Assessment of graduated model households' practice on urban environmental health extension packages at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

The Health Extension Program (HEP) has been implemented as a component of HSDP II since EFY 1994 at rural area and has been expanding to urban areas, with the aim of improving access and equity in the delivery of essential health services and with 15 packages of interventions in Addis Ababa. Out of 15 packages, four were environmental health and hygiene packages. The Objective of the research was to assess the practice of Environmental Health Packages and identify factors that affecting its practice on urban environmental Health Extension Packages, at household level with community based cross-sectional study with quantitative and qualitative techniques of study. In practice of environmental health extension packages Personal hygiene package, liquid waste management package and Latrine disposal system package are less practice of mean value and most qualitative results also support these results. The overall extent of environmental health packages practice was least practiced which is 12.4% which significantly under/poorly practiced from the standard. On the other hand family size and educational status of the respondents are significantly associated the practice of environmental health packages. From qualitative study results poor solid waste and liquid waste management, poor political and administration support, rental problem & poor access of water supply are the basic influencing factors for implementing EHP practice. There should have to be strong and consistent political, administration and technical supports from regional level up to woreda level on the UHEP (especially Environmental Health packages). There should have to be inter-sectoral collaborations from regional level up to woreda level on health and others sectors. There should have to practice regular and strong supportive supervision and evaluation with quality control during model training and graduation of environmental health packages from sub city up to woreda level............................. Thesis available at ACIPH Library