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Objective. To review the literature published from 1995-2004 on the relationship between sanitation and health and to identify the main variables analyzed and the diseases or injuries used as markers of effect or environmental health. Method. A search of Medline, SciELO, and LILACS on "sanitation" and "health" and "indicator" and "water" produced 103 articles, 17 of which were considered relevant for the analysis. We identified the study design and the sanitation and health variables analyzed in each of the 17 studies. Results. The most common study design was ecological and was employed in seven of the 17 studies. In most (10 studies), the health variable was diarrhea and sanitation variable was water quality. Fifteen studies reported a positive association between the health and sanitation variables. Conclusions. There are still many gaps in our understanding of sanitation and its role, especially in large urban centers that are dependent on water and sewerage systems and often lack alternative water sources. Ecological studies based on secondary data and specific surveys have been shown to be a good option for analyses correlating sanitation and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To propose an urban water sustainability index based on indicators that may serve as a foundation for developing planned actions concerning water resources. Methods. Eleven indicators (covering aspects of water and sewage) were selected based on the parameters of Brazil's National Water and Sanitation Information System (Sistema Nacional de Informação sobre Saneamento) for the years 2000 and 2001. A score and a weight were assigned to each indicator. Based on that, the urban water sustainability index (UWSI) was calculated, using the formula UWSI = product (Iipi), where Ii is the score attributed to each indicator i, ranging from 0 to 100, and pi is the weight for each indicator Σi=1Pin = 1, where n is the number of indicators considered). The lowest water quality is indicated by an index value of 0, and the best by an index value of 100. Results. The urban water sustainability index for the city of Rio de Janeiro was 58.99 in 2000, and it rose to 59.57 in 2001, indicating water of good quality in both those years. Conclusions. The improvement in the quality of the water resources between 2000 and 2001 in the city of Rio de Janeiro is possibly the result of the implementation, in the 1990s, of an environmental management program in the Rio de Janeiro region. Environmental planning that includes rational use of water resources and methods to prevent their destruction is crucial to sustaining society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]