Aim: To determine the level of awareness of the passengers of aircrafts on the health hazards associated with air travel in the Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu where the research was carried out.
The study also sought to determine the relationship between the respondents’ level of education and their awareness of the health hazards associated with increased cosmic radiation dose.
Finally, the researcher sought to determine the relationship between the respondents’ knowledge of the health risks associated with air travel and their rate of flying.
Method: A cross sectional perspective study of passengers in the Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu. Participants were adults (18 years and above) comprising of 61 males (67%) and 30 females (33%) with mean age of 31.5+12.22 years. 91 passengers were randomly selected. A 15-item questionnaire was used for data collection. The study lasted for three months.
Result: 91 respondents were studied, results from the study revealed that about 67% of the interviewed passengers didn’t even know what cosmic radiation is, talk more of knowing the health implications of its increased dose- which is obtainable with frequent long distance flights.
Also, it was found that although a vast majority of the respondents have attained or are at the tertiary level of education (about 95%), most of them did not know what cosmic radiation is nor did they know the health implications of its increased dose on humans.
Finally, it was discovered that those of the respondents who knew about cosmic radiation (about 33%) of the respondents got this information especially from the media while some got the information from seminars.
Conclusion: This study reveals the awareness level of the health implications of cosmic radiation among passengers in the Enugu Airport which will aid the relevant agencies responsible for public health by providing a reliable information base with which to further enlighten the masses on the possible health implications of cosmic radiation.
It is therefore advised that the relevant agencies-Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), The Nigerian Aviation Ministry and other agencies employ the media in much same way as the Ministry of Health does in the issue of HIV/AIDS, Malaria to sensitize the general public about the effects of cosmic
TABLE OF CONTENT
Title page
Dedication
Approval page
Certification
Acknowledgement
Table of contents
List of tables
List of figures
Abstract
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1: Background of study
1.2: Statement of Problem
1.3: General objective of study
1.3.1: Specific objectives of study
1.4: Significance of study
1.5: Scope of study
1.6: Working Hypothesis
1.7: Operational definition of terms
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1: Review of Related Literature
2.2: Theoretical Base of Study
2.2.1: Radiation
2.2.1.1: Ionising Radiation
2.2.1.2: Non-ionising Radiation
2.2.2: Background Radiation
2.2.2.1: History of Cosmic Rays
2.2.2.2: Particles in Cosmic Rays
2.2.2.3: Factors Affecting The Level of Cosmic Radiation
2.2.2.4: Effects of Cosmic Rays
2.2.2.5: Health Effects of Cosmic Radiation
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1: Research Design
3.2: Target Population
3.2.1: Inclusion Criteria
3.2.2: Exclusion Criteria
3.3: Sample size and Sampling Technique
3.4: Sources of data
3.4.1: Instrument of Data collection
3.5: Questionnaire Description
3.6: Method of Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
4.1: Data presentation
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS OF RESULTS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1: Discussion and Implications of results
5.1.1: Background characteristics of the respondents
5.1.2: Objective 1 (To access the respondents knowledge of cosmic radiation and any possible misconception)
5.1.3: Objective 2 (To ascertain the awareness of air travel users that increased dose of cosmic radiation constitutes health risks)
5.1.4: Hypothesis 1 (Awareness of the health implications of frequent flying significantly affects the rate of flying)
5.1.5: Hypothesis 2 (The level of education significantly influences awareness of the phenomena of cosmic radiation and the attendant health risks associated with its increased cumulative dose)
5.2: Conclusion
5.3: Recommendations
5.4: Limitations of Study
5.5: Areas for Further Research
REFERENCES
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Respondents’ gender distribution
Table 2: Respondents’ age distribution
Table 3: Level of Education of the respondents
Table 4: Basic knowledge of cosmic radiation
Table 5: Respondents’ knowledge of increased dose of cosmic radiation as a health risk
Table 6: Hypothesis 1 (Awareness of the health implications of frequent flying significantly affects the rate of flying)
Table 7: Chi square test of hypothesis 1
Table 8: Hypothesis 2 (The level of education significantly influences awareness of the phenomena of cosmic radiation and the attendant health risks associated with its increased cumulative dose).
Table 9: Chi square test of hypothesis 2
LIST OF FIGURES
Fig 1: Pie chart representing the respondents’ knowledge of cosmic radiation.
Fig 2: Pie chart representing the respondents’ misconceptions of cosmic radiation.