CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF IMPROVED SANITARY FACILITIES’ AVAILABILITY IN AN URBAN SETTING OF GHANA

Abstract

Background: The availability of sanitary facilities to human populations is deemed a necessity worldwide to promote healthy sanitation. In the Upper West Region, sanitation remains one of the major development challenges of our time, and despite growing attention and efforts by governments and donors, many approaches to urban and rural sanitation are failing. The study was conducted to examine environmental factors linked with sanitary facilities, and to assess socio-demographic factors with the availability, type and location of sanitary facilities in Mangu, a suburb of Wa Municipality, Ghana. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional quantitative study design was applied. The study population was made up of individuals of 18 years and abovein the community who had knowledge about the sanitary conditions within their respective housing units. From this population, 258 individuals were sampled for the study. Chi-square test for independence was applied to discover if there were associations between the study variables (sanitary facility accessibility and environmental characteristics of houses). Results: Factors associated with the availability of sanitary facilitiesin housing units were roofing material, building material, number of rooms, and drinking water source. Conclusions: The findings from the study indicate that a housing unit’s conditions can significantly influence the availability of a sanitary facility in the community.