Effect of Health Risk Reduction Intervention Training Program on Waste Pickers’ Knowledge and Waste Handling Practices in Dump Sites in Ogun State, Nigeria

Objective: This study assessed the effect of health risk reduction training program on waste pickers’ waste handling practices in dump sites in Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 60 waste pickers recruited by multistage sampling technique divided into intervention and control groups. There was a baseline assessment of waste handling practices in both the intervention and control groups using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Thereafter, health risk reduction training was given via lectures and demonstrations. Three months after the intervention, another assessment of the same waste pickers was conducted with the same instrument. Waste handling practices and knowledge responses were measured on a 54-point rating scale and a 17-point rating scale respectively. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23 to generate descriptive and inferential results. Results: At the baseline, the waste pickers in the control group had a mean waste handling score of 17.80±6.89 while the experimental group had a mean score of 17.97±5.47. After the training program, there was a statistically significant increase in the mean waste handling score of the experimental group (47.30±3.28; p = 0.000) while there was no increase in the mean waste handling score of the control group (17.80±6.89). This significant increase in the mean waste handling score of the experimental group (53.83±0.38; p = 0.000) was also observed in a 3 month follow-up period. Conclusion/Recommendation: The health risk reduction training was effective in improving the waste handling practices of waste pickers. It is recommended that waste pickers should be trained on proper waste handling by the government.