assessment of adoptability to sanitation practices among communities in nadunget sub-county, moroto district–uganda

Description

Introduction: Good sanitation practices are vital for health as they contribute to infections prevention, as well as improve and maintain mental and social well-being (WHO, 2018). World over, 2.4 billion people still had no access to improved sanitation by 2015; majority of those living in rural communities (WHO, 2015). SDG 6 targets access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations by 2030. However, sanitation in Karamoja sub-region stands at 21.5%, Moroto 15.5% (SPR, 2017). Poor sanitation practices limit effective separation of human excreta from human contact, thereby increasing the risk to multiple diseases outbreaks. Objective of the Study: To assess the adoptability to sanitation practices among communities in Nadunget sub-county, Moroto district – Uganda. Methodology: A cross sectional study carried out in Nadunget sub-county involving 221 households selected using a mixture of purposive, proportionate and simple random sampling methods. Data was entered using Epi data version 3.1 and analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Analysis is presented in three phases; 1st, frequency distribution tables for all independent variables with their corresponding percentages, 2nd, a chi-square test using bivariate analysis at 95% confidence interval and then the multivariate analysis in which the results were then presented inform of Odds Ratio at 95% level of confidence. Results: The proportion of households adopting to sanitation practices in Nadunget was 46.15%; which meant 53.85% still practiced poor sanitation practices. The study findings further established that, adoption to sanitation practices was observed in respondents who were business persons compared to those government employees (aOR=4.296;95%CI:1.779-10.377,p-0.001). The study finding also established that respondents whose monthly income was about 151,000 to 200,000 shillings were most likely to adopt sanitation practices compared those whose monthly income was less than 50,000 shillings (aOR=8.232;95%CI:1.848-36.673,p-0.006). There were higher chances of adopting to sanitation practices among respondents who agreed that they had a sanitation facility for disposal of human excreta unlike those who did not have (aOR=3.761; 95%CI: 2.152-6.571, p-0.000). Participants who were persuaded by NGOs were 2 times more likely to adopt sanitation practices compared to those who were persuaded by village chairpersons (aOR=2.945;95%CI:1.217-7.127,p-0.017). Respondents who indicated not having a sanitation facility 12 times most likely to use cat method to dispose their human excreta (aOR=12.897;95%CI:2.688-61.87,p-0.001). The study established that participants in villages where by-laws existed 5 times more likely to adopt sanitation practices over those in villages without by-laws (aOR=5.728;95%CI:2.53-12.967,p-0.000). Higher odds of adopting sanitation practices was seen among respondents who revealed that latrine facilities were shared (aOR=2.222; 95%CI: 1.274-3.876, p-0.005). Conclusion: this study established that Only 102(46.15%) of the households accessed sanitation facilities; 119 (53.85%) still practiced poor sanitation indicating low adoptability to sanitation practices. Those that who had employment; those with a monthly income ranging from 151,000-200,000 Uganda shillings. Those who were persuade by NGOs, owning a sanitation facility, villages where by-laws, Households that shared sanitation were likely to adopt good sanitation practices. Further research should be carried out to address any gaps that the current study may not have addressed.