Acceptability and Use of Water Filters in Two Rural Communities in Shai-Osudoku District of Ghana

Abstract

Household water treatment can improve water and make it safe for drinking and may prevent diarrhoea diseases. The acceptability of an intervention is an important condition for its successful implementation. To study the acceptability and use of water filters in the study area, the study was designed to address the following objectives: a) to assess the sources of drinking water in the two communities. b) to assess the knowledge of the people on water filter and its usefulness c) to determine how frequent water filters are used d) to determine the level of acceptability and use of water filters and e) to assess diarrhoea related perceptions in terms of causes, treatment and prevention in the study communities. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques were employed for the study. Households were selected by using purposive sampling. Analysis was done on quantitative data using STATA software while content analysis was done on the qualitative data to determine relevant narratives for presentation. The results revealed high acceptance of water filters in the studied communities. Significant proportion of the study participants had knowledge deficits about causes and prevention of diarrhoea. There were no statistically significant relationship between independent (marital status, level of education and household size) and dependent variables (use of the filters). This study contributes to existing knowledge on acceptability and use of water filters as a means to control diarrhoea disease in Ghana.