Demographic and Health Survey 2009-10 - Timor-Leste Ministry of ...

144 | Child Health
11.8 STOOL DISPOSAL
Contact with human feces directly, or indirectly by animal contact with the feces, can lead to
diarrheal diseases. Hence, the safe disposal of children’s stools is important in preventing the spread
of disease. Table 11.11 shows the percent distribution of mothers who have their youngest child under
age 5 living with them, by the way in which the child’s stools are disposed of, according to
background characteristics and type of toilet facilities in the household.
Twenty-eight percent of mothers of children under age 5 dispose of their youngest child’s
stools safely (that is, children use a toilet or latrine, the stools are rinsed in the toilet or latrine, or the
stools are buried). Thirteen percent of mothers put or rinse their children’s stools into a drain or ditch,
4 percent throw them into the garbage, and 45 percent of mothers leave them in the open.
Table 11.11 Disposal of children’s stools
Percent distribution of youngest children under age five living with the mother by the manner of disposal of the child’s last fecal matter, and
percentage of children whose stools are disposed of safely, according to background characteristics, Timor-Leste 2009-10
Background
characteristic
Child
used
toilet or
latrine
Put/
rinsed
into toilet
or latrine Buried
Manner of disposal of children’s stools
Put/
rinsed
into drain
or ditch
Thrown
into
garbage
Left in
the open Other Missing
Total
Percentage
of children
whose
stools are
disposed of
safely
Number
of
children
Age in months