Rural and peri-urban households' handwashing behaviour before the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for managing it in North-western Ghana

Good hygiene and handwashing remain important in public health, particularly in localities with low or no basic water and sanitation facilities. Using the Integrated Behavioural Model for water and hygiene, this study analysed key factors that shape handwashing behaviour and practices and the implications for managing the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted using 20 rural and peri-urban communities in Ghana. Data gathered from 332 households and 20 focus group discussions indicated respondents have considerable knowledge of the significance of effective handwashing with soap, especially at critical moments. Although the practice of handwashing has been promoted in all the study communities, none of the households had a handwashing station. The respondents however argued that the absence of a handwashing station does not imply they do not wash their hands, especially at critical moments. Access to water, ability to buy soap, gender, and long hours of staying on distant farms shaped handwashing behaviour and practices. Although the study was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings have substantial implications for the fight against the pandemic. Given that households are knowledgeable of the importance of handwashing, re-iterating the practice and intensifying advocacy on behavioural change, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic will reinvigorate handwashing.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Back to basics: urban households’ perspective on free water supply in Ghana in the COVID-19 pandemic

Water supply is a basic human right and governments have sought to fulfil this right through free supply of water. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed governments, including the Government of Ghana, to return to supply of free water as a measure of enhancing personal hygiene in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. This study sought to analyse the reliability of water supply before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and the state of households’ water consumption during the pandemic. The paper is based on an online survey of 4,257 urban households across the 16 administrative regions of Ghana. The study found that flow reliability has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic free water delivery. We also established that correlation between consumption before and during the pandemic was r = 0.659, p < 0.01. Therefore, use of the ‘stay home campaign’ as a strategy to contain the disease in addition to social connection and sharing free water, have increased domestic water consumption. Although the pandemic necessitated the return to water being delivered as a basic necessity to fight against the pandemic, the emphasis on ‘back to basics’ was not fully implemented. This is because some urban households that could not pay water bills prior to the free water supply were denied the COVID-19 pandemic free water package and rural households who relied on point sources also did not benefit from the package. © The authors, 2022.