ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH RISK KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE ASSOCIATED WITH SACHET WATER CONSUMPTION AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE ENUGU EDUCATION ZONE

This study assessed the knowledge and attitude of secondary school students abouthealth risk associated with sachet water consumption in the Enugu Education Zone. The study was guided by two research purposes and two research questions. This study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population for the study was 32,185 and the Taro Yamane formula was adopted to establish a sample of 395 students. Multistage sampling technique comprising proportionate, purposive, and simple random sampling was used to determine the respondents. Self-structured questionnaire which was validated by three experts was used as an instrument for data collection. Data collection was conducted through direct visitation of the sampled school to administer the instrument. The collected data were analyzed using the mean and standard deviation. The analysis showed that the low knowledge (2.42) of the health risks of sachet water, which significantly predicts their risky attitudes (3.36), with higher knowledge associated with safer behaviors. The study concluded that there was low level of knowledge regarding the health risks associated with sachet water consumption among students and this low knowledge significantly influences their attitudes, as evidenced by the moderate negative relationship and regression results showing that higher knowledge is associated with safer behaviors. Hence, it is hoped that related stakeholders will endorse conservative efforts to alleviate this health issue. The researcher recommends that schools should monitor the provision and storage of water sachets sold in school premises to ensure that they are not contaminated. They should educate students and parents on the importance of safe water consumption to improve their knowledge and alertness toward unsafe sachet water