DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT

6 Users found this project useful

Effect of Citizen Science Health Projects on Environmental Health Knowledge among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Environmental health knowledge is an important component of public health education because it enables individuals to understand environmental hazards, identify potential health risks, and participate in actions that promote healthier communities. University students may encounter environmental health challenges related to poor waste management, water pollution, air pollution, inadequate sanitation, food hygiene, vector breeding sites, and other environmental hazards. However, conventional classroom-based health education may provide limited opportunities for students to directly investigate environmental conditions within their communities. Citizen science health projects provide an interactive approach through which students can participate in collecting, recording, interpreting, and communicating environmental health information under appropriate guidance. Participation in such projects may improve students' understanding of environmental hazards while developing practical skills in environmental observation, data collection, interpretation, and community health communication. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of citizen science health projects on environmental health knowledge among university students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on Experiential Learning Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Health Belief Model. Experiential Learning Theory explains how students acquire knowledge through direct participation in practical activities, reflection, interpretation, and application of newly acquired knowledge to real-world situations. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes learning through observation, interaction, modelling, feedback, and self-efficacy, which may influence students' participation in community-based environmental health activities. The Health Belief Model explains how students' perceptions of environmental health risks, perceived severity, perceived benefits of preventive actions, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their understanding and response to environmental hazards. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how participation in citizen science health projects may influence environmental health knowledge among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18 years and above enrolled in selected public and private universities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, universities, faculties or departments, and eligible students. Citizen science health project participation will be assessed using indicators such as participation in environmental data collection, duration and frequency of project activities, environmental observation exercises, use of mobile data-collection tools, identification of environmental hazards, collection of environmental samples or observations where appropriate, participation in data interpretation, community engagement, health-information dissemination, project feedback, and completion of project activities. Environmental health knowledge will be assessed using indicators such as knowledge of environmental pollution, waste management, water and sanitation, food hygiene, air pollution, vector control, environmental risk factors, climate-related health risks, environmental disease prevention, safe environmental practices, and appropriate responses to identified environmental hazards. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, standardized environmental health knowledge assessment tools, project participation records, activity logs, practical assessment instruments, and relevant university or programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, project participation, and environmental health knowledge scores. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of citizen science health projects on environmental health knowledge. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, environmental health knowledge scores before and after participation in the citizen science project may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that participation in citizen science health projects has a significant positive effect on environmental health knowledge among university students in Nigeria. Students who participate in structured citizen science activities are expected to demonstrate higher levels of environmental health knowledge than students without comparable practical exposure. Direct observation and investigation of environmental conditions may help students connect theoretical concepts with real environmental health problems in their communities. Participation in data collection may improve students' understanding of pollution sources, sanitation challenges, waste-disposal practices, vector breeding environments, water-quality concerns, and other environmental hazards. Practical involvement in interpreting findings and communicating environmental health information may further strengthen knowledge retention and students' ability to apply environmental health concepts. However, inadequate project funding, limited access to equipment and digital tools, insufficient technical supervision, short project duration, low student participation, and difficulties accessing some communities may reduce the effectiveness of citizen science activities. The study therefore expects well-structured, adequately supervised, practical, and community-oriented citizen science health projects to contribute significantly to improved environmental health knowledge among university students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on citizen science, environmental health education, experiential learning, environmental health literacy, university student health, community participation, public health education, environmental surveillance, and health promotion in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission, universities, environmental health departments, public health practitioners, environmental agencies, community organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding the potential use of participatory approaches in environmental health education. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating citizen science activities into university public health and environmental health programmes, strengthening practical environmental health education, providing students with appropriate data-collection tools, developing partnerships between universities and communities, improving supervision of student-led environmental investigations, and using student-generated environmental information to support community health education and environmental health interventions across Nigeria.

Keywords: Citizen science, environmental health knowledge, university students, environmental health education, experiential learning, community participation, environmental surveillance, health promotion, public health, Nigeria.