Impact of Community-Led Total Sanitation on Sanitation Behaviour and Toilet Ownership among Households in Kwali Area Council, Abuja

Open defecation (OD) remains a significant public health challenge in Nigeria, with community-led total sanitation (CLTS) adopted as a key strategy to achieve open defecation free (ODF) status. Hence, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the impact of CLTS on sanitation behaviour and toilet ownership in Kwali area council, federal capital territory (FCT), Nigeria using appropriate standard methods including structured researcher-designed. Findings indicated that 68.67% of communities were certified ODF, with 66.7% of households in certified areas using their own latrines and only 2.3% practicing OD, compared to 12% in non-certified communities. Latrine ownership was high (88.67%), with 71.68% constructed post-CLTS, and 90.22% of respondents ceased OD. CLTS participation (OR = 6.24, p = 0.001), awareness (OR = 1.81, p = 0.002), and education (OR = 2.78, p = 0.004) significantly predicted latrine ownership. This study concluded that open defecation in some ward in Kwali area council has been significantly reduced through CLTS, but sustained efforts are needed to address financial barriers, enhance governance, and ensure equitable ODF attainment across all wards.