Factors Influencing Households to Use Latrines after the Open Defecation Free Declaration in Ermera District, Timor-Leste

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify factors influence households to use and maintain latrines. This information is needed to scale up community led total sanitation programs in the Ermera District of Timor-Leste. The respondents were males and females 18-65 years of age in Haupu village. In order to access information from the subjects, the study was designed as a cross-sectional survey, based on a quantitative data design. The study was conducted in February 2013. Overall 417 respondents agreed to participate and data were collected using a structured questionnaire and were analyzed using chi-square tests of significance. The study found that 47.2% of households continued to use and maintain latrines and 52.8% had stopped by one year after the open defecation free declaration in Haupu Village. There were several factors that influenced households to continue use of or stop using latrines, namely socio-demography, knowledge, attitude and practice, socioeconomic status and environmental factors. It was found that there were significant associations between latrine use and gender (p-value=0.002), level of education (p-value<0.001), occupation (p-value =0.005), income (p-value <0.001), neighbors having a latrine (p-value<0.001), neighbor influence to build a latrine (p-value <0.001), knowledge (p-value =0.002), attitudes (p-value <0.001) and practices (p-value <0.001). There were 3 variables without significant associations namely: marital status (p-value 0.204), water source (p-value 0.959) and age (p-value 0.095).   More than half of the households stopped use and maintenance of latrines by one year after the open defecation free declaration. There were significant associations between latrine use and socio-demography, knowledge, attitude and practice, socioeconomic status and environmental factors. Education and knowledge are essential elements to be improved, especially for those living in rural areas. Collaboration within relevant ministries, institutions and among partners are the key important roles to monitoring and supervise the sustainability of latrine use and maintenance in the future.