Behaviour Change Communication and Knowledge of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Among Government Senior Secondary School Students in Rivers State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Behaviour Change Communication, Water Sanitation, Hygiene, Knowledge, AdolescentsAbstract
WASH as access to safe water, sufficient sanitation, and hygiene, is an important tool in facilitating the well-being of adolescents, their health and academic achievements. Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) adopts a systematic approach in changing people's behaviour to improve health outcomes. Although some interventions have been undertaken, a lack of knowledge of WASH is still a significant concern among adolescents in Nigeria. The paper discussed how Behaviour Change Communication can impact the knowledge of WASH among students in government senior secondary schools in Rivers State. A quasi-experimental design was used with 216 students sampled using a multistage sampling method. The data were gathered with a validated self-administered questionnaire and processed with the help of descriptive statistics and ANCOVA with a significance level of 0.05. The findings revealed that the students were more knowledgeable about WASH post the BCC intervention, with mean scores increasing from 2.00±0.83 at pre-test to 6.88±1.43 at post-test (F (1, 215) = 17.14, p < 0.05). The study further showed significant differences based on gender [F(1,215) = 7.48, p<0.05], and parents’ occupation [F(1,215) = 2.15, p<0.05]. The results indicate that well-designed Behaviour Change Communication can have a beneficial effect on WASH knowledge of adolescents, irrespective of their demographic background. To promote sustainable hygiene behaviours and enhance health outcomes, the study recommends the incorporation of Behaviour Change Communication into school health curricula by the Rivers State Ministry of Education.
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