Open defecation is prevalent in areas that lack adequate sanitary
facilities. The practice undoubtedly causes multiple health concerns not only
in areas where it is mostly practiced but transcends to other
neighbouring communities. Using qualitative approach as the methodological
orientation, the study explored the causes of
open defecation and the peculiar behaviours of inhabitants of Dungu to the
practice. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were used to solicit
information from participants. It was realized from the examined data that the
practice was just not about sanitary issues such as insufficient toilets, and
unclean toilets but also an attitudinal pattern. The convenience and the fun
which characterize “free range” made overt defecation a preferred option. With
the prevailing causes, it is suggested that the assembly should work with
agencies especially NGOs to help provide more toilets and also intensify
education to members of the community on the importance of desisting from open
defecation.
References
[1]
Akter, T., & Ali, A. M. (2014). Factors Influencing Knowledge and Practice of Hygiene in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programme Areas of Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee. Rural and Remote Health, 14, 31-40. https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH2628
[2]
Bartram, J., Brocklehurst, C., Fisher, M. B., Luyendijk, R., Hossain, R., Wardlaw, T., & Gordon, B. (2014). Global Monitoring of Water Supply and Sanitation: History, Methods and Future Challenges. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11, 8137-8165. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110808137
[3]
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
[4]
Clasen, T., Boisson, S., Routray, P., Torondel, B., Bell, M., Cumming, O. et al. (2014). Effectiveness of a Rural Sanitation Programme on Diarrhoea, Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection, and Child Malnutrition in Odisha, India: A Cluster-Randomised Trial. The Lancet Global Health, 2, e645-e653. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(14)70307-9
[5]
Creswell, J. (2013). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
[6]
Cubellis, L., Schmid, C., & von Peter, S. (2021). Ethnography in Health Services Research: Oscillation between Theory and Practice. Qualitative Health Research, 31, 2029-2040. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323211022312
[7]
Harinie, L. T., Sudiro, A., Rahayu, M., & Fatchan, A. (2017). Study of the Bandura’s Social Cognitive Learning Theory for the Entrepreneurship Learning Process. Social Sciences, 6, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20170601.11
[8]
Kov, P., Smets, S., Spears, D., & Vyas, S. (2013). Growing Taller among Toilets: Evidence from Changes in Sanitation and Child Height in Cambodia, 2005-2010. Research Institute for Compassionate Economics Working Paper.
[9]
Mara, D. (2017). The Elimination of Open Defecation and Its Adverse Health Effects: A Moral Imperative for Governments and Development Professionals. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 7, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2017.027
[10]
Sarkin Gobir, Y., & Sarkin Gobir, S. (2017). Open Defecation, a Threat to Public Health and Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study of Gwadabawa Local Government, Sokoto State, Nigeria. International Journal of Medicine and Bioscience, 1, 28-37.
[11]
Seetharam, K. (2015). Challenges and Opportunities for Sanitation in Developing Countries. Journal of Science Policy and Governance, 7.
[12]
Songsore, J. (2008). Environmental and Structural Inequalities in Greater Accra. Journal of the International Institute, 16, 8-13.
[13]
Tampah-Naah, A., & N-Yelkabong, A. (2015). Cross-Sectional Study of Improved Sanitary Facilities’ Availability in an Urban Setting of Ghana. Open Access Library Journal, 2, e1217. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1101217
[14]
WHO/UNICEF (2010). Meeting the MDG Drinking Water and Sanitation Target: The Urban and Rural Challenge of the Decade. Joint Monitoring Report.
[15]
WSMP (2008). Use of Improved Sanitation Facilities in Ghana (4 p.). WSMP Ghana.
