Healthful School Environment: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Primary Schools in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: A healthy school environment (physical, biological and socio-cultural) serves as a major determinant of health and greatly infl uences the individual's level of intellectual growth and development. This study was therefore designed to assess the school environmental health services in both private and public primary schools in Ogun state Nigeria. Methods:The study was a comparative cross-sectional survey of Private and Public Primary Schools in Ogun state, Nigeria conducted between February and May, 2014 in Ogun State, Nigeria using a multistage sampling technique. Participants in the study were interviewed using a structured questionnaire, which was administered by a trained interviewer. Data collected was analyzed using the SPSS version 20.0.Results: A total of 360 head teachers served as respondents for the study. Dust bins and waste paper baskets were available in 58 (32.2%) Public Schools and 123 (68.3%) Private Schools (X 2 = 46.946, P= 0.001). About half, 90 (50.0%) and 97 (53.9%) in Public and Private Schools respectively use a bore hole or a mono pump as their source of water supply and 14 (7.8%) Public Schools and 30 (16.7%) Private Schools make use of well water (X 2 = 33, P= 0.001). A ratio of 1 toilet to greater than 90 pupils was however observed in 58 (32.2%) and 29 (16.1%) Public and Private Schools respectively (X 2 = 39.283, P= 0.001). 81% of the Schools in this study practiced open dumping/ burning as their method of waste disposal with the Public Schools more than the Private Schools, 162 (90.0%) Public Schools and 128 (71.1%) Private Schools (X 2 = 46.22, P= 0.001). Ventilation was adequate in 81% of the schools and controllable in 71%. Students were sitting on the fl oor in 27% of the schools in the study population. Conclusion:The study shows that the environmental health situation in Nigerian schools is poor. There is the need for patrol teams to inspect and monitor the activities of the schools in Nigeria and other developing countries. Security has become a major issue in school health care.

School Sanitation-Related Psychosocial Stressors among Nigerian Students

“…This finding aligns with those of other studies in India and sub-Saharan Africa 15,27. Students also reported concerns about lack of soap and water similar to the findings ofAmoran et al (2017) in Ogun State, Nigeria.…”

“…This is predicated upon the alarming rate of toilet inaccessibility, inadequate or lack of functional toilets, poor sanitary conditions of available toilets, and high student to toilet ratio in public schools compared with their private counterparts. 5,28 Bisi-Onyemaechi and colleagues (2016) also reported grossly inadequate toilet facilities in certain public schools in Enugu and a standard rate of student to toilet ratio of 30:1 in a few PSs, which was also linked to affect the students' wellbeing. 29 The grossly inadequate state of sanitation facilities most probably leads to long queues at the toilet causing students to miss classes, whereas others will have to go far into the bush, field, or secluded spaces to get a semblance of privacy, which predisposes them to diverse health risks such as tears from sharps like thorns and broken bottles, attack from biting insects and animals like snakes and scorpions, and incidences rape.…”

“…We also identified stressors broadly categorized into environmental (e.g., injury while practicing open defecation), physical (e.g., distant water source, long urine/fecal retention time to avoid poor toilet conditions), sexual (e.g., fear of sexual assault), and social (toilet safety and privacy concerns). Nevertheless, students most prevalently reported stressors including concerns about contracting diseases, missing classes when attending to natures call, toilet sanitary conditions, toilet inaccessibility 28 This could hamper proper hygiene practices of students further predisposing them to infections and diseases (e.g., cholera and dysentery). Besides, a significantly higher level of sanitation-related stress was observed among public schools.…”

An assessment of barriers to implementation of school health program in primary schools in Ido/Osi, Southwest, Nigeria: a qualitative study

“…Most of the schools practice open dumping. This practice is not peculiar to the current study, as other studies reported similar findings [4,7,[18][19][20]. Open dumping of refuse serves as a breeding site for flies, mosquitoes, and rodents.…”

An Examination of School Environmental Health Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices of Nigerian Secondary School Students

“…Policy (NSHP, 2006) Various research conducted in developing countries, for instance, in Nigeria (Amoran et al, 2017;Odeyemi & Chukwe, 2015), Myanmar (Htun et al, 2013), Iran (Abolli, etal., (2018) (Ajzen, 1985;1991;Dearing & Cox, 2018;Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010;Jones, et al, 2015). These theories served as a guide for were not at all interested while 4% were not sure.…”