An Analysis of the Effects of Indiscriminate Dumping of Refuse on Household Health Expenditure in Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the perceptions of household about the effects of indiscriminate dumping of refuse on their health expenditure in Adamawa State. Multi-stage sampling method was used to arrive at the selected locations while data were collected on 400 randomly selected households in Mubi North, Yola North and Numan by the trained data collectors through the use of mobile-based Kobocollect. Descriptive method of data analysis was used to present and analyse the perceptions of the surveyed households. The result of the study showed that more than 50% of the respondents reported that indiscriminate dumping of refuse significantly affected their health expenditure through such channels as increased disease vectors, water- borne diseases, reduced productivity and increased medical spending. Furthermore, the result of the Chi-square test showed that all the responses of the surveyed households were statistically significant signifying strong level of agreement among the households regarding the detrimental effects of improper refuse management on their health and health spending. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that government should prioritise and strengthen waste management initiatives in neighbourhoods and cities, community education initiative should be created to increase knowledge of health hazards related to improper refuse disposal, and specific interventions and financial support programme should be provided to households bearing the financial cost of health problems associated refuse dumping.

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