School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Sector 12, Chandigarh, 160012, India.
Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Jul;26(19):19512-19522. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-04964-y. Epub 2019 May 10.
Availability of clean water and adequate sanitation facilities are the principal measures for limiting various waterborne diseases. These basic amenities are critical for health and sustainable socio-economic development. This study attempted to assess the status of water and sanitation facilities and practices of the people living in rural areas of Chandigarh including awareness about the waterborne diseases. The community-based cross-sectional study design was adopted having 300 households across 12 villages of city Chandigarh. A standardized interview schedule was used to collect information related to water uses, storage, water treatment options, water conservation practices, personal hygiene, knowledge about waterborne diseases, and government schemes. The interview schedule was administered with the head of the family as a study approach during the door-to-door survey. Households in rural Chandigarh have municipal water supply for drinking as well as other domestic purposes. The mean per capita water usage was 67 ± 13.4 l. Most (68.6%) of the study participants reported that they do not treat water before drinking and store it in plastic bottles or bucket (58%). The survey shows that 97% of the household had functional toilets in their premises, remaining reported lack of finances, and space for construction as major barriers. Regarding personal hygiene, 83% of respondents wash hands with soap and rest used only water or ash. Observations made under the study highlighted the need to create awareness regarding the role of water and sanitation practices on health including knowledge about various government schemes to improve water quality, sanitation, and hygiene practices for better health.
清洁水和充足卫生设施的供应是限制各种水传播疾病的主要措施。这些基本设施对健康和可持续社会经济发展至关重要。本研究试图评估居住在昌迪加尔农村地区的人们的水和卫生设施及实践状况，包括对水传播疾病的认识。采用了基于社区的横断面研究设计，在昌迪加尔市的 12 个村庄中有 300 户家庭。使用标准化访谈表收集与水的用途、储存、水处理选项、节水实践、个人卫生、水传播疾病知识和政府计划相关的信息。访谈表通过家庭调查进行，以家庭户主为研究对象。昌迪加尔农村的家庭有市政供水，用于饮用和其他家庭用途。人均用水量平均为 67 ± 13.4 升。大多数（68.6%）研究参与者表示，他们在饮用前不处理水，而是将水储存在塑料瓶或桶中（58%）。调查显示，97%的家庭在其场所都有功能齐全的厕所，其余家庭报告缺乏资金和空间建设是主要障碍。关于个人卫生，83%的受访者用肥皂洗手，其余人只用水或灰洗手。研究中的观察结果强调了需要提高对水和卫生习惯对健康的作用的认识，包括了解各种改善水质、卫生和卫生习惯的政府计划，以促进更好的健康。
