Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) practices and morbidity status in rural community: Findings from a cross-sectional study in Odisha, India: WaSH practices and morbidity in rural community

Introduction Global evidences indicate an association between improper WaSH practice and poor health outcomes. In rural area this practice is predominantly compromised due to inadequate access to safe drinking water, knowledge gaps and unhygienic socio-behavioural practices. Improper WaSH practice leads to increased vulnerability of various infections, thereby posing a challenge to health system. Methods A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 879 participants of two villages in Tigiria block, Cuttack district, Odisha, India. Information pertaining to socio-demography, WaSH practices and self-reported morbidities were captured and analysed using SPSS v 25.0. Bi-variate analysis was done to assess the association between WaSH practices and any acute illnesses. Differences were considered statistically significant if p value was less than 0.05. Results Tube well was the main source of drinking water (49.3%) followed by dug well (46.6%). Only 7.1% of participants reported to purify drinking water and around 40% were still practicing open defecation. The prevalence of acute and chronic illnesses was 9.2% and 19.1% respectively. Major acute illnesses were respiratory diseases, diarrhoeal disorders and musculoskeletal problems, while major chronic illnesses were gastro intestinal problems, musculoskeletal problems and hypertension. After adjusting for age, gender and education, a significant odds ratio of 3.79 [CI = (1.23-11.70), p<0.05] was observed between drinking water source (surface water Vs tube well water) for acute illnesses. Conclusions: Poor WaSH practices among rural people make them vulnerable to acute and chronic morbidities. Health awareness and socio behavioural change pertaining to WaSH practices needs utmost priority to ensure better health.