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Related Experiment Videos

Assessing Students' Knowledge on WASH-Related Diseases.

Khaldoon A Mourad1, Vincent Habumugisha2, Bolaji F Sule3

  • 1Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden. khaldoon.mourad@cme.lu.se.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|June 13, 2019
PubMed
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Many students in Rwanda lack knowledge of water-, sanitation-, and hygiene-related diseases. Improved infrastructure and health education are crucial to prevent these diseases and improve student well-being.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Environmental Health
  • Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Background:

  • Water-, sanitation-, and hygiene-related (WASH) diseases pose a significant threat, particularly to children under five in developing nations like Rwanda.
  • Inadequate human waste disposal practices contribute to the spread of these preventable diseases.
  • Understanding community knowledge gaps is essential for effective disease prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess human waste disposal practices among students in Rwanda.
  • To evaluate students' knowledge of diseases transmitted through contact with human feces.
  • To determine students' understanding of the causes and prevention of selected WASH-related diseases.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving the interview of 1,173 students from a larger population of 2,900.
Keywords:
Rwandaassessmenteducationhygienesanitationwaterborne diseases

Related Experiment Videos

  • Data collection focused on waste disposal habits, awareness of specific fecal-borne diseases, and knowledge of WASH disease etiology and prevention.
  • Quantitative analysis of reported practices and disease awareness levels.

    • Main Results:

    • While 96.3% of students use latrines, a concerning 20.5% practice open defecation, and 3.2% defecate in water bodies.
    • Awareness of diseases like cholera (56.9%) and diarrhea (26.5%) was reported, but knowledge of other serious diseases like shigellosis (0.1%) and typhoid (3.8%) was very low.
    • The majority of respondents (50-99%) could not identify the primary causes of WASH-related diseases, indicating a significant knowledge deficit.

    Conclusions:

    • Student knowledge regarding the causes and prevention of WASH-related diseases is insufficient.
    • Despite infrastructure use, unsafe disposal practices persist, highlighting the need for comprehensive health education.
    • Integrating health education with water and sanitation infrastructure development is vital for improving student health and well-being.