Two water and sanitation examples
This research includes a section Environmental Health including water, sanitation and hygiene education and one on interventions using mass media. This contains examples from water sanitation and hygiene. Two of these are listed below:
Example 1: Burkina Faso
Curtis,V., Kanki,B., Cousens,S., Diallo,I., Kpozehouen,A., Sangare,M. and Nikiema,M. (2001) Evidence of behaviour change following a hygiene promotion programme in Burkina Faso. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 79, 518-527. REF ID 8859.
Target Group/Country: Carers of small children in rural communities in Burkina Faso.
Methodology: The programme was designed following extensive research on local practices, motivation and facilities using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Community volunteers carried out monthly house-to-house visits and community meetings. Health centre staff were trained in participatory discussion and gave talks at health centres. A youth theatre group performed a comic play each week about cleanliness and the need to dispose of stools. A series of 12 comic radio spots with an evolving story was developed, tested and broadcast in local languages and French by local radio stations. A curriculum and materials for six primary school hygiene lessons were developed, teachers trained and provided with lesson guides, 6 posters and a box of soap and buckets.
Evaluation: There were no controls (because of the use of mass media) and a time series approach was used for evaluation. Two population surveys recorded the coverage of the programme among target audiences (mothers of children aged 0-35 months). Four surveys were carried out: three prior to the programme and one in 1998 (after the programme had been running for 3 years), using structured observation of hygiene behaviours of young children and their carers and recording a three hour period on a pre-coded form.
Impact: After the programme had run for 3 years, three-quarters of mothers targeted had had contact with programme activities. Half could cite the two main messages of the programme correctly. Although the safe disposal of children's stools changed little between 1995 and 1998 (80% pre-intervention, 84% post- intervention), hand-washing with soap after cleaning a child's bottom rose from 13% to 31%(p<0.01). The proportion of mothers who washed their hands with soap after using the latrine increased from 1% to 17% (p<0.001). Lack of a control is the main limit to the validity of this study. Even with the pre-test studies the authors conclude that it is not possible to show from the data that the change in washing hands after using the latrine was a change from the underlying trend. It is unfortunate that the data on coverage was not related to the impact - to show a relative take-up of behaviours by those persons who reported hearing the messages from radio or volunteers.
Example 2: Iran
Montazeri, A. and McEwen, J. (1998) Health education campaign on environmental health: a pilot study. International Journal of Environmental Health Research 8, 35-41.Ref ID : 8489.
Target Group/Country: Residents in Teheran, Iran.
Intervention: Health education campaign on environmental health consisting of billboards with three illustrations asking people to (1) keep flies away from food, (2) to use a dustbin with a lid and (3) to wash vegetables and fruit with chlorinated water.
Evaluation: A sample of 183 adults aged 18 to 56 years was shown a picture related to the campaign (illustrating keeping flies away from foodstuffs, using dustbins with lids, and chlorinating vegetables and fruits), and then filled in a short questionnaire. The main objective of the study was to measure recall rates.
Impact: The results showed that recalls were high (73%), 53% of respondents were either 'very positive' or 'positive' about the campaign, and almost all participants perceived the main idea of the campaign correctly. The study findings showed some significant associations between demographic variables, recall and perception of the campaign. The study concludes that health education campaigns are useful tools for launching environmental health related topics and the focus should be on getting the attention of as many of the target population as possible.
