Factors associated with water quality, sanitation, and hygiene in rural schools in 14 low- and middle-income countries

Cronk, Ryan; Guo, Amy; Fleming, L.; Bartram, Jamie

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144226

Cited by 34 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This limitation is not restricted to our study, but to the whole Taabo HDSS population, since 85.6% is primarily Akan in ethnicity, which is different from, for example, the ethnicity of the Senoufos residing in the North of the country [18,46]. Nevertheless, the findings are in line with other studies from LMICs [39,47]. Despite these limitations, our study is an important contribution and identified gaps that need to be addressed in order to achieve SDG 6 in rural Côte d'Ivoire by 2030.…”

Section: Strengths and Limitationssupporting

confidence: 70%

“…Studies in Ghana and Indonesia showed that safe WASH infrastructures at schools increased children's sense of privacy, while this added confidence was shown to reduce absenteeism at school [37][38][39]. Hence, by making the provision of adequate WASH infrastructure a priority, including well maintained toilets, safe drinking water, and appropriate handwashing facilities, there is an opportunity for the education and health sectors in Côte d'Ivoire to jointly promote health and well-being in schoolchildren through multi-sectoral action, which is considered essential for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [40].…”

Section: Availability and Quality Of Wash Infrastructurementioning

confidence: 99%

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Access to Water and Sanitation Infrastructures for Primary Schoolchildren in the South-Central Part of Côte d’Ivoire

Kouamé

Galli

Peter

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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In rural settings of Côte d’Ivoire, access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) at schools is often lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess the availability, quality, and use of WASH infrastructure in schools in the south-central part of Côte d’Ivoire, and to determine the hygiene practices of schoolchildren. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 20 primary schools with (n = 10) or without (n = 10) direct access to drinking water. The survey was comprised of a questionnaire directed at schoolchildren aged 8–17 years, an assessment of the WASH infrastructure, and the testing of drinking water samples for Escherichia coli and total coliforms. Overall, 771 schoolchildren were enrolled in the study. One out of four children (24.9%) reported that they used available toilets. Among those children not using toilets, more than half (57.5%) reported that they practised open defecation. Drinking water infrastructure was limited in most schools because of poor storage tanks, the low flow of water, or broken wells. All drinking water samples (n = 18) tested positive for total coliforms and 15 (83.3%) tested positive for E. coli. The lack of WASH infrastructures in primary schools in the south-central part of Côte d’Ivoire, in combination with poor hygiene practices, might govern disease transmission and absenteeism at school, especially among females.

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Section: Strengths and Limitationssupporting

confidence: 70%

Section: Availability and Quality Of Wash Infrastructurementioning

confidence: 99%

Access to Water and Sanitation Infrastructures for Primary Schoolchildren in the South-Central Part of Côte d’Ivoire

Kouamé

Galli

Peter

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…Twenty percent of the studies (n = 13) entailed location or distance from the water source in schools. Fourteen percent of the studies (n = 9) reported that the water source was located on premises [ 27 , 56 , 57 , 62 , 65 , 77 , 84 , 94 , 99 ]. Distance from the water source varied from within 50 m of the school [ 77 ], more than 30 m from classrooms with some as far as 350 m away [ 102 ], within 1 km of the school [ 66 , 91 ] or more than 1 km away from the school [ 78 , 83 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Implications for the COVID-19 Pandemic

Poague

Blanford

Anthonj

2022

IJERPH

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The global COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the extent to which schools are struggling with the provision of safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). To describe the WASH conditions in schools and discuss the implications for the safe reopening of schools during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature on WASH in schools in low- and middle-income countries was performed. In April 2021, five databases, including MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, AJOL, and LILACS, were used to identify studies. Sixty-five papers met the inclusion criteria. We extracted and analyzed data considering the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) definitions and the normative contents of Human Rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. Publications included in this systematic review considered 18,465 schools, across 30 different countries. Results indicate a lack of adequate WASH conditions and menstrual hygiene management requirements in all countries. The largely insufficient and inadequate school infrastructure hampers students to practice healthy hygiene habits and handwashing in particular. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, being hindered to implement such a key strategy to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the school environment is of major concern.

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“…While appealing to policy makers to improve WASH in schools, there are many opportunities for front-liners to take relevant steps at the school level. Establishing health clubs and activating parent-teacher associations have been found to have a major impact on improving WASH in schools [49,50]. Strong school leadership is also another key factor [49,50].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Establishing health clubs and activating parent-teacher associations have been found to have a major impact on improving WASH in schools [49,50]. Strong school leadership is also another key factor [49,50].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Unequal geographic distribution of water and sanitation at the household and school level in Sudan

et al. 2021

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The Sudanese Government launched the National SDG-6 Plan and commences its implementation to achieve and sustain universal and equitable access to basic WASH services by 2030. It is critical to understand the geographical heterogeneity of Sudan and patterns in the inequality of access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Through such research, the disease control strategy can be optimized, and resource allocation can be prioritized. We explored spatial heterogeneity and inequality in access to improved water and sanitation across Sudan by mapping the coverage at both the state and district levels. We decomposed the inequality across Sudan into within-state, between-state, within-district, and between-state inequalities using the Theil L and Theil T indices. We calculated the Gini coefficient to assess the inequality of access to improved water and sanitation, based on the deviation of the Lorenz curve from the line of perfect equality. The study population was 105,167 students aged 8–13 at 1,776 primary schools across the country. Geographical heterogeneity was prominent in the Central Darfur, South Darfur, East Darfur, Kassala, West Kordofan, and Blue Nile States, all of which showed severe inequality in access to an improved latrine at the household level in terms of the Theil T or Theil L index. The overall inequality in the coverage of improved sanitation went beyond the warning limit of 0.4 for the Gini coefficient. The inequality in terms of the Theil L and Theil T indices, as well as the Gini coefficient, was always higher for improved sanitation than for improved water at the household level. Within-state inequality accounted for 66% or more of national inequalities in the distribution of improved sanitation and drinking water for both the Theil L and Theil T indices. This is the first study to measure geographical heterogeneity and inequalities in improved water and sanitation coverage across Sudan. The study may help to prioritize resource allocation to areas with the greatest water and sanitation needs.

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Factors associated with water quality, sanitation, and hygiene in rural schools in 14 low- and middle-income countries

Cited by 34 publications

References 18 publications

Access to Water and Sanitation Infrastructures for Primary Schoolchildren in the South-Central Part of Côte d’Ivoire

Access to Water and Sanitation Infrastructures for Primary Schoolchildren in the South-Central Part of Côte d’Ivoire

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Implications for the COVID-19 Pandemic

Unequal geographic distribution of water and sanitation at the household and school level in Sudan

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