Ray Kuntala, Shukla Vineeta, Basu Mausumi, Manna Sukanta, Rashid Mamunur, Mondal Aparajita
Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
J Educ Health Promot. 2024 Mar 28;13:113. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_995_23. eCollection 2024.
Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is the most basic need for mankind. Poor WASH practices are associated with various waterborne diseases, especially in developing countries such as India. The aim of the study was to assess WASH practices among residents of different slum settlements in a ward of Kolkata, identify the factors associated with WASH practice, and explore the barriers faced by the families and municipal staff in providing adequate WASH services to the community.
An observational study, cross-sectional in design with a convergent parallel mixed-methods approach, was conducted in different slum settlements in a ward of Kolkata. Quantitative data were collected by face-to-face interview, spot observation, and measuring the living area, door, and window spaces. Key informant interviews were conducted with the medical officer, ward vector-control coordinator, and municipal waste handlers, in addition to in-depth interviews with respondents who had unsatisfactory WASH practices. SPSS version 25.0 was used to analyze the quantitative data. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically using Atlas.ti 22.
The overall WASH practices were considered satisfactory in 58.8% of the households. Education of the respondents up to the secondary level, presence of overcrowding, and inadequate ventilation in the house had statistically significantly higher odds of unsatisfactory practice. Poor living conditions, difficulty in collecting and storing water, waterlogging, blocked sewage drains, common toilets for men and women, and lack of motivation were the primary obstacles identified by the residents.
Unsatisfactory WASH practices were observed among a high proportion of the slum population. Community engagement and education regarding WASH in communities is strongly recommended along with improvement of infrastructure and capacity building.
获得安全的水、环境卫生和个人卫生（WASH）是人类最基本的需求。不良的WASH习惯与各种水传播疾病相关，尤其是在印度等发展中国家。本研究的目的是评估加尔各答一个街区不同贫民窟居民的WASH习惯，确定与WASH习惯相关的因素，并探讨家庭和市政工作人员在为社区提供充足的WASH服务时面临 的障碍。
在加尔各答一个街区的不同贫民窟进行了一项观察性研究，采用横断面设计和收敛平行混合方法。通过面对面访谈、现场观察以及测量居住面积、门和窗的空间来收集定量数据。除了对WASH习惯不令人满意的受访者进行深入访谈外，还对医务人员、街区病媒控制协调员和市政垃圾处理人员进行了关键信息访谈。使用SPSS 25.0版本分析定量数据。使用Atlas.ti 22对定性数据进行主题分析。
58.8%的家庭的整体WASH习惯被认为是令人满意的。受访者接受中等教育、房屋过度拥挤和通风不足在统计学上有显著更高的不令人满意习惯的几率。居民指出的主要障碍包括生活条件差、收集和储存水困难、内涝、污水排水管道堵塞、男女共用厕所以及缺乏积极性。
在很大一部分贫民窟人口中观察到WASH习惯不令人满意。强烈建议开展社区参与和关于WASH的社区教育，同时改善基础设施和能力建设。
