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Published on: June 7, 2017
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.
Summary
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.
- 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.
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