R4D Sanitation

Water, sanitation, and hygiene in emergencies: summary review and recommendations for further research

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:57 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article
Creator: Brown, J.; Cavill, S.; Cumming, O.; Jeandron, A.

Production Year: 2012

Citation: Brown, J.; Cavill, S.; Cumming, O.; Jeandron, A. Water, sanitation, and hygiene in emergencies: summary review and recommendations for further research. Waterlines (2012) 31 (1) 11-29. [DOI: 10.3362/1756-3488.2012.004]

Summary: Water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions can interrupt diarrhoeal disease transmission and reduce the burden of morbidity and mortality associated with faecal-oral infections. We know that rapid response of effective WASH infrastructure and services can prevent or lessen the impact of diarrhoeal outbreaks that can exacerbate the human suffering accompanying humanitarian crises. In this review summary, we present an overview of current knowledge about what works to prevent disease in emergency WASH response. We know that providing safe water, safe excreta disposal, and basic hygiene measures such as hand washing with soap are effective interventions both within emergency settings as well as in longer-term development, but innovation and further research are needed to make WASH response more effective. We propose key areas for critical research to support the evidence base for WASH interventions in emergencies and promote innovation.

Tanzania: Sampling and improving pit latrines

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:04 GMT

Document Type: Audio
Creator: Ensink, J.

Production Year: 2012

Citation: Ensink, J. Tanzania: Sampling and improving pit latrines. (2012) Podcast, 16 min 10 sec.

Summary: Pit latrines and their contents are being studied as part of an innovative project in Tanzania to understand decomposition rates. In this episode, Dr Jeroen Ensink, of LSHTM and SHARE, discusses how this research, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to improve the longevity of pit latrines. He also speaks about SHARE’s diverse research portfolio, the work of SHARE-funded PhD students, and ongoing challenges for the sanitation and hygiene sector

Water and sanitation issues for persons with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries: a literature review and discussion of implications for global health and international development

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 07:55 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article
Creator: Groce, N.; Bailey, N.; Lang, R.; Trani, J.F.; Kett, M.

Production Year: 2011

Citation: Groce, N.; Bailey, N.; Lang, R.; Trani, J.F.; Kett, M. Water and sanitation issues for persons with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries: a literature review and discussion of implications for global health and international development. Journal of Water and Health (2011) 9 (4) 617-624. [DOI: 10.2166/wh.2011.198]

Summary: The critical importance of unrestricted access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation for all is highlighted in Millennium Development Goal 7, which calls for the reduction by half of the proportion of people without such access by 2015. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to the needs of such access for the 690 million people living with a disability worldwide, despite the fact that the right to equal access for all international development initiatives is guaranteed in the new United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In this paper, we review what is currently known about access to water and sanitation for persons with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries from the perspective of both international development and global health, and identify existing gaps in research, practice and policy that are of pressing concern if the water and sanitation needs of this large – and largely overlooked – population are to be addressed.

Exploration of the impact of the lack of sanitation on women in the slums of Kampala, Uganda

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:49 GMT

Document Type: Briefing
Creator: Massey, K.

Production Year: 0

Citation: Massey, K. Exploration of the impact of the lack of sanitation on women in the slums of Kampala, Uganda. 11 pp.

Summary: This qualitative study, conducted in Uganda's capital Kampala, explores whether women are exposed to humiliation, violence and rape as a result of inadequate toilet facilities. The document examines the scope and impact of this association in order to inform future policy and programming.

Perceptions of risks related to sexual violence against women linked to water and sanitation in Delhi, India

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:42 GMT

Document Type: Briefing
Creator: Lennon, S.

Production Year: 2011

Citation: Lennon, S. Perceptions of risks related to sexual violence against women linked to water and sanitation in Delhi, India. (2011) 15 pp.

Summary: The link between a lack of access to water and sanitation facilities and sexual violence against women is not well known and to date has received insufficient attention. This document attempts to highlight this link within the context of urban slums in Delhi, and suggests how this problem can be addressed.

Equity matters: Policy-makers need to improve sanitation for the poorest in developing countries

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:03 GMT

Document Type: Audio

Production Year: 2012

Citation: Anon. Equity matters: Policy-makers need to improve sanitation for the poorest in developing countries. (2012) Podcast, 20 min 04 sec

Summary: A new SHARE study based on research from 10 countries shows how the poorest suffer disproportionately from their lack of access to sanitation. In this podcsat, Dr Rick Rheingans – the lead author of the report and the Impact Director of SHARE – explains the increased risk of illness and death faced by children from poor families. He suggests policy-makers should focus their efforts on community-level exposure to contaminated waste and should targeting the poorest and most vulnerable, especially the urban poor. The Associate Professor from the University of Florida also describes his research on water, sanitation and hygiene in schools in Kenya

School menstrual hygiene management in Malawi: More than toilets

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:55 GMT

Document Type: Briefing
Creator: Piper Pillitteri, S.

Production Year: 2012

Citation: Piper Pillitteri, S. School menstrual hygiene management in Malawi: More than toilets. (2012) 25 pp.

Summary: This study identifies the needs and experiences of girls regarding menstruation. It draws upon participatory group workshops, a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with school-age girls in Malawi to make various recommendations, including lessons about menstrual hygiene management (MHM), girl-friendly toilet designs, and the provision of suitable and cheap sanitary protection.

Exploring inequities in sanitation-related disease burden and estimating the potential impacts of pro-poor targeting

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:48 GMT

Document Type: Briefing
Creator: Rheingans, R.; Cumming, O.; Anderson, J.; Showalter, J.

Production Year: 2012

Citation: Rheingans, R.; Cumming, O.; Anderson, J.; Showalter, J. Exploring inequities in sanitation-related disease burden and estimating the potential impacts of pro-poor targeting. (2012) 4 pp.

Summary: New research shows the poorest are suffering the most from inadequate sanitation as they are more exposed to human waste and are more susceptible to disease. The findings from the study have far-reaching implications for the better targeting of future sanitation investments, and are summarised in this four-page Policy Briefing.

Estimating inequities in sanitation-related disease burden and estimating the potential impacts of pro-poor targeting

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:39 GMT

Document Type: Report
Creator: Rheingans, R.; Cumming, O.; Anderson, J.; Showalter, J.

Production Year: 2012

Citation: Rheingans, R.; Cumming, O.; Anderson, J.; Showalter, J. Estimating inequities in sanitation-related disease burden and estimating the potential impacts of pro-poor targeting. (2012) 49 pp.

Summary:

The objectives of this study are to model for 10 low-income countries (Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Bangladesh, India and Tanzania) in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia:

1. The distribution of sanitation-related health burden by wealth quintile.
2. The distribution of health benefits for targeting different wealth quintile groups.
3. The spatial distribution of sanitation-related health burden and benefits.

This work used existing household survey data from the Demographic and Health Surveys for the 10 countries to estimate disparities in sanitation-related services, exposures, susceptibility, burden and impact of infrastructure improvements.

Food prices, household income, and resource allocation: socioeconomic perspectives on their effects on dietary quality and nutritional status

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 05:23 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article
Creator: Bouis, H.E.; Eozenou, P.; Rahman, A.

Production Year: 2011

Citation: Bouis, H.E.; Eozenou, P.; Rahman, A. . Food prices, household income, and resource allocation: socioeconomic perspectives on their effects on dietary quality and nutritional status. Food and Nutrition Bulletin (2011) 32 (1 Supplement) S14-S23.

Summary: BACKGROUND: The recent rise in agricultural commodity prices has been dramatic, and food prices are likely to follow an upward trend, at least in the medium-term. Moreover, the recent financial crisis has also lowered incomes and increased food prices. Not only does this reduce dietary quality, but expenditures for health, sanitation, and education will decline, all of which will have a detrimental effect on health and nutrition outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To provide some perspectives on the role of major socioeconomic factors in driving health and nutrition outcomes.

METHODS: We use demand elasticity parameters estimated from household-level survey data to simulate an increase in food prices, which is then mapped into energy and nutrient intakes. Furthermore, we also use household-level data to analyze the implications of unequal intrahousehold distribution of food for the nutritional status of adult women and female children.

RESULTS: A 50% increase in food prices results in a decrease in energy intake of 5% to 15% and in a decrease in iron intake of 10% to 30%, depending on the strength of the induced income effect. In a country like the Philippines, this would be equivalent to an increase of 25 percentage points in the proportion of women not meeting their requirements for iron intake.

CONCLUSIONS: Increasing food prices will make fighting micronutrient malnutrition in developing countries more difficult. In societies where preference is given to males in the intrahousehold distribution of nonstaple foods, this objective will be even more challenging.