The Effects Of Community Health Strategy On Sanitation Indicators In Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

In 2006, Kenya developed and adopted Community Health Strategy as a means of enhancing community access to Healthcare services. Although there has been scientific evidence that community based health approaches are effective in delivering specific health services, there has been little effort to examine the performance of the Kenya’s Community Health Strategy against sanitation indicators. This analytical cross-sectional study was therefore designed to evaluate the effects of Community Health Strategy on sanitation indicators within Tharaka Nithi County. A total of 394 primary respondents, including 196 respondents from the Community Health Strategy implementing sites and 198 respondents from the non-Community Health Strategy implementing sites were randomly selected for household interviews. The study also gathered information through focused group discussions and key informant interviews. A p value of less or equal to 0.05 (p ≤ 0.05) was considered to be statistically significant. The study revealed statistically significant differences between Community Health Strategy implementing sites and the non-implementing sites. For instance, the study found out that 58.6% of households in the Community Health Strategy implementing sites owned improved sanitation facilities compared to 40.6% households in the non-implementing sites, χ2 = 10.994, df=1, p˂0.001. Likewise, 43.9% of households in the Community Health Strategy implementing sites had handwashing facilities compared to 12.1% of the households in the non-implementing sites, χ 2 = 49.359, df=1, p˂0.001. The Community Health Strategy implementing sites also recorded a low diarrhoeal prevalence (15.1%) compared to 25% of households in the non-implementing sites χ2 = 8.542, df=1, p=0.003. The significant differences of sanitation indicators in favour of Community Health Strategy implementing sites demonstrates that Community Health Strategy is a suitable approach in delivering sanitation related indicators. The study therefore underscores the need for the Tharaka Nithi County Government and implementing partners to provide all the community based sanitation services through the existing framework of Community Health Strategy