Bringing safe water to remote populations: an evaluation of a portable point-of-use intervention in rural Madagascar.
Rural populations disproportionately lack access to improved water supplies. We evaluated a novel scheme that employed community-based sales agents to disseminate the Safe Water System (SWS)--a household-level water chlorination and safe storage intervention--in rural Madagascar. Respondents from 242 households in 4 villages were interviewed; all used surface water for drinking water. Respondents from 239 households (99%) had heard of Sûr'Eau, the SWS disinfectant; 226 (95%) reported having ever used Sûr'Eau, and 166 (73%) reported current use. Current Sûr'Eau use was confirmed in 54% of households. Community sales agents effectively motivated their neighbors to adopt a new health behavior that prevents diarrhea. Future work should focus on strategies for sustaining SWS use, factors that motivate community-based sales agents to promote SWS, and the feasibility of scaling up this approach.
Ram
Pavani Kalluri
PK
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA. pkram@buffalo.edu
Kelsey
Elaine
E
Rasoatiana
Miarintsoa
Rabeantoandro Rado
RR
Rakotomalala
Oliver
O
Dunston
Chris
C
Quick
Robert E
RE
D017606:Chlorine Compounds / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D016520:Entrepreneurship; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006795:Household Products / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008270:Madagascar; D040541:Marketing / Q000379:methods*; D012423:Rural Health; D012449:Safety; D040241:Social Marketing; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards
D017606:Chlorine Compounds; D004202:Disinfectants