A cross sectional study of utilization of sanitary facilities by adolescent girls in an urban slum of Raipur City, Chhattisgarh, India

Abhiruchi Galhotra

Abstract

Universal access to adequate sanitation is a fundamental human right Article 21 of Indian constitution. Hygienic sanitation facilities are crucial for public health. The world continues to urbanize and the cities increasingly bear the burden of poor sanitation with an estimated 57% and 16% of urban dwellers lack access to toilets and basic sanitation services respectively. Almost 100 million urban residents practice open defecation in the midst of challenges of providing many millions of rural households with adequate sanitation the issue of toilets is more serious in urban areas because in urban areas, spaces are cramped and open space is deficient. Our objectives of the study to assess the availability and accessibility of various types of sanitary facilities to adolescent girls. Community-based cross-sectional study. Complete enumeration of adolescent females (10-19years) living in the selected division was done and a list of the same was prepared (107). Written informed consent was obtained from all the study participants. Out of a 107 adolescent girls enumerated, 98 consented for the study. Mean age of adolescent girls in the present study was 15.44 ±2.2years and a majority of them were in high school. Only 38.7% (n=38) of study subjects had access to an independent household/private toilet facility, 9.2% (n=9) were practicing open defecation and remaining 52% (n=51) were using public/community pooled toilets. Common problems faced by Public/pooled toilet users were lack of privacy in 56.9% (n=29) and about males gathering around the toilets that were there in 66 % (n=34) of the public toilet users. Biography: Abhiruchi Galhotra is working as Additional Professor, Dept. of Community & Family Medicine, AIIMS, Raipur. Nodal Officer for ICMR funded Research Project on Prevalence & Etiology of Hearing Impairment. Post PG teaching experience of 17 years. Supervisor for 2 PG theses. Contributed 5 chapters in various textbooks of which one is by Springer Nature and 2 others are by Springer. I also have more than 25 research publications to my credit which includes original articles, review articles, commentary, viewpoint and letter to editor. Had been instrumental in establishing the department of Community & Family Medicine at AIIMS Raipur. Speaker Publications: 1. Virender Gaur V. State of Haryana, Supreme Court of India (1995) 2 SCC 577, Bench: K. Ramaswamy, N. Venkatachala. 2. Sanitation WHO; 19 February 2018. 3. Dasra. Squatting Rights: The Importance of Urban Sanitation in India. Avpn Asia. 4. Isher J. For Her It's the Big Issue: Putting Women at the Centre of Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene; 2006. 5. Sharanya T. Reproductive health status and life skills of adolescent girls dwelling in slums in Chennai, India. Natl Med J India 2014; 27:305-10. 5th World Congress on Public Health and Nutrition; London, UK- February 24-25, 2020. Abstract Citation: Abhiruchi Galhotra, A cross sectional study of utilization of sanitary facilities by adolescent girls in an urban slum of Raipur City, Chhattisgarh, India, Public Health 2020, 5th World Congress on Public Health and Nutrition; London, UK- February 24-25, 2020 (https://publichealth.healthconferences.org/abstract/2020/a-cross-sectional-study-of-utilization-of-sanitary-facilities-by-adolescent-girls-in-an-urban-slum-of-raipur-city-chhattisgarh-india)