EFFECT OF HEALTH EDUCATION INTERVENTION PROGRAMME ON WATER SANITATION PRACTICES FOR CHOLERA PREVENTION AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined the effect of health education intervention programme on water sanitation practices for cholera prevention among junior secondary school students in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A quasiexperimental design, involving pre-test and post-test assessments of an experimental group and a control group, was adopted. A sample of one hundred and thirty (130) Junior Secondary School Two (JSS II) students, comprising sixty-five (65) from Government Secondary School, Kakuri (experimental group) and sixty-five (65) from Government Technical College, Malali (control group), was drawn through stratified, purposive, simple random and convenience sampling procedures. The experimental group received a six-week health education intervention on water hygiene, covering safe water sourcing, treatment, storage and handling, while the control group received a placebo intervention on general health topics unrelated to cholera. Data were collected using a ten-item, researcher-developed questionnaire based on a four-point modified Likert scale, with a split-half and Pearson Product-Moment reliability coefficient of 0.87. Data were analysed using means, standard deviations, paired-sample t-test, independent-sample t-test and multiple regression. Findings showed that the intervention significantly improved water hygiene knowledge and practices in the experimental group, with the aggregate mean score rising from 2.15 (pre-test) to 3.12 (post-test) (t = 8.36, df = 129, p = 0.001). A statistically significant difference was also found between the post-test scores of the experimental group (mean = 67.08) and the control group (mean = 51.40) (t = 8.63, df = 128, p = 0.001). School location, age and gender were each found to significantly influence the effectiveness of the intervention. The study concludes that health education is an effective strategy for improving water hygiene practices among junior secondary school students and recommends its integration into the school health curriculum in Kaduna State.