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In total, 45 hours of structured observations of children's behavior around open drains were conducted. The frequency of young children observed in drains was significantly lower in Alajo, Bukom, and Shiabu compared to Old Fadama, which had the largest percentage of drains with no cover (Table 5). On average, three to four young children per hour were observed in drains in Old Fadama, while less than one young child per hour was observed in Alajo, Bukom, and Shiabu. The frequency of young children observed in drains was also significantly lower for small and medium drains compared to large drains, and for formal drains compared to ecological drains. The frequency of older children observed in drains was significantly lower in Bukom compared to Old Fadama, but did not differ significantly when comparing Alajo or Shiabu to Old Fadama (Table 5). One to two children were observed in a drain per hour in Alajo, Old Fadama, and Shiabu while one child was observed in Bukom every 2 hours. The frequency of older children observed in small drains was less than twice the rate of older children observed in large drains. There were no differences in the observed frequencies of older children entering drains based on drain construction.

Table 5

Rates of children observed in open drains by neighborhood and drain characteristics

		Children under 5 years old^a		Children 5–12 years old^a
	Hours^b	Rate (children/hour)	P-value	Rate (children/hour)	P-value
Neighborhood
Alajo	11	0.9	<0.01	1.2	0.07
Bukom	11	0.6	<0.01	0.5	<0.01
Old Fadama	14	3.5	Ref	2.1	Ref
Shiabu	9	0.4	<0.01	2.0	0.82
Drain size^c
Small	15	0.7	<0.01	0.9	0.02
Medium	16	1.4	0.01	1.7	0.62
Large	14	2.7	Ref	1.9	Ref
Drain construction^d
Formal	25	0.9	<0.01	1.6	0.63
Ecological	19	2.5	Ref	1.4	Ref

		Children under 5 years old^a		Children 5–12 years old^a
	Hours^b	Rate (children/hour)	P-value	Rate (children/hour)	P-value
Neighborhood
Alajo	11	0.9	<0.01	1.2	0.07
Bukom	11	0.6	<0.01	0.5	<0.01
Old Fadama	14	3.5	Ref	2.1	Ref
Shiabu	9	0.4	<0.01	2.0	0.82
Drain size^c
Small	15	0.7	<0.01	0.9	0.02
Medium	16	1.4	0.01	1.7	0.62
Large	14	2.7	Ref	1.9	Ref
Drain construction^d
Formal	25	0.9	<0.01	1.6	0.63
Ecological	19	2.5	Ref	1.4	Ref

^aAge was estimated by the observer.

^bTotal observation hours at drain locations. Each observation took place for 1 hour. It was assumed each recorded count represented a single child.

^cSmall drain (<0.5 m across), medium drain (0.5–1 m across), large drain (>1 m across).

^dEcological drains were dirt lined with no formal planning. Formal drains were cement or stone lined and were intentionally constructed.

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