The knowledge and attitude of students of a Nigerian tertiary institution about peptic ulcer disease

Objectives: This study was aimed at assessing the knowledge and attitude of students of a tertiary institution in North-Central Nigeria about peptic ulcer disease (PUD)Methodology: Three hundred students of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, were recruited using a multistage sampling method. Asemi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic data and assess their knowledge about and attitude towards PUD.Results: Two hundred and thirty-four (78.0%) of respondents had heard about PUD before. Two hundred and fifty (83.3%) of the respondents thought PUD was a gastrointestinal disease whereas 40 (13.3%) thought it was a disease of the heart. Only one (0.3%) of the respondents knew Helicobacter pylori as a cause of PUD, and only 17.3% believed drugs could treat PUD. Students of Science-based courses were twice as likely as non-Science based students to have had a prior knowledge of PUD (OR: 1.98, CI: 1.054- 3.717, P=0.034).Conclusion: Though majority of respondents had heard about PUD, their knowledge of its aetiology, symptoms and treatment was poor. This reflects the need to strengthen public health education about PUD because of its potential for causing morbidity and mortality. Key words: Peptic ulcer disease, gastrointestinal disease, Helicobacter pylori, knowledg