Awareness and perception of One Health among veterinary and medical students at the University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract Background: Inter-professional education (IPE) is considered an important strategy for preparing health professionals for collaborative practice. However, the adoption of One Health (OH) in Nigerian universities has not been well explored. The present study assessed the awareness, perception, and impact of IPE of OH programme among Medical (MBBS) and Veterinary (DVM) students across different academic levels at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID). Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, targeting 356 students from MBBS and DVM programmes. Data analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel and SPSS Version 20. Results: There was a statistically significant ( P < 0.005) association between student programme level of study with their awareness, perception, and impact of IPE on attitudes towards OH. Among the MBBS students, 47.2% reported very good awareness of OH compared to 19.0% of DVM students, with 300-level students (n = 29, 100%) and 400-level students (n = 32, 100%) reporting exclusively high awareness compared to other levels. The positive perception of OH was higher in DVM students with 100-level students standing at 94.1%, compared to 300-level students (n = 17) with exclusively negative perception. Age, parental education, and gender all significantly influenced awareness except in case of gender for perceptions. The younger female students with parents having higher level of education exhibit stronger awareness and perceptions. However, male DVM students demonstrated a better perception of IPE, at 41.2%, than females, at 25.0%, indicating that programme type and gender may also significantly ( P < 0.05) influence the levels of collaboration. Conclusion: In essence, these findings reveal the critical discrepancies in awareness and perception about One Health among disciplines, academic levels, and demographic factors. These disparities underline the imperative of standardization of OH frameworks and policies that assure fair participation and increased inter-professional collaboration within Nigerian universities. With this, better preparations for integrated healthcare would be made, adding value toward addressing Nigeria’s ever-increasing health challenges. One Health impact statement This study provides the first assessment of the awareness, perception, and impact of One Health among medical and veterinary students across different academic levels at the University of Maiduguri. The awareness of One Health at the training level of professionals who are expected to play key roles in the implementation of future OH programme is crucial, and studies like this provide the evidence needed to make One Health IPE effective in Nigeria, contextually relevant, and sustainable and ultimately producing graduates who can work together to protect human, animal, and environmental health. There is need for concerted efforts to include One Health modules in the medical and veterinary curriculum. As revealed by this study, disparities in proportions of students’ awareness of One Health underline the imperative of standardization of OH frameworks in the curriculum to ensure uniformity and the achievement of minimum standards of knowledge and skills to assure fair and effective participation and increased inter-professional collaboration within Nigerian universities and beyond.