Dataset Information

Formative research for the development of baby water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions for young children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (REDUCE program).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Research exploring the unique exposure pathways to fecal pathogens for young children and innovative water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions for susceptible pediatric populations is needed to reduce the burden of diarrheal diseases and stunting globally. The Reducing Enteropathy, Diarrhea, Undernutrition, and Contamination in the Environment (REDUCE) program seeks to 1) identify exposure pathways to fecal pathogens that are significant contributors to morbidity for young children in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 2) develop and evaluate scalable interventions that reduce fecal contamination and exposure from these pathways. The formative research portion of the project sought to identify feasible and acceptable WASH interventions to modify behaviors found to be associated with diarrheal disease and impaired growth in our REDUCE cohort study.

Methods

Ninety-one semi-structured interviews, 6 focus group discussions, and a pilot study of 102 households were conducted during 24?months of formative research. Thirty-one interviews and six focus group discussions were conducted with caregivers, community health workers, and village leaders to explore existing WASH practices and to identify barriers and facilitators to WASH behaviors. Findings were organized using the Integrated Behavioral Model for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to facilitate interpretation and identify determinants to Baby WASH behaviors in this setting. Care Group modules and enabling technology were developed based on exploratory findings and then revised during a two-part, iterative pilot study. Sixty interviews were conducted with participants in a pilot study of the REDUCE Baby WASH Care Group modules to learn about their experiences with the intervention.

Results

Six REDUCE Baby WASH Care Group modules were developed based on formative research findings and covered the following topics: 1) living with animals; 2) child mouthing of fomites and feces; 3) composting animal feces; 4) child feces disposal; 5) handwashing with soap; and 6) water treatment.

Conclusion

This study took a theory-driven and evidence-based approach to formative research and the development of the REDUCE Baby WASH Care Group modules. Intervention design focused on interrupting the exposure routes for infants and young children to fecal pathogens in the environment and promoting low-cost, low-burden Baby WASH behavioral recommendations and enabling technology. These developed REDUCE Baby WASH Care Group modules are currently being rolled out to over 1,000,000 beneficiaries in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

SUBMITTER: Kuhl J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7923459 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Formative research for the development of baby water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions for young children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (REDUCE program).

Kuhl Jennifer J Bisimwa Lucien L Thomas Elizabeth D ED Williams Camille C Ntakirutimana Joseph J Coglianese Nicole N Bauler Sarah S François Ruthly R Sanvura Presence P Bisimwa Jean Claude JC Mirindi Patrick P George Christine Marie CM

BMC public health 20210301 1

<h4>Background</h4>Research exploring the unique exposure pathways to fecal pathogens for young children and innovative water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions for susceptible pediatric populations is needed to reduce the burden of diarrheal diseases and stunting globally. The Reducing Enteropathy, Diarrhea, Undernutrition, and Contamination in the Environment (REDUCE) program seeks to 1) identify exposure pathways to fecal pathogens that are significant contributors to morbidity for ...[more]

PMID: 33648466

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Project description:Compared to the general public, household members of cholera patients are at a 100 times higher risk of contracting cholera during the 7-day high-risk period after a cholera patient has been admitted to a health facility for treatment. The Preventative-Intervention-for-Cholera-for-7-days (PICHA7) program aims to reduce household transmission of cholera during this 7-day high-risk period through a health facility-initiated water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) program promoting handwashing with soap, water treatment, and safe water storage. The PICHA7 program is delivered to cholera patient households through: (1) a pictorial flipbook delivered by a health promoter; (2) a cholera prevention package (handwashing station, drinking water vessel with lid and tap, and chlorine tablets); and (3) weekly WASH mobile messages sent to patient households in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The objectives of this study were to conduct formative research to identify facilitators and barriers of the promoted WASH behaviors for cholera patient households and to tailor the PICHA7 program to target these facilitators and barriers. Formative research included 93 semi-structured interviews with diarrhea patient households and healthcare workers during exploratory research and a pilot study of 518 participants. Barriers to the promoted WASH behaviors identified during exploratory and pilot study interviews included: (1) low awareness of cholera transmission and prevention; (2) unaffordability of soap for handwashing; and (3) intermittent access to water limiting water for handwashing. For intervention development, narratives of the lived experiences of patient households in our study were presented by health promoters to describe cholera transmission and prevention, and soapy water and ash were promoted in the program flipbook and mobile messages to address the affordability of soap for handwashing. A jerry can was provided to allow for additional water storage, and a tap with a slower flow rate was attached to the handwashing station to reduce the amount of water required for handwashing. The pilot findings indicate that the PICHA7 program has high user acceptability and is feasible to deliver to cholera patients that present at health facilities for treatment in our study setting. Formative research allowed for tailoring this targeted WASH program for cholera patient households in the DRC.

Project description:IntroductionHousehold contacts of cholera cases are at a greater risk of Vibrio cholerae infection than the general population. There is currently no agreed standard of care for household contacts, despite their high risk of infection, in cholera response strategies. In 2018, hygiene kit distribution and health promotion was recommended by Médecins Sans Frontières for admitted patients and accompanying household members on admission to a cholera treatment unit in the Democratic Republic of Congo.MethodsTo investigate the effectiveness of the intervention and risk factors for cholera infection, we conducted a prospective cohort study and followed household contacts for 7 days after patient admission. Clinical surveillance among household contacts was based on self-reported symptoms of cholera and diarrhoea, and environmental surveillance through the collection and analysis of food and water samples.ResultsFrom 94 eligible households, 469 household contacts were enrolled and 444 completed follow-up. Multivariate analysis suggested evidence of a dose-response relationship with increased kit use associated with decreased relative risk of suspected cholera: household contacts in the high kit-use group had a 66% lower incidence of suspected cholera (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 0.34, 95% CI 0.11 to 1.03, p=0.055), the mid-use group had a 53% lower incidence (aRR 0.47, 95% CI 0.17 to 1.29, p=1.44) and low-use group had 22% lower incidence (aRR 0.78, 95% CI 0.24 to 2.53, p=0.684), compared with household contacts without a kit. Drinking water contamination was significantly reduced among households in receipt of a kit. There was no significant effect on self-reported diarrhoea or food contamination.ConclusionThe integration of a hygiene kit intervention to case-households may be effective in reducing cholera transmission among household contacts and environmental contamination within the household. Further work is required to evaluate whether other proactive localised distribution among patients and case-households or to households surrounding cholera cases can be used in future cholera response programmes in emergency contexts.

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Dataset Information

Formative research for the development of baby water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions for young children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (REDUCE program).

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Formative research for the development of baby water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions for young children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (REDUCE program).

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