Hostel Sanitation Practices for Improved Health Status among Undergraduate Students in Universities in Enugu State

The study examined the hostel sanitation practices for improved health status among undergraduate students in universities in Enugu State. The population of the study comprised of the entire undergraduates staying in the university hostels of the two government owned universities in Enugu State. 1000 undergraduates were sampled using convenience sampling technique from the two government owned universities in Enugu State. Structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The overall reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was found to be 0.83, which was considered high enough for the study. The data collected were organized and presented in a frequency distribution table, and the mean score, standard deviation as well as percentage were used to analyze the data. Real limit of numbers was used for taking decision on the mean. The findings revealed that, though there are sanitation facilities in the university hostels studied, these facilities are not adequate. The hostel sanitation practices of majority of the undergraduates in university hostels studied are poor and unhygienic. Undergraduates are aware of the importance of practicing proper hostel sanitation and the implication it has on their health status. The major factors affecting hostel sanitation practices among undergraduates for improved health status in university hostels in Enugu State are erratic power supply, inadequate water supply in the hostel, absenteeism of hostel cleaners, lack of pest control programmes, poor drainage system in the hostel, inadequate supervision of hostel rooms by the hostel portals, and inadequate toilets in the hostel. The study recommended among other things that, the university management should declare a state of emergence on the university hostels as much of the hostels visited in the course of the study is dilapidated. Immediate renovation should be done on most of the university hostels in the two university hostels studied.