Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Determinants of Open Defecation among Rural Women in Ghana: Analysis of 2003, 2008 and 2014 Demographic and Health Surveys

Version 1 : Received: 4 December 2022 / Approved: 12 December 2022 / Online: 12 December 2022 (10:03:35 CET)

How to cite: Appiah-Effah, E.; Boakye, K.; Salihu, T.; Duku, G. A.; Fenteng, J. O.-D.; Boateng, G.; Appiah, F. Determinants of Open Defecation among Rural Women in Ghana: Analysis of 2003, 2008 and 2014 Demographic and Health Surveys. Preprints 2022, 2022120199. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202212.0199.v1 Appiah-Effah, E.; Boakye, K.; Salihu, T.; Duku, G. A.; Fenteng, J. O.-D.; Boateng, G.; Appiah, F. Determinants of Open Defecation among Rural Women in Ghana: Analysis of 2003, 2008 and 2014 Demographic and Health Surveys. Preprints 2022, 2022120199. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202212.0199.v1

Abstract

The study investigated determinants of open defecation among rural women in Ghana. The study extracted data from the female’s file of the 2003, 2008 and 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). A total of 4,284 pooled sample size of rural women aged 15-49 with complete information about the variables analyzed in the study. The outcome variable was “open defecation” (i.e., defecating in an open space rather than a toilet facility) whilst fourteen (14) key explanatory variables were used. Two regression models were built, and output reported in odds ratio. Descriptively, 42 in every 100 women aged 15-49 practised open defecation (n=1811, 95’CI=49-52). Open defecation significantly correlated with educational attainment, wealth status, religion, access to mass media, partner's education, and zone of residence. The likelihood to practice open defecation reduced among those with formal education [aOR=0.69, CI=0.56-0.85], those whose partners had formal education [aOR=0.64, CI=0.52-0.80], women in the rich wealth quintile [aOR=0.12, CI=0.07-0.20], the traditionalist [aOR=0.33, CI=0.19-0.57], and those who had access to mass media [aOR=0.70, CI=0.57-0.85]. Residents in the Savannah zone were over 21-fold higher to defecate openly [aOR=21.06, CI=15.97-27.77]. The prevalence of open defecation is disproportionately pro-poor indicating that impoverished rural women are more likely to perform it.

Keywords

Open defecation; rural women; Ghana; Environmental Health; Demographic and Health Survey

Subject

Social Sciences, Behavior Sciences

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