Abstract:
Background: Faecal-oral diseases represent the largest health burden associated with a lack of
improved sanitation. Diarrhea being the most burdensome of these and accounting for over
millions of deaths each year. Access to improved household sanitary facilities have great health
benefits ranging from reductions in diarrhea, helmenth infections and trachoma through reduced
risk of accidents and enhanced psycho-social well-being.
Objective: This study was aimed at assessing the availability of improved sanitation facilities
and factors affecting it among rural communities in Lemo woreda of Hadiya zone in 2014.
Methods: Community based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April, 2014 in
Lemo Woreda, Hadiya Zone. To draw a total sample of size 515 a multistage sampling technique
was used. Head of the households or their spouses were interviewed to collect data using
structured, pretested questionnaire. Data were entered using Epi-Data version 3.1 and exported to
SPSS version 16 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to predict variables which have
independent association with outcome variables.
Results: The findings of this study showed that 35.9% (95%CI: 30.9%, 40.9%) of the
households included in the study had improved sanitation facilities. The likelihood of improved
sanitation facility was 2.3 fold higher in households that had a higher income than those with
lower income (AOR: 2.346(1.483, 3.714)). The odds of having improved sanitation facilities was
6.5 folds higher in households headed by government employers/students as compared to
households headed by farmers (AOR: 6.521, 95%CI: (2.216,19.188)). Respondents who had
sufficient knowledge on improved sanitation facilities were 1.6 times more likely to have
improved sanitation facilities as those who had insufficient knowledge on improved sanitation
facilities (AOR: 1.606, 95%CI: (1.022,2.253)). Respondents who had positive attitude towards
improved sanitation facilities were 2 times more likely to had improved sanitation facilities as
those who had negative attitude towards improved sanitation facilities (AOR: 1.989, 95%CI:
(1.250,3.165)).
Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that 35.9% (95%CI: 30.9%, 40.9%) of the
households included in the study had improved sanitation facilities. Income of the household,
occupation of the respondents, knowledge and attitude of the respondents towards improved
sanitation were the major factors affecting availability of improved sanitation facilities.
Therefore, it is recommended that continuous education on improved sanitation facilities should
be provided to rural communities and special attention be given to farmers.
