Abstract :
The purpose of this study was to identify the notion of social construction in
changing hygiene and healthy living behavior through safe and healthy latrines, for
residents in densely populated areas, which are adjacent to rivers in the city of
Surabaya. Analyze changes in residents’ behavior to interpret clean and healthy living
behaviors, as well as describing the reality of the supporting components in the
application to develop clean and healthy living behaviors in the city of Surabaya. This
research uses qualitative methods with data collection through interviews. The
informants of this study were residents who already had healthy latrines and those who
did not have healthy latrines. The results showed that the social construction of
behavior change through safe latrines for residents, forming a clean and healthy
lifestyle, as a dialectical process: internalization, externalization and objective
objectification as a form of community behavior development, which is related to a
clean and healthy sanitation environment. Government policies and support are very
clear, believe in and hope for the ability of citizens to create a healthy environmental
climate. In order to bring about a good environmental change, residents who live in
densely populated areas have to have safe and healthy latrines. Behavior development
for residents of densely populated areas in big cities, is a behavior change process,
needs to get appreciation for the aspirations conveyed by some residents, wants a
decent, safe and healthy lifestyle, and has various facilities that are in accordance with
the needs of a clean lifestyle. The opinion of some residents is that healthy latrine
facilities are still underestimated and are a secondary need. The reality of the
supporting components, such as: introduction, socialization, counseling on the
meaning, understanding of the benefits of clean living behavior through safe and
healthy latrines, is the development of knowledge, attitudes and actions of citizens to
live clean lives, which are the strength of the government's success by providing these
services intensively and consistently.