Research Journal of Mathematics and Statistics 6(2): 12-15, 2014 ISSN: 2042-2024, e-ISSN: 2040-7505 © Maxwell Scientific Organization, 2014 Submitted: May 29, 2013 Accepted: June 18, 2013 Published: May 25, 2014 Corresponding Author: Blessing Masamha, Department of Environmental Science, Bindura University of Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe 12 Multinomial Regression Modelling of Factors Determining Choice of Household Water Treatment Technology in Bindura Rural District of Zimbabwe 1 Blessing Masamha, 1 Artwell Kanda, 2 Tichaona Mapuwei, 1 Jephita Gotosa and 1 Violet P. Dudu 1 Department of Environmental Science, 2 Department of Mathematics and Physics, Bindura University of Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe Abstract: Household Water Treatment and Safe water storage (HWTS) are options for improving the biological quality of drinking water. A multinomial logistic regression was used to model household water treatment technologies of chlorination, boiling and bios and filtration against the most important socio-economic factors influencing choice of technology of treatment in Bindura rural district. Structured questionnaires were administered to 252 House Holds (HH) sampled from six district wards. Government assistance, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) support, health club membership, training in hygiene were the most important factors influencing choice of household water treatment as shown by the Wald statistics; Log Likelihood ratios (-2LL) and corresponding p-values. The odds ratios for each factor also considered relative to the reference category (chlorination). Model goodness of fit tests showed that pseudo-R 2 of Negelkerke was 55.7% and the Cox and Snell R 2 was 43.5% indicating that the fitted model was adequate since almost 55.7% of the total variation is explained by the models. Log Likelihood ratios showed the significance of removing each factor and all factors were significant except for the household size factor. Training programs on health hygiene, water treatment and club membership should be enhanced to increase adoption of various treatment methods in the Bindura rural. Keywords: Bindura, household water treatment technology, multinomial modeling, socio-economic factors INTRODUCTION In Africa, about 70% of the households in rural areas are living without sanitation facilities and 80% without access to improved drinking water sources (UNICEF/WHO, 2008). This is where the burden of disease associated with unsafe drinking water is borne mostly by the poor, the very young and the immune- deficient but is largely preventable (Trevett et al., 2005; Nath et al., 2006). Water is usually collected from unprotected sources and consumed without being treated putting people to health risk from water-borne diseases. Household Water Treatment and Safe storage (HWTS) is an option for improving the quality of drinking water at household level especially where handling and storage of drinking water are necessary and recontamination is a risk (WHO/UNICEF, 2011). Water supply and hygiene programs provide barriers to pathogens breaking the cycle of disease transmission (Waddington et al., 2009). After such programs have been implemented in an area the incidence of diarrheal diseases is expected to decrease. Household Water Treatment (HWT) technologies can be used to eliminate or reduce transmission of pathogens is well documented (Nath et al., 2006; Classen, 2009; Waddington et al., 2009). In this study HWTS that were used by rural communities of Bindura district were assessed. A number of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have been working in the district for the past decade in water supply and hygiene. There has been no independent assessment of water supply interventions in Bindura district to evaluate the factors that influence the choice of HWT option. Identifying populations that do not practice HWTS or acceptable hygiene behavior may help Water Supply and Hygiene (WSH) program implementers to effectively target their beneficiaries and evaluate their program effectively. The Zimbabwean government recommended the bush pump (borehole) for rural community water supply and, chlorination for HWT. These prescribed technologies have proved to be not sustainable for the rural poor as replication; maintenance, replacement and/or self-funding are poor. It is against this background that prompted to assess the most influential factors that determined the adoption or non adoption of various HWT technologies in the selected wards. A multinomial logistic regression is a technique that basically fits multiple logistic regressions in a multi- category unordered response variable that has been