EFFECT OF HEALTH EDUCATION INTERVENTION ON ATTITUDE TOWARDS WATER SANITATION AMONG RURAL WOMEN IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study assessed the “Effect of Health Education Intervention on Attitude towards water sanitation among rural women in Niger State”. To achieve the purpose of the study, the null hypothesis was formulated and tested at 0.05 significant level. The study adopts a quasi-experimental design. The population of this study comprised rural women in Niger state, Nigeria with a total population of one million four hundred and ninety-three thousand two hundred and fifty one (1,493,251) and targeted aged eighteen (18) years and above totalling seven hundred and sixty-one thousand five hundred and fifty-eight (761,558) with 100 respondents. The instrument used in data collection was a close-ended questionnaire developed by the researcher. This instrument has a reliability index of 0.78. The descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentage was used to analyse participants’ bio-data, while mean and standard deviation was used to answer the research question and the hypothesis was tested using a paired sample t-test at 0.05 alpha level of significance. The result revealed that there was a significant effect of Health education intervention on attitude toward water sanitation among rural women in Niger state (P = .000 < α = 0.05). It was concluded that health education intervention enhances rural women's attitudes toward water sanitation. However, it was recommended that health educators in their ongoing efforts in health education should focus on sustaining and reinforcing these positive changes through continuous education, and community engagement, by sensitizing communities using culturally sensitive messaging to ensure long-term attitudinal and

behavioural change in the rural communities.