Exploring the determinants and indicators of poultry feces management behaviors in rural Western Uganda

Animal ownership has reported financial and nutritional benefits but has also been associated with enteric and respiratory infections, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene can lead to children touching and ingesting animal fecal matter. We identified key indicators for poultry feces management and investigated their social determinants using data from a baseline survey of a randomized-controlled trial of a poultry management training program in rural Western Uganda. The baseline survey was conducted in the Masindi and Kiryandongo districts of Uganda in September 2019, and data collected from 609 households were used. We evaluated indicators for poultry feces management behaviors using scale development methods, including descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation analyses, and Factor Analysis of Mixed Data. We also investigated social determinants of key poultry feces management behaviors using logistic and multinomial logistic regression models. A significant increase in odds of having free-roaming poultry was found for each additional poultry owned (OR = 1.18, P < 0.001). The odds of a household having an observed enclosure for poultry increased by 5% with each incremental poultry owned (OR = 1.05, P < 0.001), and by 4% with increasing wealth with each additional point on the poverty probability index score (OR = 1.04, P < 0.001). Our results also suggest enclosures are intermittently used and constructing them without further intervention likely will not be sufficient for effectively managing animal fecal contamination. We recommend that future studies on animal feces management measure indicators for corralling and feces disposal practices and evaluate their relationship to enteric pathogen exposure and health outcomes. Insights from this work can inform the development of robust indicators of poultry feces management behaviors that can be used for monitoring and evaluation purposes.

Automated summary

Animal ownership can have financial and nutritional benefits, but also poses risks of infections and unsanitary conditions. A study in rural Western Uganda examined indicators for poultry feces management and their social determinants. The study found that the number of poultry owned was associated with free-roaming and enclosure practices, as well as wealth. The research highlights the importance of considering indicators for corralling and feces disposal practices in future studies on animal feces management.