Latrine use in rural Sarawak, Malaysia

A cross-sectional survey covering 976 households in 41 rural villages covered by the Rural Health Improvement Scheme in Sarawak was carried out to determine the type of latrines they have and their usage of pourflush latrines. The survey was carried out by inspection and interview. Fifty-six percent of the households had pourflush latrines and upon inspection 91.3% of them showed signs of recent use. Based on the interview, ninety percent of the women responded that they always use the latrine for defecation. It was also reported that 86.5% of the husbands and 47.6% of the children below five years, always used the latrine for defecation. The most common reason for not using the latrine among adults was the lack of water to flush the latrines as well as not being home when the need arises. The reason for using the latrines were to keep the compound clean, convenience and health reasons. It is recommended that building latrines continue to be a prerequisite for getting water supply under the program and that non health-related reasons be emphasized in health education which aim to motivate people to build and use the latrines.