Main Article Content
Effect of Health Education on Refuse Disposal Practices of Women in Jos, Plateau State
Abstract
Background: Refuse is substance produced from daily activities in homes as well as from agricultural, livestock and industrial activities. House to house collection in Nigeria is uncommon, though practised in some states such as Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory. Adult females are responsible for the handling of solid wastes generated at the household level and this study aimed at determining the effect of community-based health education on the practices of domestic refuse handling among them.
Methodology: A community-based, interventional study was conducted among 218 adult females recruited by multi-stage sampling technique. There was a baseline assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practices of proper domestic refuse handling and factors affecting same in both intervention and control groups using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire, which lasted for one week. Thereafter, health education was given using lectures, demonstrations and role plays and reinforced by trained community-based health educators. Three months after the intervention, another assessment of the same subjects was carried out with the same instrument. Knowledge, attitude and practice responses were scored and graded. Data was analysed using EPI info version 3.5.1. software.
Results: The knowledge score on domestic refuse handling was found to be good in 16.1% of women in the intervention group before the intervention. This improved to 51.4% at post-intervention. (P < 0.001) In the control group, the proportion with good knowledge was 26.2% at pre-intervention and 28.4% at post-intervention. At Pre-intervention, 23 (10.6%) of the females in the intervention group had the right attitude towards domestic refuse handling. After the health education, 133 (61.0%) of them had the right attitude. In the control group, 34 (15.6%) of the respondents had the right attitude and 184 (86.2 %) of them had the wrong attitude at pre-intervention. At post-intervention, 107 (49.0%) of them had the right attitude and about half (51.0%) had the wrong attitude. (P<0.0001) Practice scores regarding domestic refuse handling improved by 32.1.% from 30.7% at pre-intervention to 62.8% at post-intervention in the intervention group. (P <0.0001) In the control group, this was not statistically significant. (P =0.011) Factors associated with domestic refuse handling included educational level and marital status.
Conclusion: Health education intervention was found to be effective in increasing knowledge, improving wrong attitudes and enhancing good practices of domestic refuse handling among the female adults studied in Jos North and South Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
Methodology: A community-based, interventional study was conducted among 218 adult females recruited by multi-stage sampling technique. There was a baseline assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practices of proper domestic refuse handling and factors affecting same in both intervention and control groups using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire, which lasted for one week. Thereafter, health education was given using lectures, demonstrations and role plays and reinforced by trained community-based health educators. Three months after the intervention, another assessment of the same subjects was carried out with the same instrument. Knowledge, attitude and practice responses were scored and graded. Data was analysed using EPI info version 3.5.1. software.
Results: The knowledge score on domestic refuse handling was found to be good in 16.1% of women in the intervention group before the intervention. This improved to 51.4% at post-intervention. (P < 0.001) In the control group, the proportion with good knowledge was 26.2% at pre-intervention and 28.4% at post-intervention. At Pre-intervention, 23 (10.6%) of the females in the intervention group had the right attitude towards domestic refuse handling. After the health education, 133 (61.0%) of them had the right attitude. In the control group, 34 (15.6%) of the respondents had the right attitude and 184 (86.2 %) of them had the wrong attitude at pre-intervention. At post-intervention, 107 (49.0%) of them had the right attitude and about half (51.0%) had the wrong attitude. (P<0.0001) Practice scores regarding domestic refuse handling improved by 32.1.% from 30.7% at pre-intervention to 62.8% at post-intervention in the intervention group. (P <0.0001) In the control group, this was not statistically significant. (P =0.011) Factors associated with domestic refuse handling included educational level and marital status.
Conclusion: Health education intervention was found to be effective in increasing knowledge, improving wrong attitudes and enhancing good practices of domestic refuse handling among the female adults studied in Jos North and South Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
