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Impact of Transport-Terminal Sanitation Programmes on Environmental Hygiene Practices among Commercial Transport Workers in Nigeria

Abstract

Environmental sanitation is an important public health concern in transport terminals in Nigeria because high passenger volumes, overcrowding, inadequate waste disposal facilities, poor drainage, insufficient water supply, poorly maintained toilets, and improper handling of refuse may create conditions that support environmental contamination and the spread of communicable diseases. Commercial transport workers, including drivers, conductors, ticketing personnel, loaders, and other terminal workers, spend considerable time within these environments and may be exposed to sanitation-related health risks. Transport-terminal sanitation programmes provide an opportunity to improve environmental conditions and promote appropriate hygiene practices through waste management, provision of sanitation facilities, routine cleaning, health education, enforcement of sanitation regulations, and organized environmental maintenance. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of transport-terminal sanitation programmes on environmental hygiene practices among commercial transport workers in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Social Ecological Model, Health Belief Model, and Social Cognitive Theory. The Social Ecological Model emphasizes the influence of individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and environmental factors on hygiene behaviours within transport-terminal settings. The Health Belief Model explains how workers' perceptions of susceptibility to sanitation-related diseases, perceived severity, perceived benefits of good environmental hygiene, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence hygiene practices. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes observational learning, behavioural modelling, self-efficacy, reinforcement, and environmental conditions in developing and maintaining appropriate hygiene behaviours. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how transport-terminal sanitation programmes may influence environmental hygiene practices among commercial transport workers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise commercial transport workers aged 18 years and above operating in selected motor parks, bus terminals, and transport centres across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, transport terminals, transport unions or associations, and eligible workers. Transport-terminal sanitation programmes will be assessed using indicators such as availability and adequacy of waste bins, frequency of terminal cleaning, waste collection and disposal systems, availability and cleanliness of toilets, access to handwashing facilities, availability of water, drainage maintenance, environmental health inspections, sanitation education, provision of protective equipment for cleaning personnel, enforcement of sanitation rules, and routine monitoring of terminal hygiene conditions. Environmental hygiene practices will be assessed using indicators such as proper waste disposal, avoidance of littering, appropriate use of toilets, handwashing at critical times, safe handling of waste, maintenance of personal and workplace cleanliness, reporting of sanitation problems, participation in terminal cleaning activities, proper food and water handling where applicable, and compliance with terminal sanitation regulations. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, environmental sanitation observation checklists, terminal inspection records, sanitation programme documents, and relevant records from transport unions, local government authorities, or environmental health departments. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize workers' characteristics, work patterns, sanitation conditions, exposure to sanitation programmes, and environmental hygiene practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the impact of transport-terminal sanitation programmes on environmental hygiene practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, hygiene-practice scores before and after implementation of the sanitation programme may be compared with those of a comparison terminal to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that transport-terminal sanitation programmes have a significant positive impact on environmental hygiene practices among commercial transport workers in Nigeria. Workers operating in terminals with well-organized sanitation programmes are expected to demonstrate better waste-disposal, toilet-use, handwashing, workplace-cleanliness, and environmental-maintenance practices than workers in terminals without comparable programmes. Improved availability of sanitation facilities may make appropriate hygiene behaviours more convenient, while sanitation education and regular monitoring may increase workers' awareness of the health consequences of poor environmental hygiene. Effective enforcement of sanitation regulations may further encourage compliance with appropriate hygiene practices. However, inadequate sanitation infrastructure, irregular waste collection, insufficient water supply, overcrowding, poor drainage, limited enforcement, weak institutional coordination, and inadequate funding may reduce the effectiveness of sanitation programmes. The study therefore expects comprehensive, adequately resourced, regularly monitored, and worker-inclusive transport-terminal sanitation programmes to contribute significantly to improved environmental hygiene practices among commercial transport workers in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on environmental sanitation, transport-terminal hygiene, occupational health, environmental health, hygiene practices, waste management, workplace health promotion, communicable disease prevention, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Federal Ministry of Environment, state ministries and agencies responsible for health and environmental sanitation, local government authorities, environmental health officers, transport unions, terminal managers, commercial transport workers, public health practitioners, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving sanitation in transport environments. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening sanitation programmes in transport terminals, improving access to toilets and handwashing facilities, ensuring regular waste collection and disposal, maintaining drainage systems, increasing environmental health inspections, strengthening sanitation education, improving compliance with sanitation regulations, and promoting healthier and safer transport-terminal environments across Nigeria.

Keywords: Transport-terminal sanitation programmes, environmental hygiene practices, commercial transport workers, environmental sanitation, motor parks, waste management, occupational health, hygiene practices, environmental health, Nigeria, public health.