely, something goes wrong with this process. Instead of maturing into special cells that detect light, some retinoblasts continue to divide and grow out of control, forming a cancer known as retinoblastoma.
Retinoblastoma is the most common type of eye cancer in children of ages 0-5 years and represents 3% of all childhood malignancies.
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