Water Availability, Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Primary Schools in the Buea Municipality, Cameroon: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The provision of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services are important to protect the health of the public against infectious diseases. The challenges of inaccessible WASH services along with the COVID-19 pandemic and cholera epidemics can lead to devastating health problems. The objective of this study was to assess the water availability, sanitation, and hygiene practices in primary schools in the Buea municipality. Methods: A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted between April to May 2022 in 26 primary schools selected in the Buea municipality. An observational checklist and a structured questionnaire were used to collect data on water availability and sanitation in schools and the hygiene practices of class five and six pupils. A total of 923 pupils were included in the study. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results: Of the 26 primary schools surveyed, 5 (19.2%) had good water availability and 11(42.3%) had practiced good sanitation. Only 48(5.2%) of the pupils practiced good hygiene at school. Hygiene practice was associated with school types (χ2 = 46.44, p<0.001), gender (χ2 = 3.96, p=0.047), availability of a water source (χ2= 27.13, p<0.001) and source of water (χ2= 10.04, p=0.002). Reasons for the poor hygiene practice of pupils were: water scarcity, lack of hand-washing facilities, forgetfulness, distant tap, and unavailability of soap. Conclusion: Water was available in a few schools in the Buea municipality. Hygiene practices among the pupils were very poor. This study provides baseline data to inform a public health intervention by the Ministry of Basic Education to enforce implementation of WASH practices in primary schools in the Buea Municipality.