Abstract
Parents and caretakers of young children need diaper changing stations (DCSs) to fully utilize public and commercial spaces, but few studies measure their availability. We developed a method for assessing the availability of DCSs in restaurant restrooms through phone interviews and validated the results using in-person visits. This study tested a phone interview methodology for investigating availability within restaurants, and the extent to which DCSs were accessible to both male and female caregivers. In May of 2019, phone interviews were conducted to survey the employees of 60 Philadelphia restaurants with a public restroom available to patrons to determine whether they had unisex or gendered restrooms, a DCS, and accessibility to a DCS for both male and female caregivers. Each interview was followed by an in-person audit. During phone interviews, 10 (16.7%) restaurants reported having and 50 (83.3%) reported not having DCSs. In-person audits confirmed 59 of 60 (98.3%) phone interview responses about the presence of DCSs (Cohen’s kappa: 0.94) and 55 of 60 (91.7%) reports of restroom types (Cohen’s kappa: 0.83). In this study, the phone interview methodology accurately identified the presence of DCSs in restaurants. This methodology can be used to identify disparities and to advocate for policy changes to improve access to DCSs for all who need them.
Highlights
While parents can curate their home environments to fit their family’s needs, spaces outside the home are not always designed with young children in mind
Phone interviews were conducted among employees of Philadelphia restaurants to assess whether or not restrooms had diaper changing stations (DCSs) installed
Of the 67 restaurants called by researchers, two restaurants were ineligible for inclusion as they did not have restrooms for customers, and five respondents declined to participate, resulting in a participation rate of 92.3% (60/65)
Summary
While parents can curate their home environments to fit their family’s needs, spaces outside the home are not always designed with young children in mind. In commercial spaces such as restaurants, the institutional design reflects values by demonstrating which groups are provided access and which groups are marginalized through failure to meet specific needs [1]. This principle applies when considering accessibility for parents with young children. Fathers comprise 17% of all stay-at-home parents in 2016, compared to 10% in 1989, indicating an increasing involvement in childrearing activities [4]
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