ASSESSMENT OF THE SANITARY STATUS OF SELECTED SWIMMING POOLS AND HYGIENE PRACTICES OF SWIMMERS IN IBADAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

The prevalence of recreational water illnesses contracted through the use of swimming pools is a public health concern worldwide. In Nigeria, little is known about swimmers' hygiene behaviour and the sanitary state of swimming pools. This study was designed to determine the hygiene practices of swimmers and assess the sanitary status of selected swimming pools in lbadan. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted. The ten swimming pools in existence within Ibadan metropolis at the time of study were stratified by facility type. Three swimming pools from seven Hotel/Guest House Facilities (HGHF) and one swimming pool from two Recreational Facilities (RF) were selected by balloting; the only swimming pool used as a Student Facility (SF) type was purposively selected. A validated questionnaire was used to collect information from 400 adult swimmers selected by proportional allocation from each facility type. Water samples were taken from each of the selected swimming pools at 11am and 4pm on Saturdays and Tuesdays for a period of four weeks. The water samples were analysed for physicochemical and microbiological properties. Water analysis lasted for four weeks and was done within one to twenty four hours of sample collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive and Chi-square test statistics. Majority of the swimmers were males (69.3%). The participants' mean age was 25.8 ± 7.5 years. Swimmers at the HGHF were mostly professionals (92.9%) compared with SF and RF where swimmers were students (47.6%) and civil servants (12.8%) respectively. Health-related practices reported by swimmers included pre-swim showering (83.5%), urinating in the pool while swimming (41.8%), eating or drinking while swimming (20.3%) and swimming when ill with diarrhoea (12%). Swimmers with secondary education or less (52. 7%) were more likely to urinate in pools than those with tertiary but non university education (45.6%) and university education (36.1%) (p<0.05). Water samples from HGHF had a mean turbidity of 1.6± 0.1 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), while RF and SF had 1.6 ± 0.3 NTU and 2.1± 0.1 NTU respectively (WHO limit: 0.5 NTU). Mean pH value of water from HGHF was 6.8±0.3 while RF and SF were 4.4 ± 0.2 and 7.3 ± 0.2 respectively (WHO limit: 7.2 -7.8). Free chlorine was detected only at the HGHF with a mean value of 0.2 ±0.1 ppm (WHO standard 1.0- 3.0 ppm). The median coliform count at HGHF was 4.5 cfu/100ml while the values for the RF and SF were 11.5cfu/100ml and 1.5 cfu/100ml respectively (WHO standard < I cfu/100ml). The median heterotrophic plate count value for the HGHF was 151.5 cfu/ml while RF and SF were 7.5 and 16.5 cfu/ml respectively (WHO standard <200 cfu/ml). Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from RF, HGHF and SF while Pseudomonas aeruginosa was also isolated from HGHF and RF. The sanitary status of the swimming pools fall below international standards and most of the swimmers' practices were unhygienic. Training of pool managers and education of swimmers on hygiene practices are needed to address these concerns.