Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Northern Ghana: An Analysis of Household Health Risks

Abstract

This study assessed household health risks in relation to sanitation and hygiene practices. A convergent parallel mixed method design, involving a survey of 200 household heads and two semi-structured interviews, was employed. The forward linear regression method was used to determine how sanitation and hygiene practices influence household health risks. From the results, age was the most considered criterion for using a homestead toilet facility. Income made the most significant contribution to change in the choice of toilet facility with a Beta Weight of 0.313 at a statistically significant level of p<0.00. Income was again identified to be the most statistically significant determining factor for access to sanitation and hygiene materials with 0.389 at a significant alpha level of p<0.00. The identified factors that define sanitation and hygiene practices cut across gender division of labour, age, occupation, housing type and residential location. Owing to the range of demographic, social and economic factors influencing the adoption of proper sanitation and hygiene practices, it is recommended that sanitation and hygiene improvement interventions should inculcate socio-demographic and economic concepts to reduce household health risks.