Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practice among Students in Secondary School, Ijebu Ode, Nigeria

Abstract

Studies have documented that poor WaSH is accountable for several cases of diarrhea globally, resulting in millions of unnecessary deaths each year, particularly among children, and most notably in underdeveloped countries where poor knowledge and practice of WaSH have been well documented. Therefore, the work prioritizes evaluation of WaSH practice among students in secondary school in Ijebu Ode, in light of the emergence of COVID-19, which has further highlighted the essence of WaSH practice, especially in our schools. A descriptive cross-sectional approach was adopted in the conduct of the investigation, wherein data was sourced from 60 students selected through random numbers from six randomly selected secondary schools (three public and three private), representing a total student population of 360. The data collected through structured questionnaire and personal interview were computed and analyzed descriptively using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Software for Social Scientist (version 20). Findings indicated that majority of the students in Ijebu Ode have adequate knowledge (78.9%) and inadequate practice (45.6%) on WaSH, and thus, concluded that whereas the participants have adequate knowledge on WaSH, it however did not translate into an actual practice. Hence, a need for an intensive effort that will facilitate adequate WaSH practices among the school students through the availability and accessibility of appropriate WaSH resources, with school and home schedules for WaSH practice.

Evaluation of Handwashing Facilities in Basic Schools in Ejura-Sekyeredumase Municipality, Ghana

“…In analyzing the handwashing practices and its predictors in primary school students of Damote Woide district in South Ethiopia, it was found that proper hand washing practices was poor (28.10%) and puts the students at risks of infections (Admasie et al, 2022). Similar observations of poor handwashing practices, inadequate handwashing facilities and education in basic schools have been recorded in other studies (Muramatsu-Noguchi et al, 2022;Sharma and Adhikari, 2022;Saima Alam et al, 2020;Okello et al, 2019;Steenkamp et al, 2022;McMichael, 2019;Otto, Opatoki and Luyi, 2022;Eshetu, Kifle and Hirigo, 2020;Toleubekov, Bolatova and Stafström, 2022) Ghana, a developing nation, was also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This required that schools in the country, especially at the basic level, were supplied with handwashing facilities.…”

Effects of Availability and Access to Safe Drinking Water on Students’ Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Muhoroni Sub-County, Kenya

“…Their responses were tabulated and the results are presented in Table 1. , 2004), creating high-risk situations where diseases can readily spread (Otto, Opatoki & Luyi, 2022). A study by Abanyie, Ampadu, Frimpong & Amuah, (2023) in Ghana found that due to availability of safe drinking water in schools, there was improvement in school attendance and performance of school children.…”

Correlation or Causation: Unraveling the Relationship between PM2.5 Air Pollution and COVID-19 Spread Across the United States

“…The COVID-19 pandemic will have long-term effects on the worldwide economy (Al-kasasbeh, 2022). Meanwhile, Various studies have explored factors influencing COVID-19 transmission, including air pollution (Maniat et al, 2023)and preventative measures like handwashing (Otto, Opatoki, & Luyi, 2022). An observational study in USA California, using data from the Environmental Pollution Agency (EPA), reported negative correlations between PM2.5 levels and both COVID-19 cases (-0.45) and mortality (-0.42) (Bashir, Jiang, et al, 2020).…”