Huda Tarique Md Nurul, Jahir Tania, Sarker Sushobhan, Yeasmin Farzana, Masud Abdullah Al, Sultana Jesmin, Das Jyoti Bhushan, Nizame Fosiul Alam, Leontsini Elli, Shoab Abul Kasham, Kwong Laura H, Rahman Mahbubur, Luby Stephen P, Winch Peter J
Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 21;18(21):11092. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111092.
In low- and middle-income countries, most latrines are not accessible to young children. We explored how to modify existing pit latrines to make them child friendly. We conducted four focus group discussions with mothers to explore barriers to child latrine use. We then enrolled 20 households with a child aged 3-7 years old to test six enabling technologies developed based on the identified barriers. Two to three weeks after installing the selected enabling technologies in each household, researchers conducted 19 in-depth interviews with caregivers to explore the technologies' acceptance and feasibility. Common barriers included the discomfort of squatting on a large pan, fear of darkness, and fear of a slippery floor. Of the potential solutions, a ring to stabilize the child while squatting in the latrine was preferred by children and was affordable and available. A wooden board with a smaller hole than the usual pan reduced fears of falling and helped eliminate discomfort but was inconvenient to handle and clean. A transparent fiberglass roof tile was affordable, available, increased visibility, and kept the latrine floor dry. In conclusion, the fiberglass roof tile and stability ring were two affordable and locally available technologies that facilitated latrine use by children aged 3-7 years.
在低收入和中等收入国家，大多数幼儿无法使用厕所。我们探索了如何改造现有的坑式厕所，使其对儿童更友好。我们与母亲们进行了四次焦点小组讨论，以探讨儿童使用厕所的障碍。然后，我们招募了20户有3至7岁儿童的家庭，对基于已识别障碍开发的六种辅助技术进行测试。在每户家庭安装选定的辅助技术两到三周后，研究人员对照顾者进行了19次深入访谈，以探讨这些技术的可接受性和可行性。常见障碍包括蹲在大便池上不舒服、害怕黑暗和害怕地面滑。在潜在的解决方案中，一种在儿童蹲在厕所时起到稳定作用的环受到儿童青睐，且价格实惠、容易获得。一块有比普通便池更小洞口的木板减少了跌落恐惧，有助于消除不适感，但操作和清洁不便。一种透明玻璃纤维屋顶瓦片价格实惠、容易获得，增加了可见度，并保持厕所地面干燥。总之，玻璃纤维屋顶瓦片和稳定环是两种价格实惠且当地可得的技术，有助于3至7岁儿童使用厕所。
