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. 2010 Apr;82(4):664-71.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0422.

Evaluation of the role of school children in the promotion of point-of-use water treatment and handwashing in schools and households--Nyanza Province, Western Kenya, 2007

Elizabeth Blanton  1 , Sam Ombeki, Gordon Otieno Oluoch, Alex Mwaki, Kathleen Wannemuehler, Rob Quick
Affiliations

Evaluation of the role of school children in the promotion of point-of-use water treatment and handwashing in schools and households--Nyanza Province, Western Kenya, 2007

Elizabeth Blanton et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2010 Apr.

Abstract

We installed drinking water and handwashing stations in 17 rural schools and trained teachers to promote water treatment and hygiene to pupils. We gave schools flocculent-disinfectant powder and hypochlorite solution for water treatment. We conducted a baseline water handling survey of pupils' parents from 17 schools and tested stored water for chlorine. We trained teachers and students about hygiene, installed water stations, and distributed instructional comic books to students. We conducted follow-up surveys and chlorine testing at 3 and 13 months. From baseline to 3-month follow-up, parental awareness of the flocculent-disinfectant increased (49-91%, P < 0.0001), awareness of hypochlorite remained high (93-92%), and household use of flocculent-disinfectant (1-7%, P < 0.0001) and hypochlorite (6-13%, P < 0.0001) increased, and were maintained after 13 months. Pupil absentee rates decreased after implementation by 26%. This school-based program resulted in pupil-to-parent knowledge transfer and significant increases in household water treatment practices that were sustained over 1 year.

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Figures

Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Positive chlorine residual among households by SES quintiles.
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Absentee rates for pupils attending 16 of 17 PuR® Pilot Program Schools in the second school term for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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