Fazeela A, Borkar Rajnish S, Mer Hetal T
Department of Community Medicine, ACS Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2024 Aug;13(8):3350-3354. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_330_24. Epub 2024 Jul 26.
Water is a basic human right essential to all for sustainable development. Sanitation is one of the determinants of quality of life and the human development index. Drinking unsafe water impairs health through illnesses such as diarrhoea, and untreated excreta contaminates ground waters and surface waters used for drinking, bathing and household purposes.
To assess the existing facilities and practices related to drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene among household members in the rural population of Tamil Nadu and to assess whether accessibility and availability of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation under sustainable development goal 6 is being achieved in the rural population of Tamil Nadu.
This community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 200 households in the rural field practice area of the Medical College and Hospital, Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu. The participants were interviewed using a predesigned semi-structured questionnaire on their existing water, sanitation, and hand washing facilities and practices.
Our study observed that 71.5% of households had piped water supply into their dwellings, 82% were using sanitary latrines and 28% had closed drainage for draining wastewater. Twenty-eight percent were using soap and water for hand-washing before food, and 82.5% were doing hand-washing with soap after using the toilet. In our study, the association between sanitary practices and education, occupation and socioeconomic status was statistically significant.
Our study emphasized the need for strengthening health education and behaviour change communication regarding sanitation and hand hygiene practices.
水是人类可持续发展必不可少的一项基本人权。卫生设施是生活质量和人类发展指数的决定因素之一。饮用不安全的水会通过腹泻等疾病损害健康，未经处理的排泄物会污染用于饮用、沐浴和家庭用途的地下水和地表水。
评估泰米尔纳德邦农村人口家庭成员中与饮用水、卫生设施和个人卫生相关的现有设施及做法，并评估泰米尔纳德邦农村人口是否实现了可持续发展目标6中安全饮用水的可及性和可得性以及充足的卫生设施。
这项基于社区的横断面研究在泰米尔纳德邦蒂鲁瓦勒尔区医学院及医院农村实地实践区域的200户家庭中开展。通过一份预先设计的半结构化问卷，就其现有的水、卫生设施和洗手设施及做法对参与者进行访谈。
我们的研究发现，71.5%的家庭住宅有自来水供应，82%使用卫生厕所，28%有封闭排水系统用于排放废水。28%的人在饭前用肥皂和水洗手，82.5%的人在使用厕所后用肥皂洗手。在我们的研究中，卫生习惯与教育、职业和社会经济地位之间的关联具有统计学意义。
我们的研究强调了加强关于卫生设施和手部卫生习惯的健康教育及行为改变沟通的必要性。
