Improved latrine cleanliness through behaviour change and changes in quality of latrine construction: a longitudinal intervention study in rural Burundi

Abstract

Latrine cleanliness increased in the intervention group compared to the control group (increase from 21 to 31 % of latrines classified as clean in intervention [N = 198] and decrease from 37 to 27 % in control [N = 91]). Improved habitual latrine cleaning lead to latrines being 3.5 times more likely to improve in observed latrine cleanliness (χ2 = 16.36, p < .001) and so did improvements in quality of latrine construction, eg households that had installed a lid were 7.39 times more likely to have a cleaner latrine (χ2 = 4.46, p < .05). Changes in psychosocial factors, namely forgetting, personal norm, satisfaction with cleanliness, explained much of the change in habitual latrine cleaning (adj. r2 = .46). Behaviour change interventions targeting psychosocial factors and quality of latrine construction seem promising to ensure clean and hygienic latrines.