Background: The rising prevalence of head and neck cancer (HNC) risk factors among secondary school students in Nigeria is alarming. Whilst most school-based health education programmes are focused on reproductive health and infectious disease prevention, only little attention is paid to HNC education. Aim: To assess the impact of HNC education on Nigerian secondary school students’: knowledge on HNC; and attitudes toward HNC peer and non-peer education.

Materials and Method: This study was a pilot interventional study conducted among 40 students in two secondary schools in Birnin Kebbi, North-Western Nigeria. A health talk on HNC was given to the participants, using teaching aids. Before and after the health talk, a pre-test and a post-test questionnaire was given to each participant, respectively, to assess their baseline and end-line: knowledge on HNC; and attitudes toward HNC peer and non-peer education. Collected data was analysed using the SPSS Version 20 Software. Results: The mean (±SD) age of the 40 participants was 17.13 (±1.604) years. After a health talk on HNC was given, our end-line survey showed a significant general increase in the participants’ knowledge on HNC aetiological/risk factors and its symptoms. Also, our survey data shows that the HNC health talk was very educative, very interesting, and also a source of motivation, significantly motivating the participants in educating their schoolmates, friends, and distant relatives on HNC (p-values< 0.05).

Conclusion: School-based HNC education programme is a potential tool that can be used for creating awareness and modifying attitudes and behaviours of Nigerian secondary school students towards HNC prevention.