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India: How Many Toilets Does It Take to Improve Health?

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dc.contributor.authorWorld Bank
dc.date.accessioned2015-09-16T20:54:23Z
dc.date.available2015-09-16T20:54:23Z
dc.date.issued2015-03
dc.description.abstractAccess to proper sanitation helps keep children healthy, but millions of people in the developing world still practice open defecation, putting children at risk. Diarrhea, which can result from the spread of fecal material into food or mouths, kills around 800,000 children under the age of five every year and leaves millions more malnourished and stunted. Whats the best way to create lasting change? Previous efforts often focused on encouraging individuals to invest in toilets for their households, but gains are limited if not everyone in the village does the same. One reason may be that sanitation has a communal element because even if only one family in a neighborhood practices open defecation, all families may be at risk of ingesting fecal matter. Sanitation therefore presents a unique challenge: If an individual family invests in a toilet, but their neighbors dont, are there still positive benefits? What proportion of households need to have improved sanitation for benefits to be seen across the whole village? And whats the impact in a village that goes from zero toilet use to full coverage? The World Bank is committed to helping countries develop the necessary infrastructure and practices to improve sanitation, reducing barriers families may face in raising healthy children. To better understand the impact of a whole village using improved sanitation – such as private toilets or pit latrines – compared with just a few people in the village having access to toilets, World Bank researchers analyzed a national survey database on more than 200,000 children younger than four years old in rural India. More than two-thirds of the people in the rural areas defecate in the open. The study found that diarrhea prevalence halved when sanitation coverage at community level is fully achieved. The study says that these results are mostly due to the positive spillover effects on everyones health that occurs when all (or the overwhelming majority of) households have toilets. The findings can help governments and development practitioners understand the importance of taking a communal approach to the problem.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/05/24525113/india-many-toilets-take-improve-health
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/22631
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/22631
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWashington, DC
dc.relation.ispartofseriesFrom Evidence to Policy;
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectSANITATION
dc.subjectWASTE
dc.subjectCHILD HEALTH
dc.subjectCOMMUNITIES
dc.subjectACCESS TO LATRINES
dc.subjectCHILDREN
dc.subjectHOUSEHOLDS
dc.subjectTOILET
dc.subjectRURAL AREAS
dc.subjectLATRINE
dc.subjectHEALTH EFFECTS
dc.subjectHOMES
dc.subjectPRIVATE TOILET
dc.subjectFACILITIES
dc.subjectHEALTH OUTCOMES
dc.subjectDIARRHEA
dc.subjectSERVICES
dc.subjectLATRINES
dc.subjectSANITATION COVERAGE
dc.subjectHOUSEHOLD
dc.subjectMARKETS
dc.subjectFAMILY PLANNING
dc.subjectCOMMUNITY
dc.subjectACCESS TO SANITATION
dc.subjectNEIGHBORHOOD
dc.subjectHEALTH
dc.subjectFAMILIES
dc.subjectPROJECTS
dc.subjectTOILETS
dc.subjectPIT LATRINES
dc.subjectWASTE DISPOSAL
dc.subjectTOTAL SANITATION
dc.subjectDESIGN
dc.subjectSANITATION FACILITIES
dc.subjectSIEF
dc.subjectSTRATEGIC IMPACT EVALUATION FUND
dc.subjectE2P
dc.subjectEVIDENCE TO POLICY
dc.titleIndiaen
dc.title.subtitleHow Many Toilets Does It Take to Improve Health?en
dc.typeBriefen
dc.typeFichefr
dc.typeResumenes
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.date.disclosure2015-05-21
okr.date.doiregistration2025-04-29T09:54:17.992525Z
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.doctypePublications & Research::Brief
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/05/24525113/india-many-toilets-take-improve-health
okr.globalpracticeHealth, Nutrition, and Population
okr.guid117401467993163079
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum090224b0830efd53_3_0
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum24525113
okr.identifier.report96568
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2015/06/30/090224b082fac953/2_0/Rendered/PDF/India000how0ma0e0to0improve0health0.pdfen
okr.region.administrativeSouth Asia
okr.region.countryIndia
okr.topicWater Supply and Sanitation::Urban Water Supply and Sanitation
okr.topicWater Supply and Sanitation::Hygiene Promotion and Social Marketing
okr.topicCommunities and Human Settlements::Housing & Human Habitats
okr.topicHealth, Nutrition and Population::Health Monitoring & Evaluation
okr.topicHealth, Nutrition and Population::Health and Sanitation
okr.unitOffice of the Chief Economist (SARCE)
relation.isSeriesOfPublication5aedba5e-13ff-4089-9a64-ed60acefbc8b
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery5aedba5e-13ff-4089-9a64-ed60acefbc8b
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