SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION PRACTICES AND HEALTH STATUS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AFIJIO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Poor environmental sanitation in school settings constitutes a significant public health challenge, particularly in rural and semi-urban communities of sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigated the impact of school environmental sanitation practices on the health status of secondary school students in Afijio Local Government Area (LGA), Oyo State, Nigeria. A descriptive correlational research design was adopted. The target population comprised 1,200 students enrolled in public secondary schools in Afijio LGA, from which a sample of 300 students was drawn using Yamane's (1967) formula at a 5% margin of error. A multi-stage sampling technique combining purposive, proportionate stratified random, and simple random sampling was employed. Data were collected using a researcher-developed structured questionnaire the School Environmental Sanitation and Students' Health Status Questionnaire (SESHSQ) and analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation, Independent Samples t-test, and Simple Linear Regression at a 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed a strong positive relationship between environmental sanitation practices and students' health status (r = 0.923, r² = 0.852, p < 0.05), indicating that approximately 85.2% of the variance in health outcomes is explained by sanitation conditions. Students in schools with adequate sanitation recorded significantly better health status (X̄ = 14.15) than those in inadequately sanitised schools (X̄ = 12.66). Environmental sanitation practices also significantly predicted student health status (R² = 0.852, β = 0.519, F = 1715.20, p < 0.05). The findings are grounded in Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory and the Health Belief Model. It is recommended that school authorities establish active School Health Committees, implement structured health education programmes, and prioritise WASH infrastructure investment in Afijio LGA.