A Sociolinguistic Interpretation of Yorùbá Language Speakers’ Attitudes towards Skin Diseases among Secondary School Students in Iwo, Osun State

This study investigates the sociolinguistics of skin disease expressions among secondary school students in Iwo, examining cultural attitudes, their effects on social interaction and psychological well-being, and implications for health communication. Anchored in Goffman's stigma theory, stigma as a discrediting attribute causing status loss and interactional disruption, and the Health Belief Model, it conceptualizes language as the medium through which perceived severity, susceptibility, and barriers to inclusion are communicated and internalized. Of 280 questionnaires, 240 were returned (85.7%). Twenty-four students were purposively selected for focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, one-way ANOVA, and simple linear regression; qualitative data underwent thematic sociolinguistic analysis based on the framework theories. Findings revealed dominant use of Yorùbá expressions blended with biomedical and descriptive terms, many encoding misconceptions that drive stigma. Attitudes varied significantly by class, F (2, 237) = 4.27, p = .015, and significantly predicted social interaction and psychological well-being, β = .561, p < .001, R² = .315. Participants proposed school-based health education, respectful language, bilingual communication, and sustained campaigns as remedies. The study concludes that language is a modifiable determinant of health perceptions and inclusion, and that targeting terminology can disrupt stigma at its source and promote equitable outcomes. Accordingly, it recommends (1) co-development by schools and health authorities of a bilingual Yorùbá–English glossary of non-stigmatizing skin disease terms for integration into health education curricula, and (2) institutionalization of sustained awareness campaigns and respectful language training for teachers/staff as school health communication policy.