Knowledge, Attitudes, and Associated Factors Towards First Aid Among Secondary School Teachers Working in Governmental Schools of Harari Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia

Background: Secondary school teachers are the primarily responsible body for keeping the welfare of their students and they are the first responsible person when students face injuries. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and related factors toward first aid among secondary school teachers working in Harari regional state, eastern Ethiopia. Method: Institutional based quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 417 randomly selected teachers who have been teaching in secondary school for at least 6 months. Data were collected by self-administered and standardized questionnaires. Variables with a p-value of less than 0.05 at 95% confidence interval (CI) in the multivariable regression were significantly associated with knowledge and attitude toward first aid. Results: Among the study participants, 41.2% of them had good knowledge whereas 54.5% of them had a favorable attitude. Teachers who worked for 6-10 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 5.24; 95% CI: 2.043, 13.467), taking training on first aid (AOR: 3.563; 95% CI: 2.169, 5.851), and the presence of first aid kits in the schools (AOR: 1.799; 95% CI: 1.112, 2.910) were significantly associated with good knowledge whereas teachers older than 41 years (AOR: 1.932; 95% CI: 1.134, 3.291) and the presence of first aid kits in the school (AOR: 2.136; 95% CI: 1.360, 3.353) were significantly associated with a favorable attitudes. Conclusion: The level of first aid knowledge among secondary school teachers was inadequate. Initiating a first aid training program at the beginning of their career and providing first aid kits to schools will improve their knowledge.