Thank you Mughal, Kris and Chris for responding to my question about how wide-spread squatting toilets are in South America.

Based on your answers, I have now modified the statement in the Wikipedia article on squat toilets (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squat_toilet) like this:

Regions[edit source | edit]
Squat toilets are commonly found in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East but can also occasionally be found in some European (Romania, Southern France), Mediterranean, and Latin and South American countries. Squat toilets are not common in Central and Northern Europe, North America, Australia.

In Latin and South America, squat toilets that use water for flushing (flush toilets) are always of the sitting type, whereas toilets that do not use water for flushing (pit latrines and urine-diverting dry toilets) may be of either type, i.e. to be used in a sitting or a squatting position.

Does that sound OK?

Can anyone provide me information on the prevalance of squatting for other regions or any publications that could be cited which have analysed this?

Chris, regarding the health aspects, I have added a short bit on that as well:

Health aspects[edit source | edit]
Main article: Defecation postures
The use of squat toilets may have certain health benefits with respect to colon health as the defecation posture of squatting my result in less straining.[citation needed][1]

The main article where this is being discussed is actually the one on "defecation postures" (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defecation_postures). This one could clearly benefit from someone's watchful eye and editing work. If you have good references to support your bullet point list that you provided above then this could also be added into the article. Especially the points about health aspects can only be added if there are good quality sources to back that up.

Emma, perhaps that book that you mentioned above could be utilised as a source for the health benefits of squatting (although it would be better to have an English source, not a German one).

Regards,
Elisabeth

Hi,

I have never seen organized, presentable toilets for squatting in South America, aside from the UDDTs I build (inodoroseco.blogspot.com). Squatting is, however, standard for open defecation out in the woods or in a make-shift pit latrine with a wooden floor that has a drop hole cut into the middle of it.

Squatting is nonetheless superior:
-- less need to strain, thus fewer hemorhoids
-- everything comes out easier, thus less constipation
-- elimination is normally more complete, thus the colon gets a rest
-- no one needs to touch anything with their private parts, thus more hygienic
-- the floor is the same height for everyone, thus more accessible to little children
-- the user can see where everything is going and there is more distance, thus better urine diversion
-- no need for a bench, thus easier and less expensive to build

The health benefits accumulate over time.
It is key (especially for westerners) to have a handle to hold on to for equilibrium.

(Tangent) One curious thing that I have seen, when I went to build UDDTs in the Pantanal of Brazil, is the huge selection of super luxurious flush toilet bowls in Brazil, orders of magnitude beyond anything I have ever seen in the USA, Canada, Finland, or anywhere else I have ever been. One looked like a Roman column. This was in Cuiabá, which is a big, modern city, even though one may presume it would be a bit provincial, out in Mato Grosso. Someone is clearly obsessed with the flush toilet.

Best wishes,
Chris Canaday

Someone send me a snapshot (see attachment) on the merits and de-merits of squatting in natural and unnatural way (I'm using the terms from the snapshot). In Pakistan, natural squatting is preferred. Unnatural posture is used when there are problems, like over-weight, bulging belly, problems in knee joints, etc.

While the English WCs (as in the snapshot) and Indian WCs are used in Pakistan, for religious considerations, Indian WCs are preferred, as while doing the "business," the water in seal splashes the body parts.

F H Mughal

Thanks for this info. I guess we would have to take into consideration also the "hole in the ground type of pit latrines" as squatting toilets, wouldn't we? Are they common? Probably hard to estimate.

Unless perhaps we'd say of all flush toilets that are in Chile, Peru and Bolivia, a negligible proportion is of the squatting type. Perhaps that would be a more accurate statement then?

Some photos of that overloaded UDDT? (in a separate thread)

From my current experience in Chile, Peru and Bolivia I would say they are extremely rare to non existant (except maybe the hole in the ground type of pit latrines, but I am not sure if these count).
Came across a (sadly overloaded and thus quite smelly) UDDT in a really rural tourist resort in southern Bolivia yesterday though

Note by moderator: a related thread about squatting and sitting is available here:
forum.susana.org/forum/categories/141-ot...-colon-healthy-lifeq

+++++++

I was going to e-mail Chris & Chris (Canaday/Platzer) about this question but then I thought I might as well put it on the forum:
How wide-spread are squatting toilets in Latin America and South America from your experience (or from what you have read?).

The reason why I am asking is Wikipedia: I was editing an article on squatting toilets and another editor asked the question what is a fair statement about their prevalence in South America:

You find this statement (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Toilet#Squat_toilets):

Squatting toilets are most commonly found in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East but can also occasionally be found in some European (Romania, France), Mediterranean, and South American countries.

And this statement which is what I am suggesting (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squat_toilet):

Squat toilets are commonly found in Asia, Middle East, South America, North Africa, some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and to some extent in Southern Europe, although they are getting less common there. Squat toilets are not common in Central and Northern Europe, North America, Japan, Australia.

I wonder what a fair statement would be about South America. If someone happens to have a reference at their finger tips about the prevalence of squatting toilets in different countries, I would be happy to hear about that, too.

I guess one may have to differentiate because squatting toilets in public areas are more common than squatting toilets in households. I will never forget my suprise as a child when visiting a caravan park in France and seeing a squatting toilet for the first time in my life thinking "what kind of toilet is this??". Not sure if they are still common in Franch for caravan parks but I have never seen them in France at hotels, offices, museums, private homes. Then again I haven't been to Southern France yet, only the centre (Paris), North and East.

Regards,
Elisabeth