New sanitation indicators could revolutionize public health in rural areas
Sanitation is important for health and development. The current way of measuring sanitation access may not capture all important aspects. A study in rural Kenya found that adding questions about latrine conditions and hand-washing can give more detailed information. It also suggested distinguishing between shared and public latrines, and looking at the presence of soap or ash for hand-washing. To measure the amount of excreta in the environment, three community-level indices were proposed.