SANITATION PRACTICES AND IMPLICATION ON STUDENTS HEALTH IN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, AGBOR

Abstract

The main purpose of the study is to investigate the sanitation practices and implication on students health in college of Education, Agbor . The population of the study consists of all the students in Delta State College of Education Agbor numbering three thousand seven hundred and fifty (3,750) as estimated. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, five (5) research questions were formulated to guide the study. A survey research design was used to investigate the sanitation practices and implication on students health in college of Education, Agbor. A sample size of one hundred and eighty eight (188) students were used for the study. One hundred eighty eight (188) questionnaires were administered personally by the researcher to one hundred and eighty eight (188) students in College of Education, Agbor. The data information obtained from the students were analyzed using percentage. After studying the research findings, it emerged evident that sanitation practices and implication on students health have significant influence on implementation of hygiene practices. Based on these findings, the researcher made some recommendations that: similar study should be carried out in tertiary institutions to establish whether similar factors influence sanitation practices and implication on students health and Since the study was carried out in College of Education, Agbor due to limited time, a similar study should be carried out in the other Colleges and Universities.

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Background of the Study

                In the view of the World Health Organisation (WHO) (2000), sanitation generally refers to the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and faeces; and inadequate provision of these facilities is a major cause of diseases worldwide. It has been realised that improving sanitation is known to have a significant impact on health both in households and across communities (WHO 2000). The word sanitation also refers to the maintenance of hygiene conditions, through services such as garbage collection, waste water treatment and disposal.World Health Organization defined sanitation as the means of collecting and disposing  excreta community liquids, waste in a hygienic way, so as not to endanger the health and the welfare of the social and environmental effects that may have on people (WHO, 2010). People have been suffering from one disease to another without knowing the problems of their illness, the situation is due to distress or dirty environment. Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

Snel (2004), indicate that health influences learning and education influences health. This is because poor sanitation causes diarrhoea, which kills 1.5 million children each year (W.A.U, 2013). However, smart investments in sanitation can reduce disease, increase family incomes, keep girls and boys in school, help preserve the environment, and enhance human dignity. Increasing evidence also shows that school sanitation and
            Sanitation is defined as the process of keeping places clean, hygienic especially by providing a sewage system and a clean water supply. Sanitation refers to all conditions that affect the health of people in a geographical area. Billions of people still live without having access to sanitation facilities and are unable to practice such basic hygienic as washing their hands with soap and water (Iheke, 2010).

hygiene education programmes offer high cost benefit (DANIDA, 2007).Unfortunately, the promises of school health and hygiene education programmes have not always been fulfilled by either the government or stakeholders in education especially in the rural communities. Many school environments in most rural communities are not safe for children due to neglect of the operation and maintenance of health facilities. It is believed that there has been a lack of hygiene education for the students. These schools often suffer from nonexistent or insufficient water supply, sanitation and hand washing facilities, dirty and unsafe water supply; toilets or latrines that are not adapted to the needs of children particularly girls; non existence of hygiene education, unhealthy and dirty classrooms and school compounds among others. WHO, (2000) estimated that 88% of diarrhoeal disease is caused by unsafe water supply, inadequate sanitation and hygiene.

Disease related to poor sanitation and water availability cause many people to die of sickness like cholera, diarrhea, malaria, typhoid, which damages the body tissues. Children are most vulnerable to health hazards and consequently are affected the most. In 1998, 2.2 million people died because of poor sanitation, which the vast majority was children.Environmental sanitation encompasses the control of environmental factors that are connected to disease transmission. Subsets of this category are solid waste management, water and wastewater treatment, industrial waste treatment and noise and pollution control (Prüss, Kay, Fewtrell and Bartram 2002).
       For any social and economic development, adequate sanitation in conjunction with good hygiene and safe water are essential to good health. Lack of proper sanitation causes diseases. Most of the diseases resulting from sanitation have a direct relation to poverty. The lack of clean water and poor sanitation causes many diseases and the spread of diseases. It is estimated that inadequate sanitation is responsible for 4.0 percent of deaths and 5.7 percent of disease burden worldwide (Evans, 2009).Many schools serve communities that have a high prevalence of diseases related to inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene, and where child malnutrition and other underlying health problems are common (WHO, 2010).Lack of sanitation is a serious issue that is affecting most developing countries and countries in transition. The importance of the isolation of excreta and waste lies in an effort to prevent diseases which can be transmitted through human waste, which afflict both developed countries as well as developing countries to differing degrees (Conant, 2005).

   There has been considerable awareness of water supply in institution, but the problems of excreta and waste disposal have receive less attention. In Agbor College of Education, everywhere is littered with pure water polythene, pieces of papers and so on, without proper disposal. In order to focus attention of these problems. Sanitation exercise should be done daily to keep the environment clean by employing labourers that will help keep the school clean. Environments should be clean in order to kill dangerous animals like snake, scorpion.

In school hostels, there are problems of over growing weeds and these affect the health of students inside the school hostel. More than 200 students share four (4) toilets. With this premise, the research seeks to find out the Sanitation Practices and implication on students health in Delta State College of Education Agbor. Inadequate sanitation and water in school jeopardize not only the student’s health but also their attendance. Girls in particular area likely to be kept out of school, if there is no sanitation.  

Statement of Problem

Control of pests, waste disposal had become a problem because of poor sanitation practices. Diseases related to poor sanitation and water availability causes many people to die of sickness like cholera, diarrhea, malaria, typhoid which damages the body tissues.

However, it is not clear on the extent in which school management and student union government (SUG) have contributed in curbing poor sanitation practices. The problem of this study is to find out the strategies which could be employ to provide facilities to students to reduce dirtiness.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to find out the sanitation practices and implication on students health in Delta State college of Education Agbor. Specifically this study was to:

1.    Identify the causes of poor sanitation practices in Delta State College of Agbor

2.    Determine the extent in which the school management have contributed in providing facilities that will enhance Sanitation Practices in Delta State College of Education Agbor.

3.    Find out the strategies that could be employed to curb in Delta State College of Education Agbor.

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will enable the students in Delta State College of Education, to better understand and cultivate the habit of keeping clean environment because cleanliness is next to Godliness. The findings will help the following people: The students needs to know about hygiene or health practices, because cleanliness in next to Godliness and also enable to have a sound health if sanitation is practiced by the students.

The findings will help the government, to formulate a policies that will enable their follow students keep the environment clean and regulations on the school. Also they serve as a mediator between the management and the students.The findings will help the school management to provide adequate facilities that will enable the labourers to keep the environment clean and tidy, also provide fund for buying disinfectant and Antiseptic, and also paying the labourers.

Research Questions

            The following research questions were formulated to enable the researcher carry out the study:

1.    What are the causes of poor sanitation practices on students health in Delta State college of Education Agbor?

2.    What effect does sanitation have on student’s health in Delta State College Education Agbor?

3.    What effect does sanitation practice have on school environment?  

4.    What are the dangers of poor sanitation practices on student’s health in Delta State College of Education Agbor?

5.    What are the strategies that could be employed to improve sanitation in Delta State college of Education Agbor?       

Scope/Delimitation of the study

            The scope of the study was delimited to determining the Sanitation Practices and implication on student’s health in Delta State College of Education Agbor especially those in hostel in Delta State College of Education.

Operational Definition of terms

Sanitation: Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes as well as the treatment and proper disposal of sewage or wastewater.

Health: a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Implementation: Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.

Waste: Waste is any substance which is discarded after primary use, or it is worthless, defective and of no use.