Ghana's post-MDGs sanitation situation: an overview

Appiah–Effah, Eugene; Duku, Godwin Armstrong; Azangbego, Naziru Yakubu; Aggrey, Ransford Kojo Aduafo; Gyapong-Korsah, Barbara; Nyarko, Kwabena Biritwum

doi:10.2166/washdev.2019.031

Cited by 49 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Though access to improved sources of drinking water is relatively good (60.4-96.6%), the case for sanitation is poor (3.9-24.5%), as presented in Table 2. This observation is similar to the national trend (Appiah-Effah et al, 2019). A large proportion (mostly > 80%) of the population across the districts practices open defecation due to the lack of access to toilet facilities.…”

Section: Profile Of Study Areassupporting

confidence: 83%

Assessment of the health impacts of WASH interventions in disaster-prone communities in three regions of Northern Ghana

Appiah–Effah¹,

Sagoe²,

Afful³

et al. 2020

Afr. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.

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This study evaluated the health impacts of WASH interventions in 9 intervention communities against 9 control communities in disaster-prone areas in northern Ghana. We extracted community-specific data on patient-reported cases of WASH-related diseases from health facilities in the study areas. Also, we used key informant interviews and household questionnaires to seek information for validation. The impact was measured using the before-after study with concurrent control (BAC) method of Health Impact Evaluation in WASH interventions. The findings indicate a substantial increase in the number of WASH facilities across the intervention communities. However, some respondents complained of access to inadequate quantities and increase downtime of water systems when there is a breakdown. Access to improved sanitation facilities was still a challenge, although a steady increase in the number of household access to latrines was observed. We extracted about 2,315 reported cases of WASH-related diseases, comprising diarrhoea (83%), dysentery (8%), typhoid fever (7%) and intestinal worms (2%). Impacts on diarrhoea prevalence were generally lower than reported figures, and varied across the intervention communities, ranging from 0 to 7% reduction. We recommend that greater attention be given to the sustainability of the intervention to ensure service delivery, rather than as a one-time investment, to achieve more significant impacts.

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Section: Profile Of Study Areassupporting

confidence: 83%

Assessment of the health impacts of WASH interventions in disaster-prone communities in three regions of Northern Ghana

Appiah–Effah¹,

Sagoe²,

Afful³

et al. 2020

Afr. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…For instance, the “Sama Sama” project in the northern zone (the then Northern and Upper East Regions) signed the “Sanitation and Water for All” project. The government has also drafted various policy documents, including “Environmental Sanitation Policy” [ 24 ], “National Environmental Sanitation Strategy and Action Plan” [ 25 ] and “Strategic Environmental Sanitation Investment Plan” [ 26 , 27 ] to help improve sanitation in Ghana.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are children’s stools in Ghana disposed of safely? Evidence from the 2014 Ghana demographic and health survey

Seidu

2021

BMC Public Health

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Background Safe disposal of children’s faeces has always been one of the main challenges to good hygiene in Ghana. Although it has been proven that children’s faeces are more likely to spread diseases than adults’ faeces, people usually mistake them for harmlessness. This study, therefore, sought to determine the prevalence and factors associated with safe disposal of children’s faeces in Ghana. Methods Data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey was used for the analysis. A sample size of 2228 mother-child pairs were used for the study. The outcome variable was disposal of children stools. Both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors with safe child stool disposal. Results The prevalence of safe child stool disposal in Ghana was 24.5%. Women in the middle [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.62; Confidence Interval (CI) = 3.00–7.10], Coastal Zone [AOR = 4.52; CI = 2.82–7.22], mothers whose children were aged 12–17 [AOR = 1.56; CI = 1.15–2.13] and 18–23 months [AOR = 1.75; CI = 1.29–2.39], and mothers whose household had improved type of toilet facility [AOR = 2.04; CI = 1.53–2.73] had higher odds of practicing safe children’s faeces disposal. However, women from households with access to improved source of drinking water [AOR = 0.62; CI = 0.45–2.7] had lower odds of practicing safe children’s faeces disposal. Conclusion Approximately only about 25 out of 100 women practice safe disposal of their children’s faeces in Ghana. The age of the child, ecological zone, the type of toilet facilities, and the type of drinking water source are associated with the disposal of child faeces. These findings have proven that only improved sanitation (i.e. drinking water and toilet facilities) are not enough for women to safely dispose of their children’s faeces. Therefore, in addition to provision of toilet facilities especially in the northern zone of Ghana, there is also the need to motivate and educate mothers on safe disposal of children’s stools especially those with children below 12 months. More so, mothers without access to improved toilet facility should also be educated on the appropriate ways to bury their children’s stools safely.

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“…The reasons for the strong spatial structure of the illnesses are not revealed by this study; however, previous studies have postulated vast inequality in effective coverage of essential health interventions within the countries and poor sanitation, with widespread open defecation taking place in both rural and urban centers of most of the countries, to be the obvious causes of morbidity among children [22,23]. For instance, poor sanitation in Ghana has been driven by bad attitude and perception toward sanitation and extensive utilization of shared and public toilets; however, several recent reforms and programs have been put in place to ensure accelerated improvements in water and sanitation in every part of the country [24]. However, in Ivory Coast, although 91.5% of the urban population can access improved drinking water, improved sanitation is only available to 31.7% of the people and the country faced an increase in urbanization leading to informal and sprawling settlements, which further confound the sanitation conditions [25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Spatial Patterns of Common Childhood Morbidity in Six Neighboring West African Countries

Gayawan¹,

Aladeniyi²,

Oladuti³

et al. 2019

JEGH

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Children in developing countries have continued to suffer morbidity and mortality arising from a few illnesses. This study was designed to examine the within and between spatial variations in childhood morbidity from cough, fever, and diarrhea among six West African countries in a manner that transcends geographical boundaries. Data from six countries including their geographical boundaries were obtained from Demographic and Health Surveys. The spatial modelling was through Bayesian models and appropriate prior distributions were assigned to the different parameters of the model. Parameter estimation was through integrated nested Laplace approximation. Results show similar significant spatial distributions for the three illnesses, and they demonstrate that children in Benin Republic and Mali are less likely to suffer from these illnesses, whereas higher likelihood were obtained in the case of Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, and some parts of Ghana. The nonlinear effects of child's age show that the risks of contracting the illnesses peak among children aged 10-14 months while, as the mothers advance in age, their children have reduced risks. Breastfeeding and a woman's working status and education are among the significant factors that either aggravate or prevent these illnesses in the West African countries. The results pinpointed regions of the West African countries with high and low risks of the illnesses, and this would enhance intervention strategies of policy makers and international donors in the subregion.

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Ghana's post-MDGs sanitation situation: an overview

Cited by 49 publications

References 11 publications

Assessment of the health impacts of WASH interventions in disaster-prone communities in three regions of Northern Ghana

Assessment of the health impacts of WASH interventions in disaster-prone communities in three regions of Northern Ghana

Are children’s stools in Ghana disposed of safely? Evidence from the 2014 Ghana demographic and health survey

Investigating the Spatial Patterns of Common Childhood Morbidity in Six Neighboring West African Countries

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