Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Apr 29;17(9):3084. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093084.
We report on the management of infant feces in a rural village in Geita region, Tanzania. Findings discussed here emerged incidentally from a qualitative study aimed at investigating vulnerability and resilience to health challenges in rural settings. Data was gathered through semi-structured focus group discussions (FDGs) with women ( = 4; 32 participants), men ( = 2; 16 participants), and community leaders ( = 1; 8 participants). All FDGs were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using Atlas.ti. Respondents reported feces of a child under the age of six months were considered pure compared to those of older children. Infant feces were seen as transitioning to harmful at the point when the child began to eat solid food, resulting in their stool visually changing in appearance. Caregivers reportedly used soft implements to handle infant feces due to the belief that tools with hard surfaces would physically harm the child. Infant feces were disposed in environments around the house due to the belief that disposal in latrines would prevent developmental milestones and result in other perceived negative health outcomes for the child. Changing views expressed by participants suggest a window of opportunity to implement evidence-based and culturally relevant interventions to encourage the safe disposal of infant feces.
我们报告了坦桑尼亚盖塔地区一个农村村庄对婴儿粪便的处理情况。本研究旨在调查农村环境中对健康挑战的脆弱性和适应能力，这里讨论的发现是偶然产生的。数据是通过对妇女（= 4；32 名参与者）、男子（= 2；16 名参与者）和社区领导人（= 1；8 名参与者）进行半结构化焦点小组讨论（FDG）收集的。所有的 FDG 都进行了录音、逐字转录，并使用 Atlas.ti 进行了主题分析。受访者报告说，六个月以下儿童的粪便被认为是纯净的，而年龄较大的儿童的粪便则不是。当孩子开始吃固体食物时，婴儿的粪便就会被认为是有害的，因为他们的粪便在外观上会发生变化。据报道，由于认为硬表面的工具会对孩子造成身体伤害，照顾者会使用柔软的工具来处理婴儿的粪便。由于认为将粪便放入厕所会阻碍孩子的发育里程碑，并导致其他被认为是负面的健康后果，因此婴儿的粪便被丢弃在房屋周围的环境中。参与者表达的不断变化的观点表明，有机会实施基于证据和文化相关的干预措施，鼓励安全处理婴儿粪便。
