Factors associated with sanitation practices among household-level in Mogadishu, Somalia

Abstract

Background: Poor sanitation is responsible for 4% of mortalities and 5.7% of morbidity worldwide, particularly among under five children. In 2015, the WHO estimated that 2.39 billion children under five had diarrhea. Diarrhea is accountable for 18% of all child deaths from water contamination, improper sanitation, or hygienic practices.   Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Hodan district of Mogadishu, Somalia, from December 2021 to February 2022. The study subjects were randomly selected from 241 households. Descriptive statistics were processed, and logistic regression analysis was used. A confidence interval of 95% and a p-value less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.  Results: Among 29% of households had poor sanitation conditions. More than 60.6% of the participants lived in multi-family homes, and 81.3% of households lacked access to hand-washing facilities. There was an association between residences with multiple families and diarrhea in children under five years [AOR= 0.001 - 95% CI 0.001-0.002]. While families without toilets had [AOR= 0.577 - 95% CI 0.673- 0.623], and children in households using pit latrines were statistically significant [AOR= 9.393 - 95% CI 2.377-37.115]. Similarly, family income had a nearly increased risk of diarrhea occurrence in children [AOR= 0.125 - 95% CI 0.041-0.381].  Conclusion: Provide adequate water, hygiene and sanitation services in the Hodan district is vital for diarrheal prevention. Awareness-raising at a household level and improved sanitation facilities, and sanitation practices and encouraging, should be scaled up accordingly. Further in-depth studies should also be conducting.