Ly Anh N, McDavid Kelsey, Craig Christina, Maheia Dian, Gongora Yolanda, Medley Alexandra, Morey Francis, Manzanero Russell, Morazan Gerhaldine, Lino Allison, Romero Vickie, Blanco Rosalva, Ishida Kanako, Lozier Matthew, Murray Kristy O
Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, 1102 Bates Ave, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Apr 12;21(4):470. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21040470.
Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) resources in schools is critical for disease prevention and control, especially during public health emergencies. In Belize, systematic, national data on WASH in schools are needed to inform public health decisions and interventions. From December 2021 to January 2022, a national survey was sent electronically to government and government-aided primary and secondary schools in Belize (N = 308) to gather information on WASH services. From the survey, 12 pilot schools were selected based on the highest self-reported need for WASH resources to participate in additional evaluation and intervention, which included environmental nudges, supplemental supply provision, and hand hygiene education. To understand how the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced hand hygiene, facility assessments to evaluate access to hand hygiene resources were conducted in person when most schools reopened for face-to-face learning during the pandemic (March 2022) and 15 months later (June 2023). Among the schools participating in the national survey (N = 221), 55% reported times when water was not available at the schools. Almost 9 in 10 schools (89%) had a functional handwashing station, and 47% reported always having soap for handwashing. Between baseline and follow-up at the 12 pilot schools, we observed decreases in the proportion of functional handwashing access points (-11%), functional handwashing access points accessible for individuals with disabilities (-17%) and small children (-29%), and functional alcohol-based hand rub dispensers (-13%). Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we observed gaps in WASH resources in schools in Belize during the onsite assessments at the pilot schools. Schools should be encouraged and provided with WASH resources to maintain vigilance for disease control measures.
在学校提供水、环境卫生和个人卫生（WASH）资源对于疾病预防和控制至关重要，尤其是在突发公共卫生事件期间。在伯利兹，需要有关于学校WASH的系统的全国性数据，以便为公共卫生决策和干预措施提供依据。2021年12月至2022年1月，通过电子邮件向伯利兹的政府及政府资助的中小学（N = 308）发送了一项全国性调查，以收集有关WASH服务的信息。根据自我报告的对WASH资源需求最高的情况，从调查中选出了12所试点学校，参与进一步的评估和干预，其中包括环境提示、补充物资供应和手部卫生教育。为了解2019冠状病毒病疫情的发展可能如何影响手部卫生，在疫情期间大多数学校重新开学进行面对面学习时（2022年3月）以及15个月后（2023年6月），对试点学校进行了实地评估，以评估手部卫生资源的可及性。在参与全国性调查的学校中（N = 221），55%报告学校曾出现无水可用的情况。近十分之九的学校（89%）设有可用的洗手设施，47%报告始终备有用于洗手的肥皂。在12所试点学校的基线期和随访期之间，我们观察到可用的洗手设施接入点比例下降了11%，残疾人士可使用的可用洗手设施接入点下降了17%，幼儿可使用的可用洗手设施接入点下降了29%，可用的酒精类洗手液分配器下降了13%。尽管2019冠状病毒病疫情仍在持续，但在对试点学校进行实地评估期间，我们发现伯利兹学校的WASH资源存在差距。应鼓励学校并为其提供WASH资源，以保持对疾病控制措施的警惕。
