A systematic scoping review of hygiene behaviors and environmental health conditions in institutional care settings for orphaned and abandoned children.
Alternative care
Group home
Orphanage
Toilets
Vulnerable children
Water quality
Journal
The Science of the total environment
ISSN: 1879-1026
Titre abrégé: Sci Total Environ
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 0330500
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
25 Mar 2019
25 Mar 2019
Historique:
received:
26
09
2018
revised:
18
12
2018
accepted:
18
12
2018
entrez:
26
1
2019
pubmed:
27
1
2019
medline:
27
2
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Adequate hygiene behaviors and environmental health conditions are fundamental to children's health, development, and well-being. They are especially important in institutional care settings for orphaned and abandoned children, a particularly vulnerable population whose basic needs are often not met. We systematically reviewed the evidence about hygiene behaviors and environmental health conditions in institutional care settings for children and associated health outcomes; interventions to improve these behaviors, conditions, and outcomes; and obstacles to improvement. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost were searched for studies in the peer-reviewed and grey literature. Studies were included if they reported primary data on one or more environmental health condition or hygiene behavior in an institutional care setting for orphaned and abandoned children. Forty-five publications reporting on over 500 institutions in 29 countries were included. The most documented concern was poor personal hygiene behaviors followed by inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure and overcrowding. Protozoan, helminthic, viral infections, and diarrheal illness among institutionalized children were the most commonly documented associated health outcomes. More studies documented the status of hygiene and environmental health in children's institutions than interventions to improve behaviors and conditions. Insufficient finances and expertise or involvement of caregivers are reported barriers to implementing improvements in children's institutions. The development of guidelines for essential environmental health standards in orphanages, monitoring of facility conditions, accountability for facility deficiencies, and implementation research to identify improvement opportunities would contribute to and promote the health and development of orphaned and abandoned children worldwide.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Adequate hygiene behaviors and environmental health conditions are fundamental to children's health, development, and well-being. They are especially important in institutional care settings for orphaned and abandoned children, a particularly vulnerable population whose basic needs are often not met.
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE
We systematically reviewed the evidence about hygiene behaviors and environmental health conditions in institutional care settings for children and associated health outcomes; interventions to improve these behaviors, conditions, and outcomes; and obstacles to improvement.
METHODS
METHODS
PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost were searched for studies in the peer-reviewed and grey literature. Studies were included if they reported primary data on one or more environmental health condition or hygiene behavior in an institutional care setting for orphaned and abandoned children.
RESULTS
RESULTS
Forty-five publications reporting on over 500 institutions in 29 countries were included. The most documented concern was poor personal hygiene behaviors followed by inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure and overcrowding. Protozoan, helminthic, viral infections, and diarrheal illness among institutionalized children were the most commonly documented associated health outcomes.
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSIONS
More studies documented the status of hygiene and environmental health in children's institutions than interventions to improve behaviors and conditions. Insufficient finances and expertise or involvement of caregivers are reported barriers to implementing improvements in children's institutions. The development of guidelines for essential environmental health standards in orphanages, monitoring of facility conditions, accountability for facility deficiencies, and implementation research to identify improvement opportunities would contribute to and promote the health and development of orphaned and abandoned children worldwide.
Identifiants
pubmed: 30677980
pii: S0048-9697(18)35159-3
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.286
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Systematic Review
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
1161-1174Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.