ABSTRACT Background: In slums with many people and limited facilities, sanitation and hygiene are fundamental influencers of public health. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is a major problem in the capital city, Freetown, affecting the slum areas the most. Having unhygienic toilets is often related to diarrheal diseases, cholera, skin problems, and other diseases spread by dirty water. The goal of this study was to check how present sanitation and hygiene routines in Freetown’s urban slums affected the health of the community, thus aiding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 6. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed by interviewing 500 residents from five main urban slums in Freetown. The study used a standard questionnaire that people could fill out by themselves about their hygiene practices, water supply, sanitation, and health. Analyses of the numerical data were conducted using SPSS 25. The data were looked at by summing up variables using descriptive statistics, and the relationship between public health and sanitation practices was studied using Chi-square tests. To measure how likely poor hygiene and disease were, binary logistic regression was used. Results: According to the study, nearly two-thirds of households (64.2%) had communal pit latrines, and just over a third (38.6%) said they washed their hands with soap after using the toilet. Most research participants reported having diarrhea (52.4%), skin infection (33.8%), and typhoid (22.6%). Chi-square analysis pointed out that there is a significant connection between how many people have diarrheal disease and their type of sanitation facility (χ 2 = 19.76, P < 0.001). According to binary logistic regression, people in households without proper sanitation were almost three times more likely to get sick with common diseases (odds ratio = 2.84, 95% confidence interval: 1.76–4.56). Getting water, handling waste, and regular handwashing each strongly affected people’s health status. Conclusion: It is clear from the evidence that there is a significant public health problem linked to sanitation and hygiene status in Freetown’s urban slums. Poor WASH practices are very clearly linked to higher rates of illnesses that could be avoided. Luangwa District can achieve the SDGs by relying on government support for sanitation services, helping people change their behaviors, and involving the community in WASH initiatives. Making these interventions helps to reduce inequalities in health and meet the SDG 3 and 6 targets in Sierra Leone’s low-income urban communities.
Gendemeh et al. (Wed,) studied this question.