Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trials to Evaluate Adoption of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Interventions and Their Combination in Rural Western Kenya

• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0138
• Publication Date: 2014-11-25T04:31:09Z
• Authors: Garret Christensen; Holly N. Dentz; Amy J. Pickering; Tomoé Bourdier; Benjamin F. Arnold; John M. Colford; Clair Null
• Keywords: Pit latrine; Open defecation; Improved sanitation

In preparation for a larger trial, the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Benefits pilot study enrolled 72 villages 499 subjects in two closely related randomized trials of WASH interventions rural western Kenya. Intervention households received hardware promotion one following: water treatment, sanitation latrine improvements, handwashing with soap, or combination all three. Interventions were clustered by village. A follow-up survey was conducted 4 months after intervention delivery to assess uptake. significantly more likely than controls have chlorinated stored (36–60 percentage point increases), covers over drop holes (55–75 less stool visible on floors (16–47 reductions), place (71–85 increases) soap available (49–66 increases). The high uptake arms shows that combined can achieve short-term adoption rates if well-designed.