Table 1 Operational definitions of some independent variables

Community-Led Total Sanitation and Hygiene (CLTSH)

An approach to changing sanitation and hygiene behavior rather than making physical changes in the community [18]

Caregiver

Any person who provides care for the child other than the mother [19]

Unimproved water sources

Unprotected dug well, unprotected spring, or surface water (river, dam, lake, pond, or stream) from which water was fetched [20]

Handwashing at critical times

Handwashing with soap after visiting latrine, after cleaning the bottom of a child, before preparing food, before eating, and before feeding a child [21]

Proper refuse disposal

Disposal of refuse by burning, burying in a pit, storing in a container or at a designated site [21]

Safe child feces disposal

Disposal of child feces in a latrine