title: Bringing safe water to remote populations: an evaluation of a portable point-of-use intervention in rural Madagascar.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA. pkram@buffalo.edu
authors.forename: Pavani Kalluri
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Ram
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kelsey
authors.lastname: Rasoatiana
authors.forename: Rabeantoandro Rado
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Miarintsoa
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rakotomalala
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dunston
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Quick
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D017606:Chlorine Compounds; D004202:Disinfectants