Socio-Economic Condition and Constraints faced by Tea Garden Women Workers in Chhattisgarh

The present study was conducted in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh to find out the socio-economic condition of women tea growers, to find out the constraints faced by them and seek suggestions to improve better working conditions. A total of 120 respondents were selected randomly for the present study. The data was collected through a pre-structured interview schedule and later appropriate statistical analysis was done to find out meaningful result. The result showed that the women tea growers found that there was improper sanitation facility inside the tea garden. They suggested that improved sanitation facility and social mobility could help them to improve better working environment.

Formulation of India State Hunger Index and Assessment of Associated Factors

There are many faces of hunger such as loss of energy, lack of interest, increased vulnerability to disease, shortfalls in nutritional status and premature death. Hunger is usually linked with lack of food. India State Hunger Index was formulated by assigning weights to the components of the index using principal component analysis. Association between hunger index and factors affecting it was assessed. Kerala has the minimum index score indicating less hunger, whereas, Jharkhand has the maximum index score depicting serious hunger situation. Literacy (men-women), households with improved drinking water facility and households with sanitation facility are highly associated with the India State Hunger Index. The factors like literacy (men-women), household with improved drinking water and sanitation facility and child’s adequate diet are required to be considered while framing the policies to mitigate the problem of hunger.

Evaluation of Microbial Contamination of Groundwater under Different Topographic Conditions and Household Water Treatment Systems in Special Region of Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia

Since the coverage of piped water is still only 20.1% in Indonesia, many people rely on groundwater for drinking and daily use, although the quality of the groundwater is not well understood. This study evaluated the influence of the topography, well type, groundwater abstraction depth, sanitation facility type, and distance between the well and the sanitation facility on the groundwater quality. In addition, a possible household treatment system was investigated based on microbial removal efficiency and household acceptance. The results showed the groundwater abstraction depth and well type were the most important factors in controlling microbial contamination. The sanitation facility type, except small-scale sewer systems, and the distance from a well were not significantly correlated with E. coli concentration. A high microbial concentration was found in a flat area with predominantly shallow wells, latrines, and septic tanks because the topographic conditions determined the commonly used well types and groundwater abstraction depth. The RO + UV system was the only system that assured microbial safety of treated water. The chlorination and microfiltration systems had difficulty with chlorine-dosage adjustment and microbial removal, respectively. Raising public awareness of water quality problems was found to be important to improve acceptance of household treatment systems.

Scenario-based life-cycle cost assessment to support sustainable investment in rural communal sanitation facilities: the application to a school-based sanitation facility

Despite decades of investment in widening access to improved sanitation, much of the world still lacks access to functional sanitation facilities. Through much of the Global South, toilets are inoperable and often abandoned. Failure to understand and account for the whole-life cost of sanitation infrastructure, as well as the interplay between context-specific socio-economic determinants, is one explanation for this reduction in the service life of shared sanitation infrastructure. This issue is especially salient in school-based and communal facilities in middle- to low-income countries. Drawing on a case study of a sanitation facility in a government school in rural south India, we explore the relationship between user value, community-based capacity, and external support in determining the costs of operating and maintaining sanitation facilities over their lifetime. We develop a scenario-based life-cycle cost assessment methodology to examine the relational impact of these determinants on the ‘real’ cost of shared sanitation infrastructure. The analysis concludes that investment and interventions that stimulate demand and enhance the capacity of a community are the most cost-effective options for ensuring the sustainability of sanitation facilities in our case study site. We then reflect on the applicability and limitations of these findings for a wider range of communal sanitation facilities.

Living Conditions and Social Distancing Barriers in India

The tenth part of the Social Change Indicators series gives an account on the living conditions that work as barriers against social distancing in different states of India: This segment especially focusses on aspects, such as the percentage of households (rural and urban) that own a house, the percentage share of nuclear households (rural and urban), the mean number of persons sleeping per room in households, the percentage of households (rural and urban) in which cooking is done in a separate room, the percentage of households (rural and urban) in which water is not treated prior to drinking, the percentage of households (rural and urban) with an improved non-sharable sanitation facility and the proportion of households living in slums.

Prevalence of acute diarrhea and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) associated factors among children under five in Woldia Town, Amhara Region, northeastern Ethiopia

Background Diarrhea among children under five is one of the significant public health concerns in developing countries, such as Ethiopia that is mainly attributed to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. Lack of data on the prevalence and factors associated with acute diarrhea in Woldia Town impedes the effectiveness of WASH programs in the area. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and WASH-associated factors of acute diarrhea among under-five children in this area. This study will help guide local diarrhea prevention and control programs. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 485 children under age five from March to June 2018. The study participants were allocated proportionally and then households with children of this age group were selected from each kebele (the smallest administrative unit in Ethiopia) using a systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected from mothers/caregivers of the under-five children using a structured questionnaire and on-the-spot observation checklist. A binary logistic regression model with 95 % CI (confidence interval) was used to measure the association between dependent and independent variables. From the multivariable analysis, variables with a p-value < 0.05 were taken as factors significantly associated with acute diarrhea among under-five children. Results The prevalence of acute diarrhea among the children was 17.6 % (95 % CI: 14.2–21.0 %). Almost two-thirds 307 (63.4 %) of study participants' main source of drinking water was a private tap; 320 (66.1 %) of households used less than 20 l per capita per day. About one-fifth 99 (20.5 %) of households used an improved sanitation facility. Only one-fifth (21.1 %) of the latrines had nearby handwashing facilities. Less than half 225 (46.5 %) of mothers/caregivers had good handwashing practice at critical times. Water consumption of less than 20 l per capita per day (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.45; 95 % CI: 1.36–5.84), unimproved sanitation facility (AOR = 3.57; 95 %CI: 1.64–6.51), practicing unsafe child feces disposal (AOR = 2.51; 95 % CI: 1.69–4.64), poor handwashing practice at critical times (AOR = 1.85; 95 % CI: 1.34–3.56) and having no information about diarrhea being prevented by handwashing with water and soap (AOR = 3.12; 95 % CI: 1.64–6.27) were significantly associated with acute diarrhea. Conclusions More than one in six children under age five had acute diarrhea, a proportion that could be considered relatively high. We recommend that government organizations and concerned stakeholders strengthen urban WASH programs to focus on increasing the availability of sufficient water for adequate daily consumption, and promote safe disposal of child feces and good handwashing practices at critical times. Further effort is needed to sensitize mothers/caregivers about diarrhea prevention through effective WASH activity to reduce the burden of this problem among children under five.

Prevalence of Anemia and Its Associate Factors among Women of Reproductive Age in Lao PDR: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey

Introduction. Anemia continues to be a major public health problem significant among women of reproductive age (WRA) in developing countries, including Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), where the prevalence of anemia among women remains high. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among WRA 15–49 years in Lao PDR. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study, using the Lao Social Indicator Survey II, 2017 dataset. A total of 12,519 WRA tested for anemia were included in this study, through multistage sampling approaches. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the associated factors of anemia. Results. Of 12,519 women, 4,907 (39.2%) were anemic. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that living in central provinces (aOR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.96–2.38), rural area (aOR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.00–1.20), large family size with more than 6 persons (aOR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.01–1.29), pregnancy (aOR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.22–1.74), having any adverse pregnancy outcomes (aOR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03–1.25), poor drinking water (aOR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.10–1.39), and poor sanitation facility (aOR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.03–1.28) were significantly associated with an increased risk of anemia. Conversely, four factors were associated with anemia preventively, including being aged 25–34 years (aOR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.74–0.90), postsecondary education (aOR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.60–0.97), Hmong-Mien ethnicity (aOR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.39–0.59), and watching television almost daily (aOR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.75–0.95). Conclusion. Anemia continues to be a major public health challenge in Lao PDR. Interventions should be considered on geographic variations, improving safe water and sanitation facility, promoting of iron supplements during pregnancy, and health education through mass media for women in rural areas.

Association of Women’s Empowerment With Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (Wash) Services in Ethiopia: A Cross-sectional Analysis

Background: Access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services is vital for human health and well-being. In Ethiopia, lack of improved WASH services has existed as a health problem for many years. Empowering women is among the most important factors for improving WASH services, but research-based evidence is lacking in this regard. The present study was designed to analyse the association between women’s empowerment and WASH services in Ethiopia.Methods: This analysis is based on the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). The survey-based Women’s emPowERment (SWPER) index approach is used to develop women’s empowerment indices. The three empowerment domains used by the SWPER authors include attitude to violence, social independence, and decision-making. Multilevel logistic regression was used to assess the association between these domains of women’s empowerment and WASH services. Estimates were presented as odds ratio (OR) and expressed per one standard deviation (SD) with significance levels set at the 5% level. Results: Overall, 90.9%, 78.4%, and 50.3% of the households included in this analysis had no basic handwashing facility, improved sanitation facility, and improved water source, respectively. A one SD increase in the social independence domain was associated with 16% higher odds of having basic handwashing facility (AOR: 1.16; 95%CI: 1.02, 1.33). As women’s attitude to violence increased by one SD, the odds of having improved sanitation facility is increased by 22% (AOR: 1.22; 95%CI: 1.05, 1.42). Also, a SD increase in social independence domain was associated with 18% higher odds of having improved sanitation facility (AOR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.34). There was no statistically significant association between domains of women’s empowerment and source of water.Conclusions: This study has shown that most of the households in Ethiopia had no access to improved WASH services. Multiple regression analyses revealed that empowering women had association with having basic handwashing and improved sanitation facility. The findings of this study have suggestive evidence that empowering women could improve WASH cervices.

Sanitasi Pemukiman pada Masyarakat dengan Riwayat Penyakit Berbasis Lingkungan

<p>Environmental-based diseases (PBL) are a health problem and occur in almost all geographical regions in the world. Every year, environment-based diseases are always found and reported to spread evenly at every Puskesmas in Bandar Lampung City. Settlement sanitation is an important aspect directly related to health and society. "Waterborne Disease" disease is still high, proving that there are still sanitation problems in settlements. The study aims to determine the relationship of settlement sanitation with environmental-based diseases in the city of Bandar Lampung. The study used a cross-sectional design, the population is all households in Bandar Lampung City. The sample was 384 respondents, taken randomly using multistage sampling. The results found 14,3% of respondents had a physical component of an unhealthy house, 45,3% of respondents had an unhealthy sanitation facility, 40,1% of the occupants of the house behaved in an unhealthy manner. The test results statistically concluded that there was a significant relationship between settlement sanitation and the incidence of environmental-based diseases.</p>