Housing features and household access to sanitation facilities in a rural Nigerian community

Abstract

Good housing and adequate sanitation are linked as both are important in disease prevention and the overall promotion of health and well-being of man including residents in rural communities. This study was carried out to examine household access to sanitation facilities in Usugbenu, a rural community in Edo State, Nigeria, and to determine what relationship exist between household characteristics and use of such facilities in the study area.
Cluster sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 399 households from the community, and interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Data analysis was done using IBM SPSS with statistical significance level set at P ≤ 0.05.
The most common family type was the nuclear family (62.7%); the most common housing unit type was flat/bungalow (57.1%); and the owner-occupier status was 73%. Block/brick wall houses were 63.4% while the common sources of water for household use were sachet water (30.1%), rainwater (28.8%), and borehole (20.1%). Pit toilets were used in 71.7% of households while sharing of toilet facilities occurred in 29.1% of households. Significant factors associated with the use of non-shared toilet facilities in this study were higher (secondary/tertiary) level of education, inherited or self-owned house, and brick/blockhouse wall type.
Factors that compromise sanitation such as poor access to domestic water supply and sharing of toilet facilities were prevalent in the community.