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Impact of Public Toilet Availability on Sanitation Practices among Residents of Urban Communities in Nigeria

Abstract

Access to adequate sanitation is an essential component of public health and environmental health, particularly in densely populated urban communities where inadequate sanitation facilities may increase the risk of environmental contamination and communicable diseases. Public toilets provide residents with accessible facilities for safe defecation and may reduce open defecation, inappropriate disposal of human waste, and contamination of public spaces. However, many urban communities in Nigeria continue to experience inadequate numbers of public toilets, poor facility maintenance, overcrowding, insufficient water supply, poor waste disposal systems, and concerns about cleanliness and safety. These challenges may discourage residents from using available public sanitation facilities and contribute to unsafe sanitation practices. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of public toilet availability on sanitation practices among residents of urban communities in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Ecological Model, and Sanitation Behaviour Change Framework. The Health Belief Model explains how residents' perceptions of sanitation-related disease risks, perceived benefits of proper sanitation, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their sanitation practices. The Social Ecological Model emphasizes the interaction between individual, household, community, environmental, and institutional factors in shaping sanitation behaviours. The Sanitation Behaviour Change Framework emphasizes the role of access to appropriate facilities, social norms, knowledge, motivation, environmental conditions, and behavioural support in promoting safe sanitation practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how public toilet availability may influence sanitation practices among residents of urban communities in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative analytical cross-sectional or quasi-experimental research design. The study population will comprise adults aged 18 years and above residing in selected urban communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, urban local government areas, communities, neighbourhoods, households, and eligible residents. Public toilet availability will be assessed using indicators such as number of public toilets within the community, distance to the nearest facility, accessibility, operating hours, availability of water, availability of handwashing facilities, cleanliness, privacy, lighting, gender separation, accessibility for persons with disabilities, maintenance, affordability, and frequency of use. Sanitation practices will be assessed using indicators such as use of toilets rather than open defecation, proper disposal of human waste, handwashing after toilet use, maintenance of household sanitation facilities, proper disposal of sanitary waste, cleanliness of surroundings, avoidance of indiscriminate defecation and urination, and participation in community sanitation activities. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, sanitation practice assessment instruments, direct observation checklists, public toilet facility assessment forms, community sanitation records, and relevant environmental health documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, public toilet availability, accessibility, and sanitation practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the impact of public toilet availability on sanitation practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, sanitation practice scores before and after the introduction or improvement of public toilet facilities may be compared to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that adequate availability and accessibility of public toilets have a significant positive impact on sanitation practices among residents of urban communities in Nigeria. Residents who have convenient access to clean, affordable, safe, and functional public toilets are expected to demonstrate greater use of appropriate sanitation facilities and lower reliance on open defecation or other unsafe waste-disposal practices. The availability of water, handwashing facilities, adequate privacy, regular cleaning, proper lighting, and accessible locations may further encourage consistent use of public toilets. Improved public sanitation facilities may also contribute to cleaner neighbourhoods and reduced environmental contamination. However, inadequate maintenance, user fees, poor cleanliness, lack of water, overcrowding, safety concerns, vandalism, long distances, and limited accessibility for vulnerable groups may reduce the effectiveness of public toilet facilities. The study therefore expects the provision of sufficient, accessible, affordable, clean, safe, and well-maintained public toilets to contribute significantly to improved sanitation practices among residents of urban communities in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on public toilet availability, sanitation practices, environmental health, urban sanitation, open defecation prevention, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, state ministries of health and environment, local government authorities, environmental health departments, urban development agencies, WASH organizations, community leaders, private sanitation service providers, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving urban sanitation. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for increasing the availability of public toilets, improving facility maintenance, ensuring reliable water and handwashing facilities, establishing affordable user-fee systems, improving accessibility for persons with disabilities, strengthening environmental sanitation monitoring, and integrating public toilet development into urban planning and WASH programmes across Nigeria.

Keywords: Public toilet availability, sanitation practices, urban communities, public sanitation, open defecation, environmental health, WASH, hygiene practices, urban health, Nigeria, public health.