Pratique des ménages en matière d’hygiène et assainissement dans 3 villages du cercle de Kénieba dans la région de Kayes au Mali

Introduction: An insufficient access to a salubrious water, in conditions of hygiene and cleansing constitutes by order of importance, the third factor of risk of the problems of pubic health in the developing countries with like consequence of the high death rate [ 2 ]. They cause enormous effects on the environment, education and the economic activities. The present study was initiated with an aim of studying the level of knowledge and the practices of the households in order to induce change of behavior favorable to health. Material and methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study by systematic survey in the village of Kassama and exhaustive in the villages of Netekoto and Diantissa in the district of Kenieba was carried out from the 3 to 7 November 2010. Nearly 147 mothers or tutors of child of less than 5 years, groupings male, female, heads of households, the teachers had been the object of individual talks and fosud group in order to determine the level of knowledge and practice as regards water of cleansing and hygiene. Results: The study showed that paludism was observed in 42,2% follow-up of the simple diarrhoea or dysenteria in 23,1% and of the acute respiratory infections with cough and cold in 7,5%. In the event of diseases, the first recourse to the care was the Community center of health in 96% of the cases. The principal sources of supply water of the households were the wells (44,2%), the pumps (24,5%) and the backwater (8,8%) in rainy season. In dry season, the pumps (35,4%) and the wells (36,1%) constituted the principal sources of provisioning. Conclusion: A low level of knowledge and practice of the households hygiene cleansing was observed with a weak schooling of the mothers. The low availability of the sumps (13,6%), the ignorance of the methods of water treatment (29%) and of transformation of the household refuse could be corrected through the training of the mothers who could invest themselves in the cleansing of the medium by means of activities of public interests generating of incomes.