Traditional health practices and social interaction skills among nursery school children in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State

Abstract

Children are open-minded, loving and welcoming in nature. They interact with their environment and explore innocently for fun. These  children's explorative activities, beginning from home, foster their social interaction skills. In developing the whole child, the health  condition plays a major factor. Health practices in the context of belief system or traditions could in one way or the other affect social  interaction skills. A child that wears religious symbols, beads, dreadlocks etc. in relation to their belief system is likely to earn different  reactions and perceptions from his/her mates which could further affect their interactions. This study investigated social interaction skills  and health practices among nursery school children in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. A descriptive design of the survey type was used. Data  were collected with a researcher-designed instrument titled “Social Interaction and Health Practices Scale”. The data were analyzed using  the descriptive statistics of frequency count, percentage, and means. The results showed that a larger percentage of the nursery  school children associated their health practices with tradition and beliefs and that the reactions from their peers affected their social interaction skills and abilities. The study recommended that children should be given proper orientation on why they have traditional  insignia on them to boost children's selfconfidence and enhance their social interaction skills. Other children who do not have their  practices attached to traditions and beliefs should also be given orientation on how to handle their mates' reactions towards them.