Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana

Leslie Danquah; Esi Awuah; Charlotte Monica Mensah; Seth Agyemang

doi:doi:10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21

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Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana

Leslie Danquah, Esi Awuah, Charlotte Monica Mensah, Seth Agyemang

Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 2, Issue 2)

Received: 3 February 2014 Published: 20 March 2014

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Abstract

Research evidence indicates that the household environment has significant implications for the health of the members of the household. The objective of this study was to assess selected sanitation and hygiene practices in relation to the prevalence of childhood diarrhoea in households with children under-five years from the Ghanaian setting. A systematic random sampling approach was used to select 378 households from two communities each in the urban and peri-urban areas of the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana respectively. Structured questionnaires and observation schedules were used to collect quantitative data from mothers and analyzed using chi-square and odds ratios (OR). The study showed that private latrine possession was low (10%) and sanitation facilities used by households were largely unimproved (90%). Children who lived in households which had water closets (WCs) in their dwellings recorded the lowest diarrhoea prevalence rate (11.1%) whereas the highest rate was recorded in households where the WCs were located outside the dwelling. Childhood diarrhoea was most prevalent (36%) for children whose mothers reported that they did not wash their hands with water and soap after defecation. It is proposed that adequate sanitation and hygiene education be given to mothers of children under-five years in the district and further research carried into socio-demographic and behavioral determinants of childhood diarrhoea.

Published in	Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 2, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21
Page(s)	119-125
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Sanitation, Hygiene, Household, Childhood Diarrhoea, Ghana

References

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[9]	D. L. Daniels, S. N. Cousens, L. N. Makoae and R.G. Feachem, 1990. A case-control study of the impact of improved sanitation on diarrhoea morbidity in Lesotho. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 68: 455–463.
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[11]	UNICEF/WHO 2009. Why are children still dying and what can be done? World Health Organization, Geneva.
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[17]	E. E. Ekanem, C. O. Akitoye, and O. T. Adedeye, 1991. Food hygiene behaviour and childhood diarrhoea in Lagos, Nigeria: a case control study. Journal of Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, 9(3): 219 – 226.
[18]	A. H. El-Gilany, and S. Hammad, 2005. Epidemiology of diarrhoeal diseases among children under age 5 years in Dakahlia, Egypt. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2(4): 762 – 775.
[19]	N. B. Mock, T. A. Sellers, A. A. Abdoh,. & R. R. Franklin, 1993. Socioeconomic, environmental, demographic and behavioural factors associated with the occurrence of diarrhoea in young children. Social Science and Medicine, 36(6): 807 – 816.
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APA Style

Leslie Danquah, Esi Awuah, Charlotte Monica Mensah, Seth Agyemang. (2014). Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana. Science Journal of Public Health, 2(2), 119-125. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21

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ACS Style

Leslie Danquah; Esi Awuah; Charlotte Monica Mensah; Seth Agyemang. Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana. Sci. J. Public Health 2014, 2(2), 119-125. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21

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AMA Style

Leslie Danquah, Esi Awuah, Charlotte Monica Mensah, Seth Agyemang. Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana. Sci J Public Health. 2014;2(2):119-125. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21

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@article{10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21,
  author = {Leslie Danquah and Esi Awuah and Charlotte Monica Mensah and Seth Agyemang},
  title = {Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana},
  journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {119-125},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20140202.21},
  abstract = {Research evidence indicates that the household environment has significant implications for the health of the members of the household. The objective of this study was to assess selected sanitation and hygiene practices in relation to the prevalence of childhood diarrhoea in households with children under-five years from the Ghanaian setting. A systematic random sampling approach was used to select 378 households from two communities each in the urban and peri-urban areas of the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana respectively. Structured questionnaires and observation schedules were used to collect quantitative data from mothers and analyzed using chi-square and odds ratios (OR). The study showed that private latrine possession was low (10%) and sanitation facilities used by households were largely unimproved (90%). Children who lived in households which had water closets (WCs) in their dwellings recorded the lowest diarrhoea prevalence rate (11.1%) whereas the highest rate was recorded in households where the WCs were located outside the dwelling. Childhood diarrhoea was most prevalent (36%) for children whose mothers reported that they did not wash their hands with water and soap after defecation. It is proposed that adequate sanitation and hygiene education be given to mothers of children under-five years in the district and further research carried into socio-demographic and behavioral determinants of childhood diarrhoea.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana
AU  - Leslie Danquah
AU  - Esi Awuah
AU  - Charlotte Monica Mensah
AU  - Seth Agyemang
Y1  - 2014/03/20
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21
DO  - 10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21
T2  - Science Journal of Public Health
JF  - Science Journal of Public Health
JO  - Science Journal of Public Health
SP  - 119
EP  - 125
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7950
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21
AB  - Research evidence indicates that the household environment has significant implications for the health of the members of the household. The objective of this study was to assess selected sanitation and hygiene practices in relation to the prevalence of childhood diarrhoea in households with children under-five years from the Ghanaian setting. A systematic random sampling approach was used to select 378 households from two communities each in the urban and peri-urban areas of the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana respectively. Structured questionnaires and observation schedules were used to collect quantitative data from mothers and analyzed using chi-square and odds ratios (OR). The study showed that private latrine possession was low (10%) and sanitation facilities used by households were largely unimproved (90%). Children who lived in households which had water closets (WCs) in their dwellings recorded the lowest diarrhoea prevalence rate (11.1%) whereas the highest rate was recorded in households where the WCs were located outside the dwelling. Childhood diarrhoea was most prevalent (36%) for children whose mothers reported that they did not wash their hands with water and soap after defecation. It is proposed that adequate sanitation and hygiene education be given to mothers of children under-five years in the district and further research carried into socio-demographic and behavioral determinants of childhood diarrhoea.
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Leslie Danquah

Department of Geography & Rural Development, CASS, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
Esi Awuah

Universtiy of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Sunyani, Ghana
Charlotte Monica Mensah

Department of Geography & Rural Development, CASS, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
Seth Agyemang

Department of Geography & Rural Development, CASS, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana

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APA Style

Leslie Danquah, Esi Awuah, Charlotte Monica Mensah, Seth Agyemang. (2014). Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana. Science Journal of Public Health, 2(2), 119-125. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21

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ACS Style

Leslie Danquah; Esi Awuah; Charlotte Monica Mensah; Seth Agyemang. Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana. Sci. J. Public Health 2014, 2(2), 119-125. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21

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AMA Style

Leslie Danquah, Esi Awuah, Charlotte Monica Mensah, Seth Agyemang. Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana. Sci J Public Health. 2014;2(2):119-125. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21

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@article{10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21,
  author = {Leslie Danquah and Esi Awuah and Charlotte Monica Mensah and Seth Agyemang},
  title = {Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana},
  journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {119-125},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20140202.21},
  abstract = {Research evidence indicates that the household environment has significant implications for the health of the members of the household. The objective of this study was to assess selected sanitation and hygiene practices in relation to the prevalence of childhood diarrhoea in households with children under-five years from the Ghanaian setting. A systematic random sampling approach was used to select 378 households from two communities each in the urban and peri-urban areas of the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana respectively. Structured questionnaires and observation schedules were used to collect quantitative data from mothers and analyzed using chi-square and odds ratios (OR). The study showed that private latrine possession was low (10%) and sanitation facilities used by households were largely unimproved (90%). Children who lived in households which had water closets (WCs) in their dwellings recorded the lowest diarrhoea prevalence rate (11.1%) whereas the highest rate was recorded in households where the WCs were located outside the dwelling. Childhood diarrhoea was most prevalent (36%) for children whose mothers reported that they did not wash their hands with water and soap after defecation. It is proposed that adequate sanitation and hygiene education be given to mothers of children under-five years in the district and further research carried into socio-demographic and behavioral determinants of childhood diarrhoea.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Relation to Childhood Diarrhoea Prevalence: The Case of Households with Children under-Five Years in Ghana
AU  - Leslie Danquah
AU  - Esi Awuah
AU  - Charlotte Monica Mensah
AU  - Seth Agyemang
Y1  - 2014/03/20
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21
DO  - 10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21
T2  - Science Journal of Public Health
JF  - Science Journal of Public Health
JO  - Science Journal of Public Health
SP  - 119
EP  - 125
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7950
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140202.21
AB  - Research evidence indicates that the household environment has significant implications for the health of the members of the household. The objective of this study was to assess selected sanitation and hygiene practices in relation to the prevalence of childhood diarrhoea in households with children under-five years from the Ghanaian setting. A systematic random sampling approach was used to select 378 households from two communities each in the urban and peri-urban areas of the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana respectively. Structured questionnaires and observation schedules were used to collect quantitative data from mothers and analyzed using chi-square and odds ratios (OR). The study showed that private latrine possession was low (10%) and sanitation facilities used by households were largely unimproved (90%). Children who lived in households which had water closets (WCs) in their dwellings recorded the lowest diarrhoea prevalence rate (11.1%) whereas the highest rate was recorded in households where the WCs were located outside the dwelling. Childhood diarrhoea was most prevalent (36%) for children whose mothers reported that they did not wash their hands with water and soap after defecation. It is proposed that adequate sanitation and hygiene education be given to mothers of children under-five years in the district and further research carried into socio-demographic and behavioral determinants of childhood diarrhoea.
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

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