| dc.description.abstract | Abstract:- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 6.2
calls for 'adequate and equitable sanitation for all.'
However, rapid urbanization in developing countries has
led to the growth of slums, where access to private toilets is
impractical. Evident studies showed that shared toilets
are more often poorly managed with adverse harmful
health risks such as diarrheal diseases, environmental
pollution, and economic deprivations. The study's specific
objective was to establish social-cultural factors
influencing the management of shared sanitation in
Nakuru Town's west slums, Nakuru County, Kenya. The
study adopted a convergent parallel mixed-method design
involving 288 household heads selected through a cluster
and random sampling technique. Data was collected using
a structured questionnaire and interview guides.
Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics was
computed. The study findings indicated that the majority,
74.7%, of shared sanitation was poorly managed. The
study established statistically significant associations of
secondary education (p=0.024), marital status (p=0.025),
user satisfaction (p=0.001), household sharing (p=0.000),
social norms (p=0.001), cultural beliefs (p=0.002), Rituals
on use and cleaning toilet (p=0.038), Privacy and modesty
concerns (p=0.002) and management of shared sanitation.
In conclusion, a large proportion of households in slums
used poorly managed shared sanitation due to the
influence of multiple factors like users' satisfaction,
Household sharing, marital status, social norms, and
cultural beliefs, thus polluting the public health of the
place. The study recommended that the Government and
all other agencies implementing sanitation promotion
interventions should understand the social-cultural
practices of the target communities and articulate this
knowledge to tailor sanitation initiatives effectively. Future
studies should focus on implementing and assessing the
effectiveness of behavioral interventions. | en_US |
