ReviewBMC public health2016
Are pit latrines in urban areas of Sub-Saharan Africa performing? A review of usage, filling, insects and odour nuisances.
Review in BMC public health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Household latrine utilization and its association with educational status of household heads in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2018Pooled it
- Performance of Pit Latrines and Their Herd Protection Against Diarrhea: A Longitudinal Cohort Study in Rural Ethiopia.Global health, science and practice · 2024Trial
- Benefits and Costs of a Community-Led Total Sanitation Intervention in Rural Ethiopia-A Trial-Based ex post Economic Evaluation.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Trial
- Impact of extreme weather events on faecal sludge management based on standardized precipitation index in Dar es Salaam.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- A compliance assessment tool for household pit latrines and cesspits against RS ISO 24521: evidence from Kigali City.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Mulberry leaves supplementation modulates ruminal and fecal bacterial community and metabolites in growing mutton sheep.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Factors enhancing operation and maintenance of sanitation facilities for improved service levels in Kampala Schools.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Nothing about us without us: harnessing local voices in shaping community-based adaptation in the Pacific.Sustainability science · 2025Article
- Review
- Indicators to complement global monitoring of safely managed on-site sanitation to understand health risks.NPJ clean water · 2024Article
- Mitigation of biogenic methanethiol using bacteriophages in synthetic wastewater augmented with Pseudomonas putida.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Article
- The Status of Sanitation in Malawi: Is SDG6.2 Achievable?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Effect of modified waste introduction methods over short-term and long-term use of onsite sanitation systems.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Programmatic Implications for Schistosomiasis Elimination Based on Community-Based Survey in the Blue Nile, North Kordofan, and Sennar States, Sudan.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Analysis of pit latrine microbiota reveals depth-related variation in composition, and key parameters and taxa associated with latrine fill-up rate.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- Latrine utilization and associated factors in East Gojjam Zone, North-West Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study.SAGE open medicine · 2022Article
- Inhibition of ammonia and hydrogen sulphide as faecal sludge odour control in dry sanitation toilet facilities using plant waste materials.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Will the extraction of COVID-19 from wastewater help flatten the curve?Chemosphere · 2021Article
- Predictors of malaria rapid diagnostic test positivity in a high burden area of Paletwa Township, Chin State in Western Myanmar.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA pit latrine is the most basic form of improved sanitation which is currently used by a number of people around the globe. In spite of the wide spread use, known successes and advantages associated with pit latrines, they have received little attention in form of research and development. This review focuses on the usage and performance (filling, smell and insect nuisance) of pit latrines in urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and proposes approaches for their improvements and sustainability.
methodsCurrent pit latrine usage within urban SSA was calculated from Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) water and sanitation country-files. We conducted a literature search and review of documents on pit latrine usage, filling, smell and insect nuisances in urban areas of SSA. Findings of the review are presented and discussed in this paper. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Pit latrines are in use by more than half the urban population in SSA and especially among low income earners. An additional 36 million people in urban areas of SSA have adopted the pit latrine since 2007. However, their performance is unsatisfactory. Available literature shows that contributions have been made to address shortfalls related to pit latrine use in terms of science and technological innovations. However, further research is still needed.
conclusionAny technology and process management innovations to pit latrines should involve scientifically guided approaches. In addition, development, dissemination and enforcement of minimum pit latrine design standards are important while the importance of hygienic latrines should also be emphasized.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.