News Release

European laws needed to cover 'bog standard' school toilets, says report

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Newcastle University

A new report is calling for European legislation to cover the standard of school toilets across the continent, after research carried out in the UK and Sweden revealed they are unpleasant, dirty, smelly and a magnet for bullies.

Researchers from at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK and Göteborg University, Sweden, found that many children avoided using the toilet altogether during the school day – behaviour which can increase the risk of health problems such as urinary tract infections, constipation and incontinence.

The report says anecdotal evidence from health specialists in other European countries suggests that this is a problem affecting the entire continent.

The new report is published today, Thursday January 23, in The Journal of Child: Care, Health and Development (Blackwell Publishing). It says that current legislation covering school toilets in both countries is inadequate, as it is limited to the number of toilets per child and the provision for disabled pupils.

The report calls for new laws that are more like regulations for workplaces to be introduced, as these demand a higher standard of hygiene.

Researchers compared the experiences of 394 primary school children aged 9-11 in Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England and 157 pupils of the same age in Göteborg and Mölndal in Southern Sweden. Children were asked to fill in questionnaires under supervision and the researchers made their own observations. The findings were remarkably similar.

In the UK, over half of the boys and one third of girls surveyed avoided using the toilets throughout the school day, blaming unhygienic conditions and a fear of bullies. In Sweden, about a quarter of boys and girls said they did not use school toilets to defecate for similar reasons.

Some children said they feared antiquated door locks failing, while others gave graphic descriptions of bullying. Both Swedish and UK children said they feared being "baptised" by bullies who pushed their fellow pupils' heads into the toilet bowl and flushed it. A Swedish child reported incidents of 'pushing, shoving, physical abuse and trying to kick the toilet door open whilst on the toilet'.

The majority of toilets in both countries were cleaned daily. In the UK schools, however, 21 per cent of toilets were not flushed in the morning, and 69 per cent were unflushed later in the day, with a resulting increase in bad smells and dirty toilet seats. Inadequate hand washing facilities were also common. In the UK sample, some sinks provided cold water only and several taps were broken.

Researchers in both countries discovered broken toilets. The Swedish researchers also reported that seven out of eight school toilets smelt of urine and that toilets in six schools were not cleaned to adequate standards. In four schools toilet locks could be easily opened with a coin, six had no soap, two no towels, one had water and urine all over the floor and there were no lights outside two groups of toilets.

Sue Vernon, a member of the research team from the University of Newcastle, said: "Our observations compared to the pupils' daily experience confirmed that these toilets are below normally tolerable standards.

"Going to the toilet is more than just a physical reflex. The whole ambience must be comfortable and this was not the case in the majority of these toilets.

"Discussions with other European colleagues suggests that school toilets are also a problem for many other European children.

"Current legislation is limited in both the UK and Sweden to numbers of toilets per pupils. This needs extending to include acceptable standards of hygiene such as availability of soap, towels, washing facilities, toilet paper and adequate privacy.

"European standards are needed for school toilets to prevent children developing problems such as constipation, urinary tract infections and incontinence. "

Mrs Vernon is among researchers who are taking part in a national campaign, launched this year, to improve school toilets, which is being led by the Enuresis Resource and Information Centre (ERIC).

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Notes to editors:

1. Sue Vernon is available for interview on Wednesday January 22 after 11am. Please telephone 44-191-232-5131 (this is the switchboard at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, where Sue also works a nurse - please ask the operator to 'bleep' Sue on 2549). Email s.j.vernon@ncl.ac.uk. Mobile: 44-797-003-1250.
2. For broadcasters: Newcastle University has its own ISDN line for radio broadcasters and is five minutes from the local BBC and independent TV studios.
3. For reasons of confidentiality, we are unable to supply a list of the schools surveyed for this report.
4. Copies of the research paper are available electronically or by fax (25 pages) from the University Press Office.
5. For further details of ERIC's school toilets campaign contact Nickie Brander 44-125-278-2777.

ß Issued by Newcastle University Press Office. For more information please contact Claire Jordan, Mick Warwicker or Melanie Reed 44-191-222-7850 press.office@ncl.ac.uk


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