ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION AS A TOOL FOR ENVIONMENTAL PROTECTION.
P.E. Samson Akpan
Department of Nursing Science
The University of Calabar, Calabar.
Abstract
The relationship between man and his environment is described as being reciprocal, because the environment has profound influence on man, whilst, at the same time man extensively alters his environment to suit his needs and desires. Mans activities in the environment do not only bring benefits to man but has also resulted in many environmental problems such as pollution, waste generation and management; health education becomes imperative in these circumstances of man- made environmental problems. Environmental health education therefore, is a tool for creating awareness on issues relating to environmental conservation and degradation impact on health, welfare and indeed human survival in the environment. This paper examines the concept of environmental education, environmental problems and the need for environmental health education. Recommendations were also made to proffer solutions to the above mentioned environmental problems.
Keywords: Environment, Health education, environmental health education, environmental protection
Introduction
People are manifesting their concern for the environment in myriad ways. Increasingly, environmental issues influence politics, law, education, religion, investment, life styles and health. It is for this reason that seeking solutions to environmental problems has becomes a priority on the worlds political agenda especially in the 1990s. Consequently, the year 2000 was proclaimed the decade for environmental education and training (Inyang-Abia and Ubong, 1992).
Lucas and Gilles (2003) describe the relationship between man and his environment as being reciprocal, because the environment has profound influence on man, whilst, at the same time man extensively alters his environment to suit his needs and desires. Apparently, the quality of environment on which man lives determines the quality the quality of life he enjoys especially his socio-economic, and health status. Consequently, if peoples are to enjoy good health, the prime requisite is that they should live in a clean, safe and healthy environment that is conductive to this state.
There are many environmental problems around our cities and rural areas: pollution, waste disposal, slums and attendants ills and land degradation (erosion, soil infertility, flood, deforestation). The impact of environmental problem has been seen and felt by everybody. Therefore the solution to the many sided problems of environmental degradation all around us call for the involvement of all citizens. It is in recognition of this fact, that there is a global education. Environmental health education has achieved notable success in industrialized and developing countries but a large proportion of the worlds population in developing countries like Nigeria is either ignorant or insufficiently sensitized to issues relating to environmental conservation, environmental degradation (pollution) and their impact on health, welfare and indeed survival of human species (Olaniran 1995). Environmental health education assists the public to understand, appreciate and change attitude favorably towards environment.
Effective environmental health education in order to protect the environment can only be carried out through effective communication, utilizing all methods of communication, tools and media of communication. Effective communication helps to encourage positive behaviors that are environmental friendly while negative behaviors are discouraged.
The aim of this paper is to explore the concept of environmental education, environmental problems that call for protection, importance of environmental health education and make recommendations where necessary.
Concept of Environmental Education and Protection
Environmental education had existed in some form a long time ago, dating back to the late 1960s. Its recent re-appearance on the education arena stems primarily from widespread public concern about devastating eco crises such as over population, pollution, utilization and availability of resources (energy) and the general degradation of the environment (Inyang-Abia and Ubong 1992). In times past, Nigeria viewed this phenomenon as being a trait of the developed nations. However, in recent times they are increasingly aware of their draconian effect on economic growth and social changes (Olaniran, 1995; Inyang Abia and Ubong1992). It is in this bid to resolve this crisis that education has been brought in.
A comprehensive definition of environmental education by schmieder (1977) is as follows:
a. Education from environment. This relates to experience gleaned from the environment.
b. Education about the environment. This relates to the teaching we receive about the working of the environment, its nature and composition, working and utility by man.
c. Education for the environment. This relates to mans commitment to environmental protection and conservation for sustainable development (Inyang Abia and Ubong 1992)
Another definition by Peter, Ekpoh and Bassey (1995) of environmental education states that it is the process of educating our citizens through communication about matters and issues that affect our environment homes, villages, cities farmlands, water supplies, forest and weather in order to improve our environmental awareness and skills and engender a change of attitude towards our environment; and thereby arouse concern about the physical problems around us. Through effective communication as a tool in environmental education we will be equipped to solve these problems which threatened to overwhelm us individually and collectively, whether in the family, school, local community, city, state, nation or even globally.
Environmental problems
Nigerian Environmental Study Team (NEST) (1991) summarized Nigerias environmental problems as follows:
Soil and coastal erosion adversely affect over eighty percent (80%) of the land of Nigeria; Africans largest single erosion complex exists here.
The major pollutants in the country are solid waste, oxygen demanding waste, disease agents, sediments, plant nutrients, organic chemicals, fertilizers, industrial effluents and petroleum products.
Loss of vegetation that has led to desertification, soil erosion, declining soil productivity and loss of farmland, flooding and silting of water bodies.
Farming, logging, grazing, hunting exploitation of a variety of products, urbanization, all heightened by burgeoning human and livestock populations, have reduced our plant cover to a patch work of farmlands, plantations and secondary vegetation at various stages of growth and maturity.
Poverty is the major cause and the consequence of environmental degradation.
According to Hinrichsen and Robey (2000) the past decade in every environmental sector, conditions have either failed to improve or they are worsening because of the various factors already stated by NEST. Therefore NEST (1991) environmental problems will be discussed under the following sub-headings: urbanization, deforestation, agricultural activities, mismanaged solid waste, poor drainage systems and environmentally hostile industrialization processes, among other eco hostile human activities have environmental health consequences some of which had already been discussed.
Importance of Environmental Health Education
Mans seemingly unlimited power to dominate his environment and exploit the natural resources therein for selfish needs and desires has obscured his appreciation of the fact that he is but one unit, a part of a comprehensive system of dynamic inter-dependencies that is more than the sum of its parts (Olaniran 1994). Consequently, environmental health education is currently gaining prominence in Nigeria because of environmental degradation and the international focus of the impact of human activities on the environment. The link between environment and health is fairly understood by an average person in most development nations of the world. In Nigeria, however, the level of awareness is still low and the basic knowledge and understanding of the relationship between environment and health is poor, so the need for environmental health education.
Environmental health education is concerned with the study of peoples behaviour towards the environment in relation to health, as well as their reaction towards the environmental health education programmes and environmental health educators in the total environment. It is concerned with the use of educational processes including consumer participation and motivational, facilitating and helping methods and techniques paying particular attention to the total setting of the consumer to bring about positive environmental behaviour.
Therefore, environmental health education helps in creating awareness and understanding about environmental problems in Nigeria. These problems have been summarized by NEST (1991). Some of these problems are created by man and others are natural. Environmental health education can be used as a tool to create awareness on the causes of environmental problems and their health implications. For instance all forms of land degradation lead to a general lowering of natural fertility and productivity of the land resulting in insufficient food production. Lack of food results in starvation and malnutrition. Soil erosion may result in loss of residential houses, farm crops, changes in topography and hydrology of the affected areas, disruption of communication lines and other economic losses (Peter Ekpoh and Bisong 1995). Lack of residential houses may result in physical and mental health problems, such as headache, exposure to cold, hypertension, communicable diseases and other stress related illnesses. The health professional, educators and the general public need to be aware of substances, factors, stressors or conditions (hazards) in the environment as classified by Olaniran (1995) as follows:
Physical Hazards: Noise, dust, heat, cold, open refuse dump and others.
Biological Hazards: Pathogens, parasites, venomous snakes, insects, disease vectors and man as a reservoir of infection and other.
Chemical Hazards: Pesticides, insecticides, toxic heavy metals and others.
Socio Cultural/Psychological Hazards: Poverty, cultural beliefs and practices education, occupation, unhealthy, habits and others.
These hazards get to man or to environment through channels or media: inhalation, ingestion or absorption through the skin. Air in the environment contaminated by dust, smoke from firewood and cigarettes, fumes from incinerator or exhaust fumes from automobile, allergens, spores of microbes. Inhalation of contaminated air may result in respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis, tuberculosis, suffocation and others. Ingestion of contaminated food/water may result in worm infestation, cholera, typhoid, paratyphoid and others. Sub-standard housing may harbour disease vectors such as rats, cockroaches and others. Environmental education will enable man to know the causes of disease and the relationship between outbreak of epidemic and the environment. Mans negative attitude towards the environment such as open refuse dump, natural resources exploitation, water contamination through indiscriminate dumping of refuse and sewage, socio-cultural practices that endanger health and environment may be abandoned through environmental health education. For instance, deforestation to drive away evil spirit has environmental and health implications: Soil erosion, soil infertility, silting of water beds, lack of food and water, starvation mal-nutrition and even death.
Environmental health education is needed to create awareness about factors in sustainable environment. These factors and their environmental/health implications have already been discussed in this paper.
Public enlightenment is needed on the impact of government policies on local environment and health. For instance, structural adjustment programme (SAP) and huge external debt obligations may result in decrease allocation for social services including health. This implies prudent management of resources in order to achieve the desired goal of borrowing. Money may be borrowed to finance large scale public water/power supply, communication facilities, people need to realize that they ought to protect such facilities in their neightbourhood, rather than vandalize them. Public water supply can help to reduce the incidence of cholera, typhoid and other water related diseases (Olaniran 1995).
Environmental education underscores the importance of women and children in conservation and protection of the environment (Inyang-Abia and Ubong 1992) likewise in health, women and children are the vulnerable group. This vulnerable group beliefs, attitudes, cultural and economic activities greatly affect land from which they collect firewood, water and obtain food. So these social groups need to be free from ignorance and neglect, hence the importance of environmental health education.
The prevention/control of environmental diseases should be undertaken at personal, community, national and international levels. There was an International Conference on the prevention/controls of malaria in February 2002, at Abuja Nigeria. The theme was Roll Back Malaria and roll in development: This confirms the fact that environmental health education emphasizes sustainable development using the process, which develops awareness in the concerned population about global environment and its related problems. Environmental health education also equips people with knowledge, attitudes, motivation and commitment to act either alone or in groups to find solution to the existing problems and prevent/control the emergence of new ones.
Man needs education on how to protect the environment and prevent diseases. Environmental protection include prevention of pollution of water, air and land, proper disposal of refuse, building of standard housing, utilization of proper farming methods, tree planting, conservation of natural resources and others. Most importantly, air, water, food comes from the environment and these are basic necessities of life therefore the need to protect our environment.
Recommendations
The following recommendations were offered to make Environmental Health Education an effective tool for environmental protection.
Tools and media of environmental health education should be effectively sued to create awareness on environment and health related matters.
Environmental health assessment should be done regularly and the result communicated to the public.
Intervention programmes for environmental protection should focus on multi-settings and community involvement should be mandatory.
Regular tree planning exercise must be imbibed by everybody.
Portable water supply should be provided by the Government, and proper management of solid waste should be undertaken by all concerned.
More Health Inspectors should be trained and mobilized to inspect the environment and environmental health defaulters should be apprehended and appropriate measures brought against them.
Environmental health education should be incorporated into educational curriculum in schools.
REFERENCES
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