KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION OF THE HEALTH IMPACT OF PETROL STATIONS AMONG ADULTS RESIDING NEAR PETROL STATIONS IN ATIBA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA,OYO STATE,NIGERIA

Abstract

Petrol station (PS) establishment has become proliferated all over the country as a result of its economic value however, the facility predisposes people residing near it to several health risks as revealed by various literatures. These health risks include: fire outbreak, environmental pollution, traffic congestion, underground water contamination e.t.c. The gap in knowledge and perception of residents concerning the health impact associated with PS need to be identified hence this research work. This study therefore aimed at investigating knowledge and perception of the health impact of PS among adults residing near PS in Atiba Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. This could serve as useful baseline information to the regulatory bodies concerned with establishment and operation of PS. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study design which adopted multi-stage sampling techniques to select 399 respondents who reside around the 57 functioning PS located within the study area. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents. The knowledge of respondents was assessed using 40-point knowledge scale while the scores were classified as; poor (0-12), fair (13-26) and good (27-40). A 10- point perception scale with the scores being categorized as favourable (≥5) and unfavourable (<5) was used to determine perception of the respondents. Two structured observational checklists were used to assess level of compliance with government regulation on siting of PS and to identify safety practices that exist in PS. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics at P= 0.05. Age of respondents was 36.6 ± 11.6 years and 50.8% were male. The knowledge scores of respondents was 17.2 ± 7.6 and 24%, 68% and 7.8% had poor, fair and good knowledge respectively. Perception scores of respondents was 5.11 ± 2.14 and majority (66.6%) of the respondents had favourable perception. There is a significant relationship between level of education and knowledge of the respondents (P < 0.001). Majority (73.4%) of the respondents who had fair knowledge had favourable perception .All, (100%) of the PS observed were owned by private owners. The plot size of the PS and the distance of PS to the nearest residential houses are 1.37 ± 0.67 and 20.2 ± 26.2 respectively. It was observed that, (57%) and (38.6%) of the PS had sand-box and fire extinguishers respectively. However, majority (81.7%) had ‘switch off your engine when refueling sign’. 78.9% of the PS had ‘No smoking sign’ and just (1.8%) of the PS had the environmental impact assessment report for the year (2015). Conclusively, overall knowledge of the respondents was fair and many had favourable perception however, great gap exists in the knowledge and perception of siting PS close to residential area with some of the respondents reported that benefits of siting PS close to houses outweigh the disadvantages and that, siting PS close to residential houses cannot lead to any serious health problem. Also, most of the PS did not comply with Government regulations on establishing PS. The study therefore, suggests the need for well-designed public awareness and enlightenment on the health impact of PS, formulation and implementation of healthful policies and periodic inspection of PS to mitigate the menace associated with PS.