Occupational exposure to lead is common among automobile technicians and constitutes 0.9% of total global health burden with a majority of cases in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the blood lead levels of automobile technicians in roadside and organised garages in Lagos State, Nigeria. This was a comparative cross-sectional study. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Physical examinations were conducted and blood was analysed for lead using atomic spectrophotometery. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the median blood lead levels of each group using the independent sample (Mann-Whitney U) test. Seventy-three (40.3%) of the organised compared to 59 (34.3%) of the roadside groups had high blood lead levels. The organised group had statistically significant higher median blood lead levels of, 66.0 µg/dL than the roadside 43.5 µg/dL (P < 0.05). There was also statistically significant association between high blood lead levels and abnormal discolouration of the mucosa of the mouth in the organised group. Automobile technicians in organised garages in Lagos have higher prevalence of elevated blood lead levels and higher median levels than the roadside group. Preventive strategies against lead exposures should be instituted by the employers and further actions should be taken to minimize exposures, improve work practices, implement engineering controls (e.g., proper ventilation), and ensure the use of personal protective equipment.

The high cost and effect of out of pocket payments for health care on households in developing countries have led to the use of community-based health insurance (CBHI) as a viable alternative for health care funding. The overall objective of the study was to assess the perception and determinants of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a proposed community based health insurance scheme in urban and rural households in Lagos State. The multi-stage sampling technique was used with 960 household heads enrolled in the study. A pre-tested, semi-structured, interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The contingent valuation method was used to elicit household willingness to enrol and pay for a proposed community based health insurance scheme. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (SPSS) version 17. This study revealed that 86.3% of the households in the rural LGA and 78.6% of the households in the urban LGA were willing to pay for the proposed community based health insurance scheme (p=<0.001). The households were willing to pay a mean amount of ₦957.56 and ₦754.83/household/month in the urban and rural area respectively (p<0.001). The paper concludes by emphasizing the high willingness among households to participate in the proposed hypothetical CHBI scheme. This highlights its prospects of increasing access to quality health care in Lagos especially amongst vulnerable low-income households.