Research Article

EFFECTIVENESS OF HEALTH EDUCATION INTERVENTION ON KNOWLEDGE OF RECYCLING AS A SUSTAINABLE WASTE DISPOSAL METHOD AMONG HOUSEHOLDS IN CALABAR METROPOLIS, CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

Peniel Ochure LALE1*, AKOREDE, S. N2, Biu A. A.3, H. A. ABDULFATAH1, Abdullahi LAWAL4
1 Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Faculty of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
2 Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria – Nigeria.
3 Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
4 Department of Science Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
* Corresponding author: peniellale@gmail.com
Published: Mar, 2026
DOI: 10.67203/gjhrr.2026.z814i1a4
Pages: 23-29
Views: 30
Downloads: 13

Abstract

This study assessed the effectiveness of a health education intervention on households’ knowledge of recycling as a sustainable waste disposal method in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test non-equivalent control group design was adopted. The study population comprised 658,772 households in Calabar Metropolis, while a sample of 120 households was selected through a four-stage sampling procedure and assigned to experimental (n = 60) and control (n = 60) groups. Data were collected using the researcher-developed Health Education Intervention on Knowledge of Waste Disposal Questionnaire (HEIPKWDQ), which demonstrated satisfactory reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.869). The experimental group received an eight-week health education intervention on recycling and sustainable waste disposal, whereas the control group received a placebo programme on general environmental hygiene. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while paired-sample and independent-sample t-tests were used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings showed that the experimental group’s mean knowledge score increased markedly from 2.31 ± 0.36 at pre-test to 7.59 ± 0.36 at post-test, improving from the “not knowledgeable” to the “highly knowledgeable” category, whereas the control group showed only a slight increase from 2.17 ± 0.43 to 3.03 ± 0.58 and remained “not knowledgeable.” The paired-sample t-test revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group’s knowledge (t = 107.53, p < 0.05), while the independent-sample t-test indicated a significant post-intervention difference between the experimental and control groups (t = 72.43, p < 0.05). The study concluded that health education intervention is highly effective in improving household knowledge of recycling and recommended the institutionalisation of community-based recycling education programmes to promote sustainable waste management practices. 

Keywords

Recycling Waste Disposal Health Education Intervention Households Knowledge Calabar Metropolis

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How to Cite

LALE, P. O., N, A. S., A., B. A., ABDULFATAH, H. A., & LAWAL, A. (2026). EFFECTIVENESS OF HEALTH EDUCATION INTERVENTION ON KNOWLEDGE OF RECYCLING AS A SUSTAINABLE WASTE DISPOSAL METHOD AMONG HOUSEHOLDS IN CALABAR METROPOLIS, CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA. Global Journal of Health Related Researches, 8(1), 23-29. https://doi.org/10.67203/gjhrr.2026.z814i1a4

P. O. LALE, A. S. N, B. A. A., H. A. ABDULFATAH, and A. LAWAL, "EFFECTIVENESS OF HEALTH EDUCATION INTERVENTION ON KNOWLEDGE OF RECYCLING AS A SUSTAINABLE WASTE DISPOSAL METHOD AMONG HOUSEHOLDS IN CALABAR METROPOLIS, CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA," Global Journal of Health Related Researches, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 23-29, March 2026. doi: 10.67203/gjhrr.2026.z814i1a4

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