Division of Epidemiology, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India.
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
J Infect Dis. 2021 Nov 23;224(Supple 5):S573-S583. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab354.
The Sustainable Development Goals identified universal access to water and sanitation facilities as key components for improving health. We assessed water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices and associated determinants among residents of urban slums in Kolkata, India.
Information on WASH practices was collected in 2 surveys (2018 and 2019) from participants of a prospective enteric fever surveillance conducted in 2 municipal wards of Kolkata. A composite WASH practice score was computed and a hierarchical stepwise multiple linear regression model constructed to identify key determinants of improved WASH score.
Over 90% of households had access to piped water; 6% reported access to continuous supply. Adult women (61% in 2018; 45% in 2019) spent 20 minutes daily to fetch water. Access to improved latrines was almost universal, although 80% used shared facilities. Unhealthy disposal of children's stools was reported in both rounds. Food hygiene practices were high, with most (>90%) washing uncooked items before eating; frequent consumption of street food items was reported.
The study area reported high WASH coverage. Unhygienic behavioral patterns predisposing to food- or water-borne diseases were also noted. Awareness building and sustainable community mobilization for food hygiene needs to be emphasized to ensure community well-being.
可持续发展目标将普及水和环境卫生设施确定为改善健康的关键组成部分。我们评估了印度加尔各答市贫民窟居民的水、环境卫生和个人卫生（WASH）习惯及其相关决定因素。
在加尔各答市的两个市政区进行的前瞻性伤寒监测中，对参与者进行了两次调查（2018 年和 2019 年），收集了 WASH 实践方面的信息。计算了综合 WASH 实践评分，并构建了分层逐步多元线性回归模型，以确定改善 WASH 评分的关键决定因素。
超过 90%的家庭可以获得自来水；6%的家庭报告可以连续供水。成年女性（2018 年为 61%；2019 年为 45%）每天花 20 分钟时间取水。几乎所有家庭都可以使用改良的厕所，尽管 80%的家庭使用共享设施。两轮调查均报告存在儿童粪便处理不当的问题。食品安全卫生行为很高，大多数（>90%）人在食用前会清洗生的食物；经常食用街头食品。
研究区域报告了高的 WASH 覆盖率。但也注意到了一些容易导致食源性或水源性疾病的不卫生行为模式。需要加强食品安全卫生意识，并进行可持续的社区动员，以确保社区福祉。
