Otaki Yurina, Honda Hidehito, Onuki Yutaro, Shinohara Gen, Otaki Masahiro, Chaminda Tushara
Graduate School of Social Science, Hitotsubashi University, 2-1 Naka, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8601, Japan.
Faculty of Pychology, Otemongakuin University, 2-1-15 Nishiai, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka 567-8502, Japan.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Dec 8;21(12):1634. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21121634.
Pit latrines-the simplest on-site sanitation system-have been extensively used in developing countries in Asia for a long time. However, pit latrines are pollution and health risk hotspots that can cause widespread contamination. It is preferable to upgrade them to septic tanks, which are more advanced, effective, and simple alternatives. This study encourages the transition from pit latrines to septic tanks by making people aware of the health and environmental risks associated with the use of pit latrines. As decisions about sanitation technologies are mostly made by individual households, it is important to find communication tools for the average household to understand the basic information to make informed decisions. To this end, this study used augmented reality as a communication tool. A survey was conducted with Sri Lankan households that use pit latrines, and experiments were carried out in a university laboratory in Japan. The use of augmented reality increased people's understanding of the environmental and health risks of pit latrines. This understanding was retained for some time because people found the use of augmented reality 'enjoyable'. Hence, our findings contribute to the promotion of the transition from pit latrines to septic tanks in low- and middle-income countries.
坑式厕所——最简单的现场卫生设施系统——长期以来在亚洲发展中国家被广泛使用。然而，坑式厕所是污染和健康风险热点，可能导致广泛污染。将其升级为化粪池更为可取，化粪池是更先进、有效且简单的替代方案。本研究通过让人们意识到使用坑式厕所相关的健康和环境风险，鼓励从坑式厕所向化粪池的转变。由于卫生技术的决策大多由单个家庭做出，找到让普通家庭理解基本信息以做出明智决策的沟通工具很重要。为此，本研究使用增强现实作为沟通工具。对使用坑式厕所的斯里兰卡家庭进行了调查，并在日本一所大学实验室开展了实验。增强现实的使用增强了人们对坑式厕所环境和健康风险的理解。这种理解在一段时间内得以保留，因为人们觉得使用增强现实“有趣”。因此，我们的研究结果有助于促进低收入和中等收入国家从坑式厕所向化粪池的转变。
