Graduating Rural Households as Model Families Has Increased Latrine Utilization in West Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Mezgebu Yitayal , Yemane Berhane , Alemayehu Worku , Yigzaw Kebede
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20372/ejhbs.v8i1.285
Submitted: 2021-09-17 06:48:16
Published: 2017-09-10

Background: Since 2003, Ethiopia has launched a nationwide primary health initiative known as the Health Extension Program at the grassroots level in order to increase public access to basic health services. The program was designed to increase the coverage of primary health care services, mainly by producing model households. This study assessed whether households that fully implemented the Health Extension Program have adopted latrine utilization.

Methods: A cross-sectional community-based survey was conducted to collect data from 1320 mothers. A multistage sampling technique was used to select study participants, using a structured questionnaire and observation checklist. A multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of latrine utilization. A propensity score analysis was used to determine the contribution of the Health Extension Program model to households on latrine utilization.

Result:  The overall latrine utilization was 83.5% (87.0% in model households, 72.1% in non-model households). Model households in the Health Extension Program (AOR = 2.39; 95% CI = 1.70 to 3.35) were more likely to utilize latrines compared to non- model households. The former contributed to 19.80% (t = 4.50) of the increase in latrine utilization. In addition, households obtained more frequent home visits (AOR = 1.45; 95% CI = 1.04, 2.01),  whose mothers identified at least one benefit of using the latrine (AOR = 3.49; 95% CI = 2.34, 5.20), headed by married couples (AOR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.03, 2.63), and  who were large in size (AOR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.91) were more likely to utilize latrines than the reference groups.

Conclusion: Latrine utilization was found to be relatively high, especially among model households. Being models, frequent HEW visits, and knowledge about the benefits of latrine were found to be the predictors of latrine utilization. When implemented fully, the Health Extension Program could help to step up latrine utilization and improve the status of sanitation and hygiene in rural communities.

 

Keywords

rural households model family latrine utilization

Authors

Mezgebu Yitayal

Department of Health Service Management and Health Economics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Gondar University, Gondar, Ethiopia, Tel: +251-581116221 (office), +251-947 057683 (mobile), P. O. Box 196, E-mail: mezgebuy@gmail.com

 

Yemane Berhane

Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Alemayehu Worku

Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Yigzaw Kebede

University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

How to Cite

Mezgebu Yitayal , Yemane Berhane, Alemayehu Worku, Yigzaw Kebede (2017-09-10). Graduating Rural Households as Model Families Has Increased Latrine Utilization in West Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Vol. 8 No. 1 (2017), 77-88. https://doi.org/10.20372/ejhbs.v8i1.285

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Copyright © 2017 The Author(s)

Copyright & Licensing © Year The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) , which permits unrestricted use; sharing (copying and redistributing the material in any medium or format); and adaptation (remixing, transforming, and building upon the material for any purpose), provided the original author(s) and the source are properly cited/credited and a link to the license is provided. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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