Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Among Community Health Workers on Household Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion at Mbarali and Mbeya Rural Districts South - Western Tanzania.
- Mwanza, Tanzania: Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences [CUHAS - Bugando] : 2020
- xiii; 114 Pages Includes References and Appendices
ABSTRACT:
Background: Access to improved sanitation, adherence to good hygienic practices and adequate supply of safe water, are very crucial factors for the health and wellbeing of people within the household and to the entire community. Household sanitation and hygiene promotion has largely been done by community health workers in most places in Tanzania and worldwide, especially in rural and marginalized areas. Despite the presence of community health workers in Tanzania, WASH-sensitive indicators such as diarrhea, stunted growth and typhoid still prevail. However, little has been done on assessing their knowledge, attitude and practices regarding household sanitation and hygiene. So this study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude and practices among community health workers on household sanitation and hygiene at Mbarali and Mbeya rural districts in Mbeya region, south-west highlands of Tanzania.
Methods: The study used descriptive cross-sectional design. The sample size was estimated by using Yamane formula for calculating sample size. Data for the study were collected for one month, by two well trained research assistants and the principal investigator, whereby questionnaire guide and observation checklist were used as data collection methods. Data were entered in STATA version 15 databases by two research assistants, and then data were cleaned, validated and analyzed. Results were presented in charts and tables.
Results: A total of 391CHWs were recruited. Out of 391CHWs, 184 (47.1%) had adequate knowledge regarding household sanitation and hygiene, while 207(52.9%) CHWs had inadequate knowledge. 74.4% of the CHWs had positive attitude towards, whilst 25.6% of the participants had negative attitude regarding household sanitation and hygiene. A total of 128 (33.0%) had good practices, while (67.1%) of the participants had poor practices regarding household sanitation and hygiene. High education level and short period of time from the last training on sanitation and hygiene was found to be associated with adequate knowledge (p=0012) and (p=0.008) respectively. Female partcipants was found to be have good practices (p=0.015) than their male counterparts. Observation checklist revealed that, of the total 391CHWs, 206(52.7%) CHWs did not receive the needed cooperation from the community members, though they had all necessary requirements for house to house visit. On house to house visit only 28 CHWs had all necessary equipments. None of the CHWs had allowance at the end of visit.
Conclusion: The findings of this study underline the need to re- checking CHWs programs to match their needs as per their roles so as to strengthen the knowledge, attitude and practices hence ensuring efficiency in their provision of primary health services and promotion of improvement in household sanitation and hygiene particulary in household sanitation and hygiene.
= Operational definitions Attitudes In the context of this study, attitudes refer to what study population (CHWs) feel or believe about household sanitation and hygiene. Operational definitions CommunityHealth Workers(CHWs); Are individuals selected by the community based on their own agreed criteria, mostly at village level to act as community health advocates or liaison workers, who basically promote health within a community by assisting the community to adopt health behaviors by delivering health related services such as health education, identifying community health needs in collaboration with Village/Community Health Committees (VHC), early detection of diseases in the community, collecting health related data, taking disease preventive measures, helping in promoting adherence to treatment, promoting maternal child health, etc. Operational definitions Household Is a group of people who can either be related by blood, law or other socially related relationships, living in the same roof and share meals Operational definitions Hygiene Is a set of practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases Operational definitions Knowledge Facts, information and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. In the context of this study knowledge refers to the information that CHWs have about household sanitation and hygiene. Operational definitions Sanitation Refers to access of facilities and services for the safe disposal and management of human and animal wastes. Operational definitions Practice Refers to the way study participants (CHWs) demonstrate their knowledge and attitudes through their actions regarding household sanitation and hygiene Key words: Household, Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, Community Health Workers, Sanitation, Hygiene
= Abbreviations AIDS Accute Immune Deficieny Syndrome CBHP Community-Based Health Program CHMT Council Health Management Team CHWs Community Health Workers CRS Catholic Relief Services DHO District Health Officer HIV Human Immune Virus KAP Knowledge, Attitude and Practices LGAs Local Government Authorities MoHCDGEC Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, the Elderly and Children NSC National Sanitation Campaign NSMIS National Sanitation Management Information System ODF Open Defecation Free PHSDP Primary Health Service Development Program PO-RALG President‟s Office for Regional Administration and Local Government RHMT Regional Health Management Team SDGs Sustainable Development Goals SWSH School Water Sanitation and Hygiene UNICEF United Nations International Children‟s Emergency Fund USAID United States Agency for International Development VEO Village Executive Officer VHC Village Health Committee WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WHO World Health Organization
Wurzburg Road 35, BMC Premises, Post Code: 33102: P. O Box 1464, Mwanza – Tanzania: Phone: +255 28 298 3384: Fax: +255 28 298 3386: Email: vc@bugando.ac.tz : www.bugando.ac.tz