Urban
growth in low- and middle-income countries has intensified
the need to expand sanitation infrastructure, especially in informal
settlements. Sanitation approaches for these settings remain understudied,
particularly regarding multidimensional social–ecological outcomes.
Guided by a conceptual framework (developed in parallel with this
study) re-envisioning sanitation as a human-derived resource system,
here we characterize existing and alternative sanitation scenarios
in an informal settlement in Kampala, Uganda. Combining two core research
approaches (household survey analysis, process modeling), we elucidate
factors associated with user satisfaction and evaluate each scenario’s
resource recovery potential, economic implications, and environmental
impacts. We find that existing user satisfaction is associated with
factors including cleaning frequency, sharing, and type of toilets,
and we demonstrate that alternative sanitation systems may offer multidimensional
improvements over existing latrines, drying beds, and lagoons. Transitioning
to anaerobic treatment could recover energy while reducing overall
net costs by 26–65% and greenhouse gas emissions by 38–59%.
Alternatively, replacing pit latrines with container-based facilities
greatly improves recovery potential in most cases (e.g., a 2- to 4-fold
increase for nitrogen) and reduces emissions by 46–79%, although
costs increase. Overall, this work illustrates how our conceptual
framework can guide empirical research, offering insight into sanitation
for informal settlements and more sustainable resource systems.
Sanitation remains
a global challenge, both in terms of access to toilet facilities and
resource intensity (e.g., energy consumption) of waste treatment.
Overcoming barriers to universal sanitation coverage and sustainable
resource management requires approaches that manage bodily excreta
within coupled human and natural systems. In recent years, numerous
analytical methods have been developed to understand cross-disciplinary
constraints, opportunities, and trade-offs around sanitation and resource
recovery. However, without a shared language or conceptual framework,
efforts from individual disciplines or geographic contexts may remain
isolated, preventing the accumulation of generalized knowledge. Here,
we develop a version of the social-ecological systems framework modified
for the specific characteristics of bodily excreta. This framework
offers a shared vision for sanitation as a human-derived resource
system, where people are part of the resource cycle. Through sanitation
technologies and management strategies, resources including water,
organics, and nutrients accumulate, transform, and impact human experiences
and natural environments. Within the framework, we establish a multitiered
lexicon of variables, characterized by breadth and depth, to support
harmonized understanding and development of models and analytical
approaches. This framework’s refinement and use will guide
interdisciplinary study around sanitation to identify guiding principles
for sanitation that advance sustainable development at the nature-society
interface.
Determinants of modern contraceptive use are usually examined in isolation of the effect of exposure to other aspects of health care systems. Maternal interaction with organised health service provision during post-conception and postpartum stages of reproduction can provide an opportunity to transfer contraceptive service information and counselling. We found that living in a community in which women have widespread health service contact is related to both prenatal care use and subsequent modern contraceptive use. After controlling for effects of living in high health service contact areas and various demographic and background factors, our results suggest that prior use of prenatal care has a strong influence on subsequent use of modern contraception in Bolivia, Egypt and Thailand.
This article reports qualitative interview data from a study of participant-generated outcomes of two harm reduction programs in the United States. We address the question:"What does success in harm-reduction-based substance user treatment look like?" Providers in this study understood harm reduction to adhere to notions of "any positive change," client centeredness, and low-threshold services. Participants reported changes in demarginalization, engagement in the program, quality of life, social functioning, changes in substance use, and changes in future goals and plans. The nature of these changes is difficult to articulate within traditional notions of success (i.e., abstinence, program completion, etc.). We conclude that participants in harm reduction programs experience tangible positive changes but that legitimation of these changes calls for a reconceptualization of "outcomes" and "success" in the current context of substance user treatment and research.
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