Access to water and sanitation infrastructures for primary schoolchildren in the south-central part of Côte d’Ivoire
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Authors
Kouame, Parfait
Galli, Anais
Loss, Georg
Wassa, Diriassouba
Bonfoh, Bassirou
Utzinger, Jürg
Winkler, Mirko
Author (Corporation)
Publication date
23.08.2021
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Type
01A - Journal article
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Parent work
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Series
Series number
Volume
18
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Pages / Duration
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MDPI
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Abstract
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.
Keywords
Côte d’Ivoire, Drinking water, Primary schools, Schoolchildren, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH)
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ISBN
ISSN
1661-7827
1660-4601
1660-4601
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
Yes
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Published
Review
Peer review of the complete publication
Open access category
Gold
License
Citation
Kouame, P., Galli, A., Peter, M., Loss, G., Wassa, D., Bonfoh, B., Utzinger, J., & Winkler, M. (2021). Access to water and sanitation infrastructures for primary schoolchildren in the south-central part of Côte d’Ivoire. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168863