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The impact of school water, sanitation, and hygiene improvements on infectious disease using serum antibody detection.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Evidence from recent studies assessing the impact of school water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions on child health has been mixed. Self-reports of disease are subject to bias, and few WASH impact evaluations employ objective health measures to assess reductions in disease and exposure to pathogens. We utilized antibody responses from dried blood spots (DBS) to measure the impact of a school WASH intervention on infectious disease among pupils in Mali. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We randomly selected 21 beneficiary primary schools and their 21 matched comparison schools participating in a matched-control trial of a comprehensive school-based WASH intervention in Mali. DBS were collected from 20 randomly selected pupils in each school (n = 807). We analyzed eluted IgG from the DBS using a Luminex multiplex bead assay to 28 antigens from 17 different pathogens. Factor analysis identified three distinct latent variables representing vector-transmitted disease (driven primarily by dengue), food/water-transmitted enteric disease (driven primarily by Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae), and person-to-person transmitted enteric disease (driven primarily by norovirus). Data were analyzed using a linear latent variable model. Antibody evidence of food/water-transmitted enteric disease (change in latent variable mean (?) = -0.24; 95% CI: -0.53, -0.13) and person-to-person transmitted enteric disease (? = -0.17; 95% CI: -0.42, -0.04) was lower among pupils attending beneficiary schools. There was no difference in antibody evidence of vector-transmitted disease (? = 0.11; 95% CI: -0.05, 0.33). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Evidence of enteric disease was lower among pupils attending schools benefitting from school WASH improvements than students attending comparison schools. These findings support results from the parent study, which also found reduced incidence of self-reported diarrhea among pupils of beneficiary schools. DBS collection was feasible in this resource-poor field setting and provided objective evidence of disease at a low cost per antigen analyzed, making it an effective measurement tool for the WASH field. TRIAL REGISTRATION:The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01787058).

SUBMITTER: Chard AN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5919668 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The impact of school water, sanitation, and hygiene improvements on infectious disease using serum antibody detection.

Chard Anna N AN Trinies Victoria V Moss Delynn M DM Chang Howard H HH Doumbia Seydou S Lammie Patrick J PJ Freeman Matthew C MC

PLoS neglected tropical diseases 20180416 4

<h4>Background</h4>Evidence from recent studies assessing the impact of school water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions on child health has been mixed. Self-reports of disease are subject to bias, and few WASH impact evaluations employ objective health measures to assess reductions in disease and exposure to pathogens. We utilized antibody responses from dried blood spots (DBS) to measure the impact of a school WASH intervention on infectious disease among pupils in Mali.<h4>Methodolog ...[more]

PMID: 29659574

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Project description:BackgroundIt is thought that improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) might reduce the transmission of schistosomes and soil-transmitted helminths, owing to their life cycles. However, few large-scale studies have yet assessed the real extent of associations between WASH and these parasites.Methodology/principal findingsIn the 2013-2014 Ethiopian national mapping of infections with these parasites, school WASH was assessed alongside infection intensity in children, mostly between 10 and 15 years of age. Scores were constructed reflecting exposure to schistosomes arising from water collection for schools, from freshwater sources, and the adequacy of school sanitation and hygiene facilities. Kendall's τb was used to test the WASH scores against the school-level arithmetic mean intensity of infection with each parasite, in schools with at least one child positive for the parasite in question. WASH and parasitology data were available for 1,645 schools. More frequent collection of water for schools, from open freshwater sources was associated with statistically significantly higher Schistosoma mansoni infection intensity (Kendall's τb = 0.097, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.011 to 0.18), better sanitation was associated with significantly lower Ascaris lumbricoides intensity (Kendall's τb = -0.067, 95% CI: -0.11 to -0.023) and borderline significant lower hookworm intensity (Kendall's τb = -0.039, 95% CI: -0.090 to 0.012, P = 0.067), and better hygiene was associated with significantly lower hookworm intensity (Kendall's τb = -0.076, 95% CI: -0.13 to -0.020). However, no significant differences were observed when comparing sanitation and infection with S. mansoni or Trichuris trichiura, or hygiene and infection with A. lumbricoides or T. trichiura.Conclusions/significanceImproving school WASH may reduce transmission of these parasites. However, different forms of WASH appear to have different effects on infection with the various parasites, with our analysis finding the strongest associations between water and S. mansoni, sanitation and A. lumbricoides, and hygiene and hookworm.

Project description:Background and methodsCholera remains a significant threat to global public health with an estimated 100,000 deaths per year. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions are frequently employed to control outbreaks though evidence regarding their effectiveness is often missing. This paper presents a systematic literature review investigating the function, use and impact of WASH interventions implemented to control cholera.ResultsThe review yielded eighteen studies and of the five studies reporting on health impact, four reported outcomes associated with water treatment at the point of use, and one with the provision of improved water and sanitation infrastructure. Furthermore, whilst the reporting of function and use of interventions has become more common in recent publications, the quality of studies remains low. The majority of papers (>60%) described water quality interventions, with those at the water source focussing on ineffective chlorination of wells, and the remaining being applied at the point of use. Interventions such as filtration, solar disinfection and distribution of chlorine products were implemented but their limitations regarding the need for adherence and correct use were not fully considered. Hand washing and hygiene interventions address several transmission routes but only 22% of the studies attempted to evaluate them and mainly focussed on improving knowledge and uptake of messages but not necessarily translating this into safer practices. The use and maintenance of safe water storage containers was only evaluated once, under-estimating the considerable potential for contamination between collection and use. This problem was confirmed in another study evaluating methods of container disinfection. One study investigated uptake of household disinfection kits which were accepted by the target population. A single study in an endemic setting compared a combination of interventions to improve water and sanitation infrastructure, and the resulting reductions in cholera incidence.Discussion and recommendationsThis review highlights a focus on particular routes of transmission, and the limited number of interventions tested during outbreaks. There is a distinct gap in knowledge of which interventions are most appropriate for a given context and as such a clear need for more robust impact studies evaluating a wider array of WASH interventions, in order to ensure effective cholera control and the best use of limited resources.

Project description:BackgroundPoor menstrual hygiene practices influence school girls' dignity, well-being and health, school-absenteeism, academic performance, and school dropout in developing countries. Despite this, menstrual hygienic practices are not well understood and have not received proper attention by school WASH programs. Therefore, this study examined the extent of good menstrual hygiene practices and associated factors among high school girls in Dessie City, Amhara Region, northeastern Ethiopia.MethodsA school-based cross-sectional study was employed to examine 546 randomly selected high school students in Dessie City, northeastern Ethiopia. Pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires and a school observational checklist were used for data collection. EpiData Version 4.6 and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 25.0 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Bivariate and multivariable logistics regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with good menstrual hygiene practices. During bivariable analysis, variables with P-values less than 0.25 were retained for multivariable analysis. In the multivariable analysis, variables with a P-value less than 0.05 were declared to be significantly associated with good menstrual hygiene practices.ResultsOf the respondents, 53.9% (95% CI [49.6, 58.2]) reported good menstrual hygiene practices. The following factors were found to be significantly associated with good menstrual hygiene practices: age range 16-19 years (AOR = 1.93, 95% CI: [1.22-3.06]); school grade level 10 (AOR = 1.90, 95% CI: [1.18-3.07]); maternal education (primary) (AOR = 3.72, 95% CI: [1.81-7.63]), maternal education (secondary) (AOR = 8.54, 95% CI: [4.18-17.44]), maternal education (college) (AOR = 6.78, 95% CI: [3.28-14.02]) respectively]; having regular menses [AOR = 1.85, 95% CI: (1.03-3.32); good knowledge regarding menstruation (AOR = 2.02, 95% CI: [1.32-3.09]); discussing menstrual hygiene with friends (AOR = 1.79, 95% CI: [1.12-2.86]), and obtaining money for pads from the family (AOR = 2.08, 95% CI: [1.15-3.78]).ConclusionWe found that more than half of high school girls had good menstrual hygiene practices. Factors significantly associated with good menstrual hygiene practices include high school girls age 16-18 years, girls grade level 10, maternal education being completed primary, secondary and college level, having regular menses, good knowledge regarding menstruation, discussing menstrual hygiene with friends and obtaining money for pads from the family. Therefore, educating of high school student mothers about MHP should be a priority intervention area to eliminate the problem of menstrual hygiene among daughters. Furthermore, in order to improve the MHP among high school girls, further attention is needed to improving knowledge regarding menstruation among high school girls, encouraging high school girls' families to support their daughters by buying sanitary pads and promoting discussions among friends about menstrual hygiene. Schools need to focus on making the school environment conducive to managing menstrual hygiene by increasing awareness of safe MHP and providing adequate water/sanitation facilities.

Project description:The Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) interventions have been acknowledged for their role in the public health and educational outcomes. While there are strong evidences that reveal that WASH facilities do reduce the prevalence of infectious diseases and improve the learning environment, data remain thin and equivocal on the differential impacts of WASH facilities on education by gender. The literature reviewed does not, in most cases; go to the extent of investigating if indeed both men and women students have unique needs especially in underprivileged areas. This is the point from which the present systematic review and meta-analysis intend to fill this gap by assessing the global evidence on the effect of WASH interventions on educational outcomes with due consideration given to gender. This systematic review will include international databases used for the search, such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Europe PubMed Central, and Scopus. Study eligibility will include cross-sectional studies published in English on the impact of WASH interventions on school attendance and academic performance, stratifying gender-specific outcomes. Data extracted will be analyzed using the STATA software version 17. The percentage of heterogeneity will be quantified through the I2 statistics to show the variability between the included studies. Based on the observed results, diversity will be checked among the outcomes of the study and based on that random-effect model will be used to estimate the pooled effect size. I will, therefore, make use of the Egger and Begg tests for checking statistical asymmetry. Publication bias will be assessed with funnel plots. These will ensure the methodologies used provide comprehensive and rigorous data analysis, which will give strong insights into the impacts of the WASH intervention on educational outcomes. Prospero registration number: Systematic review and Meta-analysis registration number: PROSPERO CRD42024536477.

Project description:BackgroundWater, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in schools is promoted by development agencies as a modality to improve school attendance by reducing illness. Despite biological plausibility, the few rigorous studies that have assessed the effect of WASH in schools (WinS) interventions on pupil health and school attendance have reported mixed impacts. We evaluated the impact of the Laos Basic Education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme - a comprehensive WinS project implemented by UNICEF Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) in 492 primary schools nationwide between 2013 and 2017 - on pupil education and health.MethodsFrom 2014-2017, we conducted a cluster-randomized trial among 100 randomly selected primary schools lacking functional WASH facilities in Saravane Province, Lao PDR. Schools were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n = 50) or comparison (n = 50) arm. Intervention schools received a school water supply, sanitation facilities, handwashing facilities, drinking water filters, and behavior change education and promotion. Comparison schools received the intervention after research activities ended. At unannounced visits every six to eight weeks, enumerators recorded pupils' roll-call absence, enrollment, attrition, progression to the next grade, and reported illness (diarrhea, respiratory infection, conjunctivitis), and conducted structured observations to measure intervention fidelity and adherence. Stool samples were collected annually prior to de-worming and analyzed for soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection. In addition to our primary intention-to-treat analysis, we conducted secondary analyses to quantify the role of intervention fidelity and adherence on project impacts.ResultsWe found no impact of the WinS intervention on any primary (pupil absence) or secondary (enrollment, dropout, grade progression, diarrhea, respiratory infection, conjunctivitis, STH infection) impacts. Even among schools with the highest levels of fidelity and adherence, impact of the intervention on absence and health was minimal.ConclusionsWhile WinS may create an important enabling environment, WinS interventions alone and as currently delivered may not be sufficient to independently impact pupil education and health. Our results are consistent with other recent evaluations of WinS projects showing limited or mixed effects of WinS.

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The impact of school water, sanitation, and hygiene improvements on infectious disease using serum antibody detection.

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The impact of school water, sanitation, and hygiene improvements on infectious disease using serum antibody detection.

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