| dc.description.abstract | The heaviest burden of diarrhea is borne by low-income populations with poor access to safe water and sanitation. In 2017, 11.80% of the total deaths were due to diarrheal diseases in Kenya. In Kisumu County, diarrhea is ranked second after HIV and AIDs as the main cause of deaths. The 2017Geographical Information System mapping of diarrhea per county indicated that Kisumu has a high incidence of diarrhea, with the informal settlements of Bandani reported to be the most highly affected. This study sought to assess the prevalence of diarrheal and status of water used by households of Bandani informal settlement. The specific objectives were to determine the prevalence of diarrhea that occurred within the past two weeks amongst the households of Bandani settlements, to assess the status of water used by households of Bandani settlements, to determine if a relationship exists between the status of water used in households and the prevalence of diarrhea amongst the households of Bandani settlements. This was a cross-sectional study where 115 of the 5164 households in Bandani were assessed using WHO formula for household surveys. The instruments for data collection were pretested household questionnaires and observation checklist. Water samples were collected and analyzed following the Water Services Regulatory Board’s guidelines. The data demonstrated a positive, statistically significant association between the presence of contaminated water in homes and prevalence of diarrhea. The prevalence of diarrhea was 40%. Water vendors were the main source of water (28.6%), followed by wells (26.1%), and taps (22.6%).Water samples that were contaminated were 42.6%. Diarrhea episodes were higher when the main water source was vendors (48.9%) compared to a tap (38.2%), well (37.5%) and other sources (32.4%) but not statistically significantly (P>0.05). The prevalence of diarrhea episodes was higher in homes with bacterially contaminated water (50.8%) compared to clean water (31.8%) statistically significantly (χ2=5.601, p=0.018, DF=2). This study provides a reference point on water status, diarhea and their relationship in the informal settlements. The study concludes that diarrheal episodes were statistically and significantly higher in homes with bacterially contaminated water, the prevalence of contaminated water in households was high, and the prevalence of diarrhea episodes in households was high. I recommended that the population must be sensitized on the economical and health impact of status of water used by the households and their relationship with diarrhea. | en_US |
