ASSESSMENT OF THE KNOWLEDGE AND PREVENTIVE PRACTICES OF URINARY TRACT INFECTION AMONGST RESIDENTS OF MAKUN COMMUNITY, SAGAMU, OGUN STATE

The prevalence of UTIs varies across different populations, with higher rates found in certain demographics such as pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals with certain medical conditions like diabetes or kidney stones. UTIs can affect various parts of the urinary tract, including the bladder, urethra, ureters, and kidneys. The study assessed the knowledge and preventive practices of Urinary Tract Infection Amongst Residents of Makun Community,Sagamu, Ogun State. The study adopted a cross-sectional study design. A simple random sampling technique was utilized and data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire involving 384 residents of Makun Community Members Sagamu. Ethical clearance to conduct the study was obtained from Olabisi Onabanjo University Ethical Review Committee and informed consent was obtained from participants. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test at p= 0.05. The study revealed that 326(84.9%) reported poor hygiene, 318(83.1%) while 303(78.9%) holding of urine as risk factors of UTI. The study revealed 321(83.6%) reported that UTIs can be transmitted or acquired through sexual intercourse and poor hygiene respectively while 289(75.3%) reported contaminated water. It was revealed that 238(73.7%) reported that not only women can get Urinary Tract Infection and 231(60.2%) reported that prevention of UTI, cannot be through cleaning of the vagina with soap and water. There was significant relationship with the age (p=0.034), gender (p=0.035) and the knowledge of UTI among respondents. There was no significant relationship between the Marital status (p=0.153), educational status (p=0.234) and the knowledge of UTI. There were significant relationship between socio-demographic characteristics of respondents: age (p=0.026), sex(p=0.025), marital status (p=0.018), education status (p=0.000) and preventive measures for UTIs There was no significant relationship with the knowledge and preventive practice (p=0.497) In conclusion, more than three-fifths of the respondents had good knowledge and a positive attitude towards preventing urinary tract infections during pregnancy. Additionally, a higher proportion of the participants in the study demonstrated good current practices in preventing UTIs during pregnancy. The study also found a significant relationship between the respondents' knowledge about UTI prevention, their educational level, and age. It's great to see that the respondents had good knowledge and were actively practicing UTI prevention methods. The study recommends the implementation of educational programs to increase awareness about UTIs and decrease susceptibility among the community population. It also suggests the development of knowledge enhancement programs specifically focused on UTIs during pregnancy, which could help bring about positive attitude changes