title: A community-based approach to promote household water treatment in Rwanda.
abstract: Treatment of drinking water at the household level is one of the most effective preventive interventions against diarrhea, a leading cause of illness and death among children in developing countries. A pilot project in two districts in Rwanda aimed to increase use of Sûr'Eau, a chlorine solution for drinking water treatment, through a partnership between community-based health insurance schemes and community health workers who promoted and distributed the product. Evaluation of the pilot, drawing on a difference-in-differences design and data from pre- and post-pilot household surveys of 4,780 households, showed that after 18 months of pilot implementation, knowledge and use of the product increased significantly in two pilot districts, but remained unchanged in a control district. The pilot was associated with a 40-42 percentage point increase in ever use, and 8-9 percentage points increase in use of Sûr'Eau at time of the survey (self-reported measures). Our data suggest that exposure to inter-personal communication on Sûr'Eau and hearing about the product at community meetings and health centers were associated with an increase in use.
authors.affiliation: Abt Associates, Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA. slavea_chankova@abtassoc.com
authors.forename: Slavea
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chankova
authors.forename: Laurel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hatt
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Musange
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002713:Chlorine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000592:standards*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012432:Rwanda; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D060753:Water Quality / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D004202:Disinfectants; D060766:Drinking Water; D002713:Chlorine