PUBLIC OPINION, PERCEPTION AND KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE (KAP) LEVEL ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN PENAMPANG, SABAH: A VILLAGE-LEVEL STUDY

Abstract

Information on the citizen’s knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) level is critical as educational diagnosis and guideline prior to implementation of publicly funded programs and policies. Essentially, the citizen’s perception on the effectiveness of the solid waste management programs and policies are also imperative. This research studied the KAP level of 113 respondents in Hubah Village, Penampang and most respondents have excellent levels of KAP. Gender of the respondents were found to be significantly related to their knowledge level, and both their attitude and practice was significantly correlated with their education level using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Spearman Rho test also reveals that knowledge and attitude has positive correlation with each other. Subsequently, the study explored on the respondents’ opinion and perception on solid waste management programs implemented locally. It was found out that 74.3 per cent of the respondents stated that the provision of waste management services is generally inadequate. Another 75.2 per cent said that the communication tools needed improvement to increase citizen participation in solid waste management programs. 78.8 per cent of the respondents also agreed that education and awareness programs should be inclusive to all levels of society and not only targeting certain groups as what have been done previously. 54 per cent of the citizen wanted an improvement in the accessibility of officers and policy makers regarding issues on solid waste management, and 51.3 per cent agreed that technology should be optimized to ensure acceptance and participation in solid waste management programs from the citizen could be improved.