The Role of Cultural Communication in Enhancing Latrine Ownership in Rural Indonesia

Abstract

Open defecation is a significant public health challenge in Indonesia, particularly in rural areas characterized by limited sanitation infrastructure and strong local cultural influences. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally tailored communication approach in increasing household latrine ownership and to identify the most influential behavioural factors. This quasi-experimental study examined 150 household heads divided into three groups, namely culturally-tailored participatory education, passive literacy-based dissemination, and control. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted over three months and consisted of three structured sessions delivered at monthly intervals. The results showed that the culturally-tailored participatory education group experienced the most significant increase in latrine ownership (from 66% to 88%, p=0.001), compared to the passive literacy-based dissemination (from 76% to 78%) and the control group (80%). McNemar and Kruskal-Wallis tests confirmed the effectiveness of the cultural education intervention on behaviour change in the community. Furthermore, multivariate analysis within the cultural education group showed that community participation had the strongest correlation with increased latrine ownership (r=0.377; p=0.007), followed by partnerships (r=0.306; p=0.031) and regulation awareness (r=0.307; p=0.030). This study provides novel quantitative evidence that culturally tailored communication, beyond conventional education, can effectively transform sanitation behaviours in culturally complex rural settings.