Practice of environmental sanitation among residents of a community in jos north local government area of plateau state, nigeria

Access to safe water, proper refuse and sewage disposal, as well as good personal and environmental hygiene which affect the health of populations remains a challenge for many developing countries. Sanitation practices including water sanitation, solid waste management, sewage disposal and personal hygiene and the occurrence of fever and diarrhoea among respondents were assessed in this study. It was a cross- sectional study conducted in 3 settlements of Tudun Wada ward of Jos North LGA of Plateau State among 355 adult respondents selected by a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire and a checklist and analyzed using SPSS version 20. The most common sources of drinking water were pipe-borne water and borehole. About 20% treated their water at home. Nearly 70% practiced insanitary refuse disposal methods. About 74% used the water closet that flushes into septic tank as toilet facility. Less than a quarter of respondents washed their hands after defecating and only 39.2% always washed their hands with soap. The prevalence of fever was 5.4% and that of diarrhea was 1.4% among the respondents. The study showed that most households generally practiced poor environmental sanitation and hygiene which affected their health status.