WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE (WASH) PRACTICE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG ADULT PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS WHO ARE ON ART IN HEALTH INISTITUTIONS OF DIRE DAWA CITY, [ETHIOPIA].

Abstract

Background: - People living with HIV/AIDS are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of inadequate water, sanitation, and poor hygiene condition. In seeking to protect themselves from infection, or cope up with the symptoms, their needs for clean water and sanitation increase. Water and sanitation needs of People living with HIV/AIDS, access to these services often decline because of lost income, physical disability, and/or stigma associated with the disease. Objective: - To assess water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practice and associated factors among adult people living with HIV/AIDS who are on Anti-retroviral therapy in health institution of Dire Dawa city. Methods: - A health-institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 25 to June 15, 2016. Data were collected from 422 randomly selcted adult People living with HIV/AIDS who come to health facilities for anti-retroviral therapy. By using quantitative techniques method data were collected. Bivirate and multivariate analyses were done to identify the independent predictors of WASH practice among adult People living with HIV/AIDS. Results: In the study, 174 (44%) of participants have good WASH practice. The study found that being femal sex (AOR=0.44; 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.92), elementary educational levele (AOR=3.55; 95% CI: 1.30 to 9.70), client ingaged in work (AOR= 7.08; 95% CI: 1.90 to 26.44), and also adequate knowlede related to water handling (AOR=0.20; 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.35) and good knowledge regards to hygiene practice (AOR=0.11; 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.28) were significantly associated with WASH practice. Conclusions: - Less than half of the respondent (44%) has good WASH practice. Sex, educational status, occupational status and also knowledge of the client related to WASH were some of the factors that affect WASH practice in this study. Encouraging hygiene education for people living HIVAIDS on ART services and additional support for the provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene services is recommended.