Restrooms Research Articles

Where can you go on the go? An Assessment of Public Restroom Access along Transit in San Diego

For people “on the go” like public transit riders, restroom access can be a valued amenity, especially as cities seek to curb greenhouse gas emissions by reducing auto-dependence. However, little research exists on public restroom access along transit lines. This study: 1) visualizes the distribution of available restrooms along trolley lines in San Diego, California; and 2) assesses the basic health-supportive features of available transit-adjacent restrooms. Results show low restroom availability, especially at stations with the highest volumes of riders. Results also reveal limited access and low quality of the restroom facilities that are available.

THE EFFECT OF TOURISTS MOTIVATION AT BATU ANGUS NATIONAL PARK REVISIT INTENTION

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the popularity of water-based tourism in Manado, particularly in the form of water sports and diving activities. Manado is known for its stunning marine biodiversity, including coral reefs, a variety of fish species, and other sea creatures. This has attracted a growing number of tourists, both domestic and international, seeking to explore the underwater world and enjoy the natural beauty of the area. This study aimed to explore the effect of tourists' motivation on their revisit intention to Batu Angus National Park, a popular tourist destination in Indonesia. Using a quantitative research approach, data was collected through a survey questionnaire distributed to tourists who had previously visited the park around 100 sample. The study findings indicated that the variable push motivation and pull motivation are significanlty influenced the variable revisit intention to the park. The study provides useful insights for park management and policymakers to enhance visitors' experience by catering to their motivational needs, which in turn can increase their revisit intention and boost tourism development in the region. Additionally, improving facilities such as adding more benches, rest areas, and public restrooms would provide greater convenience and comfort to visitors. These enhancements would not only attract more tourists to the park but also increase their revisit intention, which could potentially boost tourism development in the region. Keywords: push motivation, pull motivation, revisit intention

The public perceptions of urban sanitation infrastructure: a cross-sectional study in Kegalle township in Sri Lanka

Abstract Improving public restroom facilities in urban areas can contribute to ensuring the overall living standards of the urban populace. Access to improved sanitation and hygiene is also considered a fundamental human right. Therefore, the present study aims to understand public perceptions of urban public restroom use based on a case study conducted in the municipality of Kegalle township in Sri Lanka. This included a questionnaire survey (N = 115) and in-depth interviews (N = 5). The analysis indicates the urgent need for adequate, accessible, and good-quality sanitary services, particularly in densely populated urban areas of the country. More than 70% of people (from N = 115) indicate that public restrooms are not of good quality due to certain reasons such as poor maintenance and uncleanliness. Despite the insalubrity of public restrooms, many respondents have used them, indicating an urgent policy intervention in operating, and properly maintaining public restrooms in densely populated urban areas of the country. A significant number of respondents indicated that the quality of public restrooms is extremely poor (39%) or poor (31.1%). Around 86.9% of respondents are not satisfied with existing public restrooms, thus, 71.4% believe in reconstructing new public restrooms that pave the way for ensuring access, affordability, quality, and safety.

Indoor Air Quality Improvement in Public Toilets at Railway Stations in China: A Field and Numerical Study

This study investigated the air quality and ventilation systems of 22 public toilets in 10 railway stations in China. Approximately 80% of public toilets meet the standard for ammonia concentration in Class I toilets, while 20% exceed the standard. It was found that the concentration of pollutants is mainly related to the number of toilet users and the ventilation system. In 20% of public toilets, the change in ammonia concentration was delayed by about 1 to 2 h with the change in hourly service number. In order to improve the air quality, a design method for calculating the number of toilet cubicles was proposed. Results show that the service capacity of the cubicle per hour (SCCH) of a female toilet is 12, the SCCH of male toilets is related to the ratio of squatting pans to urinals (RSU), which is suggested to be 1:1~1:0.8, and the corresponding SCCH is 16~20. Then, the effect of different ventilation forms was simulated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) 2019 software. The results show that the bottom exhaust was better than the top exhaust and that the fresh air supply system is unnecessary. The recommended ventilation rate for toilets is 20 air changes per hour (ACH). The scale design method of toilets proposed in this paper was meant to address the gender imbalance and avoid queuing and provides a reference for the renovation and design of public toilets.

„Na kupie nie”. Analne Pamiętnika z powstania warszawskiego

Not While We’re Shitting. Anality in Memoir from the Warsaw Uprising The text presents a new approach to the Memoir from the Warsaw Uprising by Miron Białoszewski – an analysis from the perspective of anality. The article suggests that wartime suspends the usual taboo of the “privatisation of shit,” and public toilets in shelters become new “agoras,” a function which they used to perform in antiquity. Białoszewski’s quasi-anthropological account of the Uprising actually mentions toilets and the organisation of physiological life in every new place to which he and his company move during the period of two months. War is anal because it is a mass production of “waste” (corpses). However, the most important scene also connects anality to writing poetry by two young gay poets. This scene, here called Urszene, is analysed as a desublimation of homosexuality.

School sanitation and student health status: a literature review

Introduction. UNESCO 2019 said that Indonesia’s education has ranked 54 to 120 countries. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contain goals 4, target 4a, indicator 4.a.1. Quality education can be achieved with basic drinking water during school hours, basic sanitation facilities, and basic handwashing facilities. School sanitation is covered at targets 3, 4, and 6 of SDGs. The objective of this review is to identify school sanitation, determination of disease, and students’ health status-related school sanitation. Materials and Methods. This research was based primarily on a literature review. Boolean technic was used to define the keywords. The database used for the searching within these documents were School Sanitation, Health, and Students. Data were found from search engines PubMed, Science Direct, Springer, and Google scholar. The literature review of this search was done by the publication range 2019-2022. The search data were conducted on 8 October 2022, which Acquired 7 articles that meet predefined criteria. Results and Discussions. Schools’ sanitation was identified in water supply, drinking water supply, rest room, sanitary facilities, toilet/ latrine, hand washing facilities, cleaning policy, clean and functional toilet, Water Sanitation and Hygiene Programs, and the knowledge of sanitation. The effect of health-related school sanitation was gastrointestinal illness, diarrhea, cholera, dehydration, cavities in teeth, undernutrition, stunting, soil-transmitted helminths, intestinal parasitic infection, toothache, decay missing, filled permanent teeth status, and health status of students. Conclusions. School sanitation affected the student health status, absenteeism at school, and students’ concentration. Sanitation facilities are suggested to include laws and policies.

Moderation between Religious Freedom and Harmony Concerning the Regulation on Mosque Loudspeaker: Comparison between Indonesia and Other Muslim Countries

Abstract This research explains the comparison of regulations on mosque loudspeakers between Indonesia and Muslim countries in the world. Guidelines for the use of mosque loudspeakers in Indonesia are regulated in the Instruction of the Director-General of Islamic Community Guidance at the Ministry of Religious Affairs Number 101 of 1978 concerning Guidance on the Use of Loudspeakers in Mosques and Musala and the Circular Letter of the Minister of Religion Number 5 of 2022 concerning Guidelines for the Use of Loudspeakers in Mosques and Musala. Primary data of this study includes the 1978 Instructions and the 2022 Circular Letters. Secondary data is obtained from relevant literature sources and regulations on the use of mosque loudspeakers in several Muslim countries in the world, namely Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Syria, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Malaysia. This research finds the concept of moderation of regulations on mosque loudspeakers in Indonesia. The findings of this research can be used as a guide model for drafting the contents of mosque loudspeaker regulations in several Muslim countries around the world by relying on three moderate aspects regarding the rules of time (public morals), volume (public health), and sound quality of mosque loudspeakers (public convenience).

Conditioning fecal sludge of public toilets with coupled zero-valent iron and persulfate: Efficiency and mechanism

This study investigated the efficiency of fecal sludge conditioning using peroxydisulfate (PDS) activated by zero-valent iron (ZVI). For fecal sludge obtained from public toilets in a densely-populated rural area in China, the ZVI/PDS coupling greatly improved its dewaterability as well as the supernatant quality in terms of organic matter and nutrient contents. The capillary suction time (CST) and supernatant turbidity of fecal sludge can be reduced up to 97% and 73% respectively in 10 min by the combination of 0.15 g/g TS ZVI and 0.2 g/g TS PDS. Protein removal, especially for tightly and loosely bound extracellular-polymeric-substance (EPS), is more linearly correlated to CST reduction than polysaccharide removal. Fecal sludge dewatering was improved by the hybrid functions of radical oxidation and iron coagulation. The ZVI/PDS treatment produced larger and looser flocs, probably because 1) surface ionic and hydrophilic groups of fecal sludge were reduced, 2) surface charge was neutralized, and 3) secondary structures of EPS proteins were altered by the radicals. The excellent fecal sludge dewatering was related to strengthened particle hydrophobicity and reduced sludge viscosity and compressibility. The results highlight that the ZVI/PDS combination is potentially an effective conditioning approach for fecal sludge from public toilets.

An exploration into the challenges of managing the COVID-19 pandemic in mass education centers in Iran: A qualitative content analysis.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Iran's mass education centers, which house a large number of trainees, encountered numerous difficulties in managing the disease. Understanding these challenges can help manage future pandemics. This study was conducted to explore the challenges of managing the COVID-19 pandemic in mass education centers in Iran. Methods: In this qualitative study, we used a qualitative content analysis of data collected from June to October 2022 in eight mass education centers in Iran. Semi-structured interviews (n=19) were used for data collection. Results: Four main themes and eleven subthemes were identified: The essence of dormitory life (Subthemes included: "The high population density in the dormitory", "Public toilets" and, Interprovincial travel), the inflexibility of the profession (Subthemes included: "Inapplicable health protocols" and, "Inflexible rules and regulations"), Negligence (Subthemes included: "Not adhering to health protocols", "Non acceptance of illness", and "High-risk taking"), and Weakness of health-care platform (Subthemes included: "shortage of healthcare facilities", "Lack of specialized personnel", and "The uni-dimensional aspect of healthcare services"). Conclusion: We identified several challenges that made the handling of COVID-19 difficult in Iran's centers for mass education. These findings can help future research in addressing the challenges and designing adaptable plans for pandemic management in mass education centers.

청년 여성들의 젠더 폭력에 대한 구체적 두려움

There has been a continuing tendency to dismiss young women's fear of crime as irrelevant to the victimization. Also, young women have often been regarded as a homogeneous group in terms of the fear of crime. This study explored how major socio-demographic variables affect young women’s various fear of gender -based violence(GBV; violent crime, date-violence, illegal spy-cam, using a public restroom).
 Results can be summarized as follows. First, while the age and the perceived social class had negative effects on the fear of GBV in general, the single-person household was not significantly associated with the most types of fear of crime except for the fear of illegal spy-cam. The result implies that some previous studies that have shown the positive relationship between women’s social class and the fear of crime might not apply to young women. It also suggests the limitation of the CPTED(crime prevention through environmental design) strategies that focus on single-person households in reducing young women’s fear of GBV.
 Second, compared to the effect of socio-demographic factors, various types of victimization experiences during the life had relatively larger effects on the fear of GBV. This result suggests that addressing violence against women in schools, digital spaces, and intimate relationships should be prioritized in reducing young women’s fear of GBV.
 Third, the number of types of victimization during the whole life mediated the effect of perceived social class on the various types of fear of GBV. Based on this result, any crime prevention programs should be designed in consideration of women’s social class and the lived experiences.

Artificial intelligence inspired framework for preventing sexual violence at public toilets of educational institutions with the improvisation of gender recognition from gait sequences

Artificial intelligence inspired framework for preventing sexual violence at public toilets of educational institutions with the improvisation of gender recognition from gait sequences

Sustainability of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: From Prehistoric Times to the Present Times and the Future

Contaminated water and poor sanitation are associated with disease transmission. Absent, inadequate, or improperly managed water resources and sanitation systems expose individuals to preventable health risks. Billions of people lack access to these basic services today and will remain in this condition for decades to come. As we are usually thinking and talking about water, sanitation and hygiene services have changed. Looking back at the history of water, sanitation, and hygiene can help us understand the challenges and opportunities of these issues and draw lessons to achieve sustainable development in the future. Throughout history, civilizations have successfully experimented with treating water and using it for drinking, sanitation, and agriculture. For example, the Minoan civilizations originally focused on water treatment and cleaning to improve the aesthetic properties of drinking water. During prehistoric times, Minoan and Indus Valley civilizations, dating back to about 2000 BC, were the first to focus on the treatment of water supplies. From the early Minoan period, they relied on rainwater collection. During historic times, Hippocrates was the first to invent and used a water filter in the form of a cloth bag, at about 400 BC, known today as the Hippocrates Sleeve. The Romans perfected existing water technologies on a larger scale and initiated their spread throughout the Empire. Hygiene in ancient Rome was promoted by the famous public baths and toilets, which were supplied with water through widely branched aqueducts that had a high standard of cleanliness for the time and were regularly maintained.

PROTECTION OF CIVILIAN POPULATION IN PUBLIC TERRITORY

In the conditions of modern war, the protection of the civilian population has become the biggest problem. Contrary to all the rules of warfare, the enemy's main goal is not victory on the battlefield, but the destruction of the entire population of Ukraine. To do this, rocket strikes are carried out at night against residential buildings and during the day at places of population concentration in the territory of cities. Shelters on the territory of cities are not provided for in the legislative and regulatory documentation. In these conditions, the city authorities of many cities in Ukraine took responsibility for people's lives. Within the limits of their authority, representatives of the city government and public organizations made significant efforts to ensure the protection of citizens in parks and squares, at public transport stops, and in children's playgrounds. The existing condition of the shelters installed at public transport stops in the cities of Ukraine, their structural and operational properties were analysed. The analysis of the existing shelters showed that to provide protection against small arms, missile fragments and air waves, the original shelters are quite suitable, but none of the structures that should become protection for citizens, first for the less mobile part of society, does not meet the requirements of accessibility Unprofessionalism of designers, lack of regulatory documentation, failure to take into account operating conditions eventually led to the gradual transformation of these shelters into public toilets and places for homeless people to sleep. The planning properties of a typical shelter project were analysed, non-compliance with accessibility conditions was pointed out, and the correction of design decisions was suggested. Changes are proposed to ensure the availability of shelters and their intended use; namely, the blocking of the specified buildings with trade and public catering establishments and public toilets.

Determinant Analysis Of Open Defecation with Stunting Incidence in Aceh Singkil District

Stunting is a nutritional problem in Indonesia that is a cross-sectoral problem due to its complex and multifactor causal factors. The government has a role of involvement and capacity in stunting reduction interventions. One of the determinants of stunting in Aceh Singkil District is open defecation which is an indicator of WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) that contributes to the incidence of inflammatory diseases. This study aims to analyze the determinant of open defecation with stunting incidence in Aceh Singkil District. This study used a qualitative design with Focus Group Discussion data collection techniques for the regional working unit in Aceh Singkil District. The results showed that open defecation is still one of the causes of stunting in Aceh Singkil District where open defecation behavior still exists, such as digging landfills, flying toilets, and public bathing, washing, and toilet facilities in rivers. The problems related to this are the low level of proper drinking water facilities, the behavior of open defecation, and the lack of clean water sources. The conclusion is that there is a need for support from policymakers in improving specific interventions carried out by cross-sectors, especially the rules on Gampoeng for residents who are still doing defecation.

Evaluation of WA Township's Public Toilet Management and the Adequacy of Services Provided to Commuters and Households without Toilets

Around the world, commuters use public toilets, often in public places. In Ghana, most people use public toilets (PTs) because of inadequate household toilets. Due to high pressure and insufficient maintenance, these PTs are usually dirty, smelly, unhygienic, etc. This study investigated PTs' maintenance and Operation in Wa township, Ghana. A total of 44 PTs in Wa were included in the study. The geographical coordinates of the PTs were recorded using hand-held GPS receivers. The results showed that the majority (95.46%) of the PTs were in the central business districts and low-income residential areas, with an average usage of 8,022 people per day in all 44 PTs and 191 people per PT daily. The majority (95.46%) of PTs did not have adequate staff for regular cleaning, inadequate hand washing facilities, or other disinfectants needed for cleaning. The number of cesspit emptier trucks (3) was not sufficient to operate in all PTs; some PT operators momentarily closed their toilets when the septic tank was full until they finally got the trucks to pump out the excreta. Others hired workers to manually collect the sludge with a bucket and pour it into the yard. It was also found that about 70% of Municipal Assembly PTs (MAPTs) were poorly constructed, maintained, and repaired. Despite these problems, PTs can be clean and hygienic if adequately managed. This paper recommends that MAPTs be privatized to ensure proper and efficient management. PT operators who inappropriately dispose of fecal sludge should be prosecuted. Keywords: Water, Hygiene, Public, Private, Toilet DOI: 10.7176/CER/15-1-05 Publication date: April 28 th 2023

Data‐driven predictions of summertime visits to lakes across 17 US states

AbstractUsing a dataset of more than 51,000 US lakes, we estimated the relationship between summertime lake visits, lake water clarity, landscape features, and other amenities, where visits were estimated with counts of geo‐located photographs. Given the size and complexity of our dataset, we used a combination of machine learning techniques, imputation techniques, and a Poisson count model to estimate these relationships. We found that every additional meter of average summertime Secchi depth was associated with at least 7% more summertime lake visits, all else equal. Second, we found that lake amenities, such as beaches, boat launches, and public toilets, were more powerful predictors of visits than water clarity. Third, we found that visits to a lake were strongly influenced by the lake's accessibility and its distance to nearby lakes and the amenities the nearby lakes offered. Our research highlights the need for (1) a better understanding of how representative social media data are of actual recreational behavior, (2) the development of best practices to account for nonrandom patterns in missing natural feature data, and (3) a better understanding of the potential endogeneity in the lake visit–water quality relationships.

Deskripsi Objek Wisata Kawasan Pesisir Kali Biru

Problems that often arise in tourist objects, namely inadequate and supportive infrastructure facilities. Infrastructure that is often a concern is road access to tourist attractions, availability of parking lots, landfills to public toilets. The research objectives were to describe: 1) the condition of the Kali Biru tourist attraction; and 2) the tourism potential of Kali Biru. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative method with 25 respondents. The data in this study were collected through observation, interviews and documentation. The results of the study show that: 1) the Kali Biru tourist attraction has tourism potential which can be seen in terms of adventurer potential which includes accessibility and infrastructure contained in the Kali Biru tourist attraction. These potentials vary from those that are still maintained to those that are not maintained so that more attention is needed, repairs and improvements in a better direction; 2) The beauty of the sea water at the location of the tourist attraction is also a potential main natural attraction in Kali Biru. The clear blue and clean sea, the presence of coral reefs, geomorphological appearance in the form of views around directly facing mangroves and there is a sunrise, can spoil the eyes of tourists to visit again.

An Arduino-Based Smart Digital Flushable Toilet for Efficient Water Management And Enhanced Hygiene

Despite flushable toilet invention being helpful to humans, especially in towns and cities, flushing waste has become very expensive both in household and public places coupled with health risks of contracting some infectious diseases like streptococcus, diarrhea, etc, due to its use. These are primarily spread in public toilets such as hospitals, schools, bus stations, etc. Global warming and climate change have caused water management to become an issue that requires a concerted effort from all users, if not well managed at household and public levels, the monthly cost becomes high as some people tend to flush urine with the same amount of water as if it were stool by emptying the entire cistern into the bowl which is a waste of water hence pausing an economic challenge at both household and public places. Many people do not sanitize the toilet seat before use which if not well handled may harbor germs that may infect users. Therefore, the developed system ensures that there is automated flushing of waste with a distinct amount of water for urine and stool. The developed system also automatically sanitizes the toilet seat before someone sits on it hence reducing infectious diseases like covid-19. The system was developed using technologies and frameworks like Arduino Microcontroller which controls how the various toilet parts operate automatedly and C programming language was used for code.

A silent burden: How negative experiences with public toilets impact quality of life and life satisfaction.

Public toilets are a critical public health issue with a significant negative impact on people's lives. Unfortunately, the effect of negative experiences caused by public toilets on people's quality of life and life satisfaction is unknown. In this study, participants (n=550) were asked to fill in a scale-based survey about their negative experiences with public toilets, quality of life, and life satisfaction. We found that people with toilet-dependent illnesses (36% of the sample) reported more negative experiences with public toilets than their counterparts. These negative experiences are also related to lower scores in some areas of participants' quality of life, such as their environmental, psychological, and physical health and life satisfaction, even after controlling for relevant socio-economic variables. Additionally, toilet-dependent individuals had particularly negative experiences in terms of life satisfaction and physical health than non-toilet-dependent people. We conclude that the impoverishment of quality of life linked to public toilets as an environmental inadequacy is traceable, estimable, and meaningful. This association is not only negative for ordinary people, but it is significantly negative for people with toilet-dependent illnesses. These results highlight that public toilets are essential to ensure collective well-being, particularly when considering those affected by their presence or lack thereof.

Cholera Prevention and Treatment Policy Analysis in India

In India, cholera has been a problem for a long time, yet it is still widespread. Cholera can cause severe diarrhea and dehydration, with a high mortality rate in untreated patients. Despite the efforts of the government of India, the cholera pandemic in India has not yet been eradicated. Consequently, it is essential to analyze the reasons. This presentation will also present a possible reaction mechanism from the standpoint of public policy. Even though cholera is a preventable and curable illness, it is seen as a severe public health issue in a developing and densely populated nation such as India. Cholera is transmitted primarily through contaminated water, and migration, restricted access to clean drinking water, poor sanitation, a climate conducive to virus transmission, overcrowding, religious beliefs, open defecation, and ignorance of disease transmission are the primary causes of its rapid spread in India. Awareness of cholera control, the development of public restrooms, and the availability of vaccines are therefore crucial.