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. 2020 Sep 29;103(5):2012–2018. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0830

Table 2.

Sanitation and hygiene-related behavior during a COVID-19–related lockdown by gender and toilet access, Tamil Nadu, India, May 2020

Behavior of interest Total (N = 2,044), n (%) Gender Toilet access
Female (N = 954), n (%) Male (N = 1,090), n (%) No toilet (N = 589), n %) Private toilet (N = 1,235), n (%) Public or community toilet (N = 220), n (%)
Reported open defecation in the past 2 days 647 (32) 342 (36)* 305 (28) 495 (84) 54 (4.4) 98 (45)
Respondent or a family member left the house for open defecation in the past 7 days 403 (20) 235 (25) 168 (16) 344 (58) 25 (2.0) 34 (16)
Respondent or a family member left the house to use a toilet in the past 7 days 157 (7.7) 89 (9.3) 68 (6.2) 33 (5.6) 20 (1.6) 104 (47)
Changes in behaviors
Respondent continued using a private toilet 1,130 (56) 457 (48) 673 (62) 7 (1.2) 1,117 (91) 6 (2.7)
Continued open defecation 542 (27) 294 (30) 248 (23) 490 (83) 19 (1.5) 33 (15)
Continued using a public/community toilet 214 (11) 84 (7.7) 130 (14) 52 (8.8)§ 10 (0.8) 152 (69)
Started using a private toilet 80 (3.9) 60 (2.6) 30 (3.1) 0 80 (6.5) 0
Started using a public toilet 48 (2.4) 15 (1.4) 33 (3.5) 12 (2.0) 8 (0.7) 28 (13)
Started open defecation 30 (1.5) 5 (0.5) 22 (2.0) 28 (4.8) 1 (0.1) 1 (0.5)
Increased frequency of cleaning toilets 858 (42) 373 (39) 485 (45) 0 858 (70) 0
Increased washing hands with soap and water 1,723 (85) 806 (85) 917 (84) 461 (78) 1,074 (87) 188 (86)

Data are n (%).

*

Although men were less likely to report open defecation in the past 2 days, the difference was not significant once the access to toilet facilities was accounted for.

Asked as an open-ended question, which may have led to fewer relevant responses.

May indicate use of a private toilet owned by someone else.

§

Indicates misclassified respondents, who had access to public toilets despite reporting that they did not have access to any toilet.