ACCESS TO WASTE MANAGEMENT FACLITIES AND SANITATION PRACTICES AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BOKI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA
Keywords:
Waste management, sanitation practices and hygieneAbstract
The study examined access to waste management facilities and sanitation practices among secondary school students in Boki LGA cross River State, Nigeria. Waste management and sanitation practices are essential components of a healthy school environment, particularly in learning capacity. The study indicated how inadequate access to waste management facilities in school has exposed health risk and negatively influence hygienic practices. Specifically, the study sought out, to examine how access to waste bin influence sanitation practices and how access to convenience (toilet) facilities affects sanitation practices among secondary school students. To achieve the above specific objectives, the study employed descriptive survey design and stratified random sampling technique with a study population of 2,406 and a sample size of 343 . Simple linear regression with the help of SPSS version 23 were used to analyze the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Key findings revealed that there is a positive correlation between access to waste bin and effective sanitation practices among secondary students. Similarly, it was further indicated that access to good convenience positively influence effective sanitation practices among learners in secondary school. The study recommended that government and school authorities should ensure good access to waste bin and convenience facilities to promote effective sanitation practices in secondary school.. Furthermore, the study establishes that facility-level variables specifically access to waste bins and access to public conveniences are significant predictors of sanitation practices among secondary school students in Boki LGA. The findings confirm that improved access to sanitation infrastructure is associated with better hygiene behaviour within the school environment.
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