Environmental sanitation in an urban community in benin city, edo state.

Community Health Department, School of Medicine, College of Medical Sciences, University of Benin. Benin-City.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the sanitary conditions in an urban community in Benin City, Edo State. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study using multi-staged sampling method. Data collection was by means semi-structured researcher-administered questionnaires. Intervention in the form of health education was carried out among the respondents on various environmental sanitation issues. Data was analysed using the Computer Programme for Epidemiologists (PEPI). RESULTS: A majority 213(50.4%) of the respondents obtained their water from private boreholes while 93(22.0%) obtained irregular pipe-borne water supplies from the public utility board, with only 160(37.8%) having adequate supplies and 291(68.8%) not using any form of water purification methods. 321(75.8%) of the respondents used the water closet for sewage disposal though these toilets were not flushed after every use in 70.7% of cases. The commonest methods of refuse disposal were open dumping (59.0%) and burning (26.4%). Indices of personal hygiene practices were high (average 87.8%), though the proportions of respondents who used soap for hand washing were all lower than those of hand washing without soap. Vector and pest control were mainly by the use of mosquito nettings of doors and windows (30.4%) and fumigation (18.8%). CONCLUSION: The overall level of sanitation is unsatisfactory. There is therefore need for intensive and continued health education to address these deficiencies.

PMID: 17356582 [PubMed - in process]