Background Hand washing is the simplest, most affordable, and most effective means of limiting the spread of infections. Despite increasing efforts to improve hand washing at critical times (after defecation, after handling child/adult feces or cleaning child's bottom, after cleaning the environment, before preparing food, and before eating food), mothers/caregivers of under-five children fail to conduct it; but the reason appears unclear. Thus, this study sought to identify hand washing at critical times and associated factors among mothers/caregivers of under-five children in Nefas Silk Lafto Sub-City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted on April 1-15, 2019, and 312 mothers/caregivers participated. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data from participants by interviewer-administered technique and the data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Science version 20. The factors were determined by conducting logistic regression and the crude odds ratio (COR) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals. All statistical tests were conducted at a 5% level of significance. Results The study revealed that 232 (74.4%; 95% CI [69.6%-79.2%]) mothers/caregivers washed their hands at critical times. The illiterate mothers/caregivers and mothers/caregivers who lacked tap water inside the home or the backyard had 66% (AOR = 0.34; 95%CI [0.17-0.69]) and 62% (AOR = 0.38; 95%CI [0.18-0.80]) reduced odds of washing hands at critical times, respectively. Mothers/caregivers from middle had (AOR = 4.56; 95%CI [1.84-11.33]), richer had (AOR = 5.61; 95%CI [2.11-15.30]), and the richest had (AOR = 6.14; 95%CI [2.24-16.72]) times increased likelihood of washing hands at critical times than the poorest. Conclusion The majority of mothers/caregivers practiced hand washing at critical times, and improving maternal literacy, household economy, and availability of water sources in the backyard are needed to maintain and enhance the practice.
Background Hand washing is the simplest, most affordable and effective means of limiting spread of infections. It has especial importance for children because they are more susceptible to infections acquired from unwashed hands. Despite increasing efforts to improve hand washing at critical times, mothers/caregivers of under-five children fail to practice; but, the reason is unclear. Thus, this study was aimed to identify the magnitude and factors associated with hand washing at critical times among mothers/caregivers of under-five children. Methods An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted in Nefas Silk Lafto Sub-City by April 2019, and 312 mothers/caregivers were participated. The data were collected by interviewing mothers, entered and analyzed with statistical package for social science 20 (SPSS-20). The findings were presented with crude odds ratios (COR) and Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). A P-value less than 0.05 was used statistical significance level. Results 232 ( 74.4%; 95% CI [69.6%-79.2%]) mothers/caregivers washed their hands at critical times. Illiterate mothers had 66% reduced (AOR= 0.34; 95%CI [0.17-0.69]) odds of washing hands at critical times than literate mothers. Mothers who did not own tap water in their back yard had 62% (AOR= 0.38; 95%CI [0.18-0.80]) reduced odds of hand washing at critical times than their counterparts. As compared to the mothers from the poorest households, those from middle, richer and the richest households had 4.56 (AOR= 4.56; 95%CI [1.84-11.33]), 5.61 (AOR= 5.61; 95%CI [2.11-15.30]) and 6.14 (AOR= 6.14; 95%CI [2.24-16.72]) times increased likelihood of washing hands at critical times. Conclusion Three fourth of mothers practiced hand washing at critical times, and improving maternal literacy, household economy and availability of water source in backyard are needed to maintain and enhance the practice.
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