AVAILABILITY OF HOUSEHOLD LATRINES, DISPOSAL OF CHILD STOOL AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH DIARRHEA AMONG CHILDREN UNDER THREE YEARS IN TAMALE METROPOLIS

Abstract

Globally, sanitation remains a challenge in many countries. About 2.3 billion people across the world lack improved basic sanitation. In Ghana, 4.8 million people have no improved sanitation and practice open defecation. Poor sanitation account for over 760,000 diarrhea and over 10,000 child death currently. Based on these, this study looked at the level of availability of household latrines, disposal of child stools among caregivers and its association with diarrhea among children under three years in Tamale Metropolis. Quantitative data was collected from 399 respondents with qualitative data gathered from six (6) Focus Groups Discussions. Findings are presented in the form of tables, charts and numerical summaries. Other findings are in inferential statistics using Fisher’s Exact tests to measure association between the dependent variable (diarrhea) and independent variables (latrine availability, usage and stool disposal practice). The study found that 83% of households within the study area do not have latrines at the household level. This indicates that majority of the households tend to use other avenues including open space for defecation. Diarrhea prevalence among children under 3 years as revealed by the study stands at 36.3%. The study also found that 60 % of caregivers within the Tamale Metropolis do not practice improved disposal of child stools. In exploring the level of awareness by caregivers regarding the dangers associated with improper stool disposal practice, results show 97.9% of the caregivers are aware of the dangers. The study also found that households without latrines stand a high risk of children contracting diarrhea with Pearson chi2 value of 15.9 and p-value of < 0.001. In another angle, the finding of the study show that improper disposal of child stool has a very significant correlation with children under 3 years contracting diarrhea with Pearson chi2 value of 36.5 and a pvalue of < 0.001. This means that households that do not practice proper disposal of stools will have children more likely to contract diarrhea. The study did also find that the kind (improved and unimproved) of latrine a household uses has an influence on diarrhea. Analysis revealed children in households with unimproved latrines are more likely to contract diarrhea with a Pearson chi2 value of 19.2 and a p-value of < 0.001 for association between having latrine in a household and children contracting diarrhea. On the other hand, the study found no association between kinds of latrine (improved and unimproved) and stool disposal practice when tested against diarrhea with p-values of 0.27 and 0.72. Based on the available data, the study recommends for policy makers and development agents to advocate for latrine construction at the household’s levels. It is also recommended for development partners and agents to advocate for improved latrines. With poor sanitation increasing diarrhea prevalence, high diarrhea related deaths in children under five years among others, efforts must be made at all levels to help improve the sanitation situation. The Metropolis must also ensure a well-structured and the collaborative systems for coordination of sanitation related initiatives. The study also recommends for further study to help deeper understanding on the above situation.