Understanding the Challenges of Improving Sanitation and Hygiene Outcomes in a Community Based Intervention: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rural Tanzania

Abstract

Good sanitation and clean water are basic human rights yet they remain elusive to many rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We carried out a cross sectional study to examine the impact of a four-year intervention aimed at improving access to water and sanitation and reducing waterborne disease, especially diarrhea in children under five years old. The study was carried out in April and May 2015 in Busangi, Chela and Ntobo wards of Kahama District of Tanzania. The interventions included education campaigns and improved water supply, and sanitation. The percentage of households (HHs) with access to water within 30 min increased from 19.2 to 48.9 and 17.6 to 27.3 in the wet and dry seasons, respectively. The percentage of HHs with hand washing facilities at the latrine increased from 0% to 13.2%. However, the incidence of diarrhea among children under five years increased over the intervention period, RR 2.91 95% CI 2.71–3.11, p < 0.0001. Availability of water alone may not influence the incidence of waterborne diseases. Factors such as water storage and usage, safe excreta disposal and other hygiene practices are critical for interventions negating the spread of water borne diseases. A model that articulates the extent to which these factors are helpful for such interventions should be explored.

Latrine utilization and its associated factors among Rural Communities of North Achefer District, Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia

“…In this study only few households had hand washing facilities near the latrines. This is higher than the finding from EDHS 2016 report of rural areas [5], rural Tanzania [22] and Kenya [23]. This could be due 7 to scarcity of water, lack of awareness about the importance of hand washing.…”

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene among Rural Residents in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia

“…Only 40 (15%) of the 267 HHs with latrine and only 5.3% of the total HHs surveyed had handwashing facility, and only one in ten, 10.7%, of the respondents practiced hand washing at critical periods. A similar study from rural HHs of Tanzania reported that only 13.2% of the HHs had handwashing facilities outside latrine [24], and another study in Gedeo Zone, South Ethiopia, showed that handwashing practices at critical periods were reported to be 44.2% [25]. is is an indication that there is lack of integration of health extension programs to enhance the sanitation across the health care tire system.…”

Waste to Carbon: Biocoal from Elephant Dung as New Cooking Fuel

“…Although the torrefaction process requires some energy, it is also the most promising technology for organic waste treatment for its highest greenhouse gas mitigation potential [19]. The produced biocoal, especially when pelletized, poses a lower environmental risk during transport, storage, and combustion, in addition to lowering the risks of sanitary and aquatic pollution [20,21]. Therefore, torrefaction could be one of the potential technologies for elephant dung utilization that are sustainable.…”