Effect of Health Education Intervention on Attitude Towards Solid Waste Management among Undergraduate Students in University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Attitude is a critical determinant of pro-environmental behaviour, yet its malleability through short-term educational interventions in Nigerian university settings remains underexplored. Solid waste mismanagement continues to threaten public health and environmental sustainability across Nigerian campuses, calling for targeted interventions that specifically address attitudinal dimensions of student behaviour. This study examined the effect of a six-week health education intervention on attitudes toward solid waste management (SWM) among undergraduates in the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, and further investigated the baseline attitude profile of participants and the relationship between attitude and waste management practice. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design with a control group was employed among 184 undergraduate participants (control n = 82; experimental n = 102) drawn from three faculties via multistage sampling. Attitude was measured using a 15-item validated Modified Likert Scale (Cronbach α=0.72). Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the primary hypothesis at p<0.05, while Pearson correlation assessed the attitude–practice relationship. Most participants demonstrated positive baseline attitudes toward SWM (83.7% scored above 45 on a 60-point scale). ANCOVA revealed no statistically significant effect of the intervention on post-intervention attitude scores when controlling for baseline attitudes, F(1,181)=0.979, p=.324, R²=.263. The pretest attitude covariate was a strong predictor of post-test scores, F(1,181)=64.082, p<.001. A weak but statistically significant positive correlation was found between attitude and practice scores at both pre-test (r = .188, p=.010) and post-test (r=.168, p=.023). A largely positive attitude existed prior to the intervention, suggesting a ceiling effect that constrained attitudinal change. Short-term health education alone is insufficient to shift already-favourable attitudes; sustained, infrastructure-linked, and participatory approaches are recommended to bridge the attitude–practice gap among university undergraduates.