Linked Life Data

17765275

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/17765275

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
11
pubmed:dateCreated
2007-10-1
pubmed:abstractText
Diarrhoea and water-borne diseases are leading causes of mortality in developing countries. To understand the socio-cultural factors impacting on water safety, we documented knowledge, attitudes and practices of water handling and usage, sanitation and defecation in rural Tamilnadu, India, using questionnaires and focus group discussions, in a village divided into an upper caste Main village and a lower caste Harijan colony. Our survey showed that all households stored drinking water in wide-mouthed containers. The quantity of water supplied was less in the Harijan colony, than in the Main village (P<0.001). Residents did not associate unsafe water with diarrhoea, attributing it to 'heat', spicy food, ingesting hair, mud or mosquitoes. Among 97 households interviewed, 30 (30.9%) had toilets but only 25 (83.3%) used them. Seventy-two (74.2%) of respondents defecated in fields, and there was no stigma associated with this traditional practice. Hand washing with soap after defecation and before meals was common only in children under 15 years (86.4%). After adjusting for other factors, perception of quantity of water received (P<0.001), stated causation of diarrhoea (P=0.02) and low socio-economic status (P<0.001) were significantly different between the Main village and the Harijan colony. Traditional practices may pose a significant challenge to programmes aimed at toilet usage and better sanitation.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
0035-9203
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
101
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1124-30
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2007
pubmed:articleTitle
Water handling, sanitation and defecation practices in rural southern India: a knowledge, attitudes and practices study.
pubmed:affiliation
Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't