Page 77 - IJPS-7-2

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Market traders’ knowledge, attitude, and

practices of solid waste disposal in Calabar
Municipality, Nigeria: New implications for

global health education

Beatrice Okoi Ekoro , Olajumoke Esther Olanrewaju , Ugbe Maurice-Joel Ugbe *,
1
1
1
Favour Achi Inyang-Ogim , and Faith Ubi Okoi 2
1
1 Department of Public Health, University of Calabar, Nigeria
2 Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Calabar, Nigeria

Abstract
Poor environmental sanitation practices in markets are a serious public health
concern, as solid waste poses municipal level and global health risks. Solid wastes also
add to the growing issue of global climate change. This study sought to determine
the sociodemographic correlates of solid waste disposal knowledge, attitude, and
practices among market traders in Calabar Municipality, Nigeria. This was a cross-
sectional study of 480 traders across six markets in Calabar Municipality. Data were
*Corresponding author: collected using semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and
Ugbe Maurice-Joel Ugbe
(mauricejoelph@unical.edu.ng) inferential statistics. Overall, 54% of respondents had good knowledge, 45% had an
acceptable attitude, and a significantly low number of respondents (16%) practiced
Citation: Ekoro, B.O., good solid waste disposal. Sociodemographic characteristics that were statistically
Olanrewaju, O.E., Ugbe, U.M.,
Inyang-Ogim, F.A., & Okoi, significant in the bivariate analyses were modeled for the outcomes. The multivariable
F.U. (2021). Market traders’ analyses found that age, primary education, being married, being separated/
knowledge, attitude, and practices divorced, being Muslim, and being a traditionalist were statistically significantly
of solid waste disposal in Calabar
Municipality, Nigeria: New associated with knowledge, attitude, and practices of solid waste disposal among
implications for global health market traders. Solid waste disposal practices were poor. Market sensitizations on
education. International Journal of environmental sanitation need to be carried out. There is also a need to enforce laws
Population Studies, 7(2):71-79.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.v7i2.307 stating disciplinary measures for offenders who dump wastes indiscriminately.
Received: August 3, 2022
Accepted: October 13, 2022 Keywords: Knowledge; Attitude; Practices; Traders; Solid wastes; Waste disposals;
KAP; Health; Markets; Nigeria
Published Online: October 25,
2022
Copyright: © 2022 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article 1. Introduction
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution As population density per capita waste accumulation rises, the available space for
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, disposal of waste decreases accordingly and as an implication sanitation has emerged
provided the original work is as a critical sector for maintaining healthy cities and populations (Iwu et al., 2016).
properly cited. Solid wastes comprise organic and inorganic unwanted materials that are usually free-
Publisher’s Note: AccScience flowing as derivatives of human and animal action (Chengula et al., 2015). Solid wastes
Publishing remains neutral with have become one of society’s major problems of the 21 century as it has led to several
st
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional outbreaks of diseases such as dengue fever, cholera, Lassa fever, and malaria as well
affiliations. as contributing significantly to the global climate change. In many cities around the

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2021) 71 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.v7i2.307