Media Access is Associated with Knowledge of Optimal Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Tanzania

The importance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) behaviors in low- and middle-income countries in preventing childhood illness is well established. Tanzania is known to have high rates of chronic malnutrition and childhood stunting-both of which have been linked to poor WASH practices. Intervi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2019-06, Vol.16 (11), p.1963
Main Authors: Alexander, Chelsi C, Shrestha, Shilpa, Tounkara, Mamadou D, Cooper, Shelly, Hunt, Leiema, Hoj, Taylor H, Dearden, Kirk, Kezakubi, Dotto, Atugonza, Vianney, West, Joshua, Crookston, Benjamin, Hall, Cougar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Agricultural land
Air conditioners
Bicycles
Caregivers
Cellular telephones
Children
Cleaning
Diarrhea
Drawing and ironing
Education
Electric contacts
Electric power grids
Electricity distribution
Ethnicity
Female
Hand Disinfection
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Households
Humans
Hygiene
Iron
Knowledge
Malnutrition
Mass Media - statistics & numerical data
Motorcycles
Online banking
Regression analysis
Sanitation
Tanzania
Television
Towns
Variables
Water Quality
Young Adult
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Summary:The importance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) behaviors in low- and middle-income countries in preventing childhood illness is well established. Tanzania is known to have high rates of chronic malnutrition and childhood stunting-both of which have been linked to poor WASH practices. Interviews were conducted with 5000 primary caregivers of children aged 0-23 months. Four composite WASH knowledge variables were created to assess the relationship between WASH knowledge and access to different forms of media, such as television, radio, and mobile phones. WASH knowledge variables measure knowledge of when to wash hands, the need for soap when washing hands, when to wash a baby's hands, and how eating soil or chicken feces can affect a baby's health. Logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted to measure the association between media access and WASH knowledge. Having watched television was positively associated with higher WASH knowledge indicators (all < 0.05). Higher WASH knowledge was positively associated with more frequent handwashing after cleaning a baby's bottom (all < 0.0001). The quantity of media access also had a positive linear effect on handwashing; more media items owned was associated with increases in handwashing. Study findings indicate media access is associated with WASH knowledge among caregivers in resource-poor settings.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph16111963