Hand washing at critical times and associated factors among mothers/caregivers of under-five children in Nefas Silk Lafto Sub-City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2019: Facility based cross-sectional study

Background Hand washing is the simplest, most affordable and effective means of limiting spread of infections. It has especial importance for children because they are more susceptible to infections acquired from unwashed hands. Despite increasing efforts to improve hand washing at critical times, mothers/caregivers of under-five children fail to practice; but, the reason is unclear. Thus, this study was aimed to identify the magnitude and factors associated with hand washing at critical times among mothers/caregivers of under-five children. Methods An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted in Nefas Silk Lafto Sub-City by April 2019, and 312 mothers/caregivers were participated. The data were collected by interviewing mothers, entered and analyzed with statistical package for social science 20 (SPSS-20). The findings were presented with crude odds ratios (COR) and Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). A P-value less than 0.05 was used statistical significance level. Results 232 (74.4%; 95% CI [69.6%-79.2%]) mothers/caregivers washed their hands at critical times. Illiterate mothers had 66% reduced (AOR= 0.34; 95%CI [0.17-0.69]) odds of washing hands at critical times than literate mothers. Mothers who did not own tap water in their back yard had 62% (AOR= 0.38; 95%CI [0.18-0.80]) reduced odds of hand washing at critical times than their counterparts. As compared to the mothers from the poorest households, those from middle, richer and the richest households had 4.56 (AOR= 4.56; 95%CI [1.84-11.33]), 5.61 (AOR= 5.61; 95%CI [2.11-15.30]) and 6.14 (AOR= 6.14; 95%CI [2.24-16.72]) times increased likelihood of washing hands at critical times. Conclusion Three fourth of mothers practiced hand washing at critical times, and improving maternal literacy, household economy and availability of water source in backyard are needed to maintain and enhance the practice.