title: A qualitative assessment of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to diarrhea and water filtration in rural Kenya.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We qualitatively assessed beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to diarrhea and water filtration in rural Kenya.
  
  
  METHODS
  A public health campaign was conducted in rural western Kenya to give community members a comprehensive prevention package of goods and services, including a personal water filter or a household water filter (or both). Two months after the campaign, we conducted qualitative interviews with 34 campaign attendees to assess their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to diarrhea and use of the filtration devices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants held generally correct perceptions of diarrhea causation. Participants provided positive reports of their experiences with using filters and of their success with obtaining clean water, reducing disease, and reducing consumption of resources otherwise needed to produce clean water. Several participants offered technical suggestions for device improvements, and most participants were still using the devices at the time of the assessment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Novel water filtration devices distributed as part of a comprehensive public health campaign rapidly proved acceptable to community members and were consistent with community practices and beliefs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Food Studies, and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13210-2938, USA. tddye@syr.edu
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: De Ver Dye
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Apondi
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lugada
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sandiford-Day
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dasbanerjee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation