Shaping Future Minds: Exploring Basic Level Students' Attitudes towards Waste Segregation through Pre and Post-Test Intervention in Community School

Abstract

Background: Waste management is an evolving public health concern in developing countries like Nepal, which perfectly aligns with environmental health function. Several factors such as low engagement of qualified professionals, limited financial allocation, and negligence of political commitment, low prioritization by policymakers have been attributed to this menace of importance of public health. This study explores basic-level students' attitudes toward waste segregation in Nepal.

Methods: Using a descriptive research design and proportionate random sampling, the study surveyed 200 students from public schools in Chitwan District, Nepal. Data was collected through a validated instrument and analyzed using SPSS 25 version. The frequency tables, percentages, and a t-test at a 0.05 significance level were calculated to examine the association of students' attitudes related to waste segregation before and after the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program intervention.

Results: The intervention program significantly improved students' attitudes toward waste segregation, with positive attitudes rising from 17% to 74%. The proportion of students with low and moderate attitudes drastically decreased, demonstrating the program's effectiveness in promoting better waste management practices. Respondents' strongly agreement on the necessity of solid waste segregation increased from 40% to 70%, while positive attitudes toward ensuring a clean environment and efficient waste segregation practices also improved. The students' attitudes after program intervention showed significantly higher and more positive attitudes compared to the before intervention, supported by a p-value <0.01, confirming the positive impact of WASH intervention to improve waste management efforts, it is advisable to expand and widely adopt similar initiatives, as they have demonstrated significant success in enhancing attitudes regarding waste segregation.