Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Practices Among Households in Perambalur District: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background Sanitation, cleanliness, and access to clean water are essential for maintaining human health and well-being. Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices are linked to diseases that lead to poor health outcomes, such as pneumonia and diarrhea, trachoma, infestations of soil-transmitted helminths, respiratory tract infections, and pulmonary tuberculosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate household WASH practices in the rural and urban field practice areas of the Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Perambalur, India, and identify the factors that influence them. Methodology We conducted a five-month cross-sectional survey with 278 households in the rural and urban field practice areas of a tertiary care center in Perambalur district. We gathered data using the core questions developed by the World Health Organization-United Nations Children's Fund (WHO-UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), which is affiliated with UN-Water. Data analysts used a Pearson chi-square test to assess the relationship between WASH practices and several independent covariates, and we regarded P < 0.05 to be statistically significant. Results Among the 278 households, 118 respondents were from rural areas and 160 (57.7%) from urban areas. For drinking water, 31.4% of rural households used tube wells or boreholes, while 56.8% of those used public taps. In metropolitan areas, 25.6% of people used bottled water and 54.4% used water from tanker trucks. In terms of sanitation, 25.2% of households lacked a toilet and 72.7% used the flush/pour flush technique. Water, sanitation, and hygiene practices have been found to be associated with a population's socioeconomic status and place of residence. The Pearson chi-square test revealed that the rural population has 99.1% more improved drinking water sources than the urban population, which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion In rural areas, nearly 92% of households used improved sources of drinking water compared to only 55% of households in urban areas. On the other hand, just 47.5% of households in the rural area had improved sanitation compared to 95% of households in the urban area. Therefore, the Indian government should take steps to enhance urban drinking water quality and rural sanitation infrastructure.

Keywords: diarrhea; hygiene; safe drinking water; sanitation; wash.

Figure 1. Improved and unimproved sources of drinking water

Figure 2. Improved and unimproved sanitation facilities