Namara Frank, Mendoza Hilbert, Tumukunde Gloria, Wafula Solomon Tsebeni
Department of Disaster Risk Management, Uganda Red Cross Society, Kampala, Uganda.
Faculty of Health Science, Uganda Martyrs University, Kampala, Uganda.
J Environ Public Health. 2020 Mar 30;2020:3089063. doi: 10.1155/2020/3089063. eCollection 2020.
Hand hygiene in refugee camp settlements remains an important measure against diarrhoeal infections. Refugee settings are characterised by overcrowding and inadequate access to water and hygiene facilities which favour proliferation of faecal-oral diseases. Handwashing with soap and water is therefore an effective way of preventing such diseases. Despite this knowledge, there is limited information about access to functional handwashing facilities in these settings and associated factors in Uganda.
Quantitative data were collected from 312 refugee households in Rhino Camp Settlement, Northwestern Uganda, using a semistructured interviewer-administered questionnaire. A modified Poisson regression was used to obtain prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the determinants of access to a functional handwashing facility among refugee households. All analyses were performed using STATA 14.0 statistical software.
Of the 312 households, 123 (39.4%) had access to a handwashing facility, but only 72 (23.1%) of households had handwashing facilities that were functional. Duration of stay in the camp exceeding 3 years (adjusted PR = 2.63; 95% CI (1.73-4.00)) and history of receiving home-based education on hand hygiene (adjusted PR = 9.44; 95% CI (1.40-63.86)) were independent predictors of access to a functional handwashing facility.
Access to functional handwashing facilities among the refugee households was low. Our findings highlight the need for more and continued handwashing promotional programs, most especially among newly arrived refugees in the camp.
难民营定居点的手部卫生仍然是预防腹泻感染的一项重要措施。难民营的特点是过度拥挤，获得水和卫生设施的机会不足，这有利于粪口传播疾病的扩散。因此，用肥皂和水洗手是预防此类疾病的有效方法。尽管有这方面的认识，但关于乌干达这些地区使用功能性洗手设施的情况及相关因素的信息有限。
使用半结构化访谈式问卷，从乌干达西北部犀牛营定居点的312个难民家庭收集定量数据。采用修正的泊松回归来获得难民家庭中使用功能性洗手设施的决定因素的患病率比（PRs）和95%置信区间（CIs）。所有分析均使用STATA 14.0统计软件进行。
在312户家庭中，123户（39.4%）可以使用洗手设施，但只有72户（23.1%）家庭的洗手设施是功能性的。在营地居住超过3年（调整后的PR = 2.63；95% CI（1.73 - 4.00））和接受过家庭手部卫生教育（调整后的PR = 9.44；95% CI（1.40 - 63.86））是使用功能性洗手设施的独立预测因素。
难民家庭中使用功能性洗手设施的比例较低。我们的研究结果凸显了开展更多且持续的洗手推广项目的必要性，尤其是在营地新抵达的难民中。
