Level of Awareness of Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) Among Communities in Kilifi and Marsabit Counties in Kenya

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined determinants of major interventional factors on community-led total sanitation to deliver open defecation-free societies and improve Health and well-being among the selected population in Kilifi and Marsabit in Kenya. Methodology: The study methodology included a comparative cross-sectional study of the two diverse study populations. Eight hundred and eleven participants were recruited for the data collection phase of the study. A multistage sampling procedure was used to sample the villages and the households. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS tool version 26.0. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the different regional CLTS uptake. Inferential statistics, including multivariate logistic regression, were used to determine associations between variables. Findings: The study found a significant statistical association between households with household heads having good handwashing awareness (A.O.R=2.459, p=0.002) and CLTS awareness (A.O.R=4.317, p=0.022) were statistically associated with owning a sanitation facility. The results show that the CLTS program is effective and has positively impacted sanitation status, such as reducing open defecation levels in Kilifi and Marsabit. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: CLTS focuses on the behavioral change needed to ensure real and sustainable improvements—investing in community mobilization instead of hardware and shifting the focus from toilet construction for individual households to the creation of open defecation-free villages. It raises awareness that even if a minority of people continue to defecate in the open, everyone is at risk of disease