TY - JOUR
T1 - Water cost and availability
T2 - Key determinants of family hygiene in a Peruvian shantytown
AU - Gilman, R. H.
AU - Marquis, G. S.
AU - Ventura, G.
AU - Campos, M.
AU - Spira, W.
AU - Diaz, F.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1993
Y1 - 1993
N2 - Objectives. This study was conducted to determine whether poor hygiene practices are owing to difficulty in getting enough water and/or to ignorance of sanitary principles. Methods. In a water-scarce shantytown in Lima, Peru, we observed in 12-hour periods over 3 consecutive days the amount of water and soap used for personal and domestic activities in 53 families and the frequency with which direct fecal contamination of hands was interrupted by washing. We also surveyed women in a similar shantytown concerning their knowledge of hygiene to ascertain whether noncompliance was owing to ignorance. Results. Three hundred fecal contamination events were registered, of which only 38 (13%) were interrupted by hand washing within 15 minutes. The mean 12-hour per capita amount of water and soap used by the families was low. More than 80% of the water stored by these families had fecal coliforms. Yet the level of knowledge concerning the importance of hand washing and other hygienic practices was high. Conclusions. In water-scarce areas, sanitary education programs probably will not change hygiene practices. In these areas, an adequate supply of water is essential for good hygiene.
AB - Objectives. This study was conducted to determine whether poor hygiene practices are owing to difficulty in getting enough water and/or to ignorance of sanitary principles. Methods. In a water-scarce shantytown in Lima, Peru, we observed in 12-hour periods over 3 consecutive days the amount of water and soap used for personal and domestic activities in 53 families and the frequency with which direct fecal contamination of hands was interrupted by washing. We also surveyed women in a similar shantytown concerning their knowledge of hygiene to ascertain whether noncompliance was owing to ignorance. Results. Three hundred fecal contamination events were registered, of which only 38 (13%) were interrupted by hand washing within 15 minutes. The mean 12-hour per capita amount of water and soap used by the families was low. More than 80% of the water stored by these families had fecal coliforms. Yet the level of knowledge concerning the importance of hand washing and other hygienic practices was high. Conclusions. In water-scarce areas, sanitary education programs probably will not change hygiene practices. In these areas, an adequate supply of water is essential for good hygiene.
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U2 - 10.2105/AJPH.83.11.1554
DO - 10.2105/AJPH.83.11.1554
M3 - Article
C2 - 8238677
AN - SCOPUS:0027376241
SN - 0090-0036
VL - 83
SP - 1554
EP - 1558
JO - American journal of public health
JF - American journal of public health
IS - 11
ER -