A randomized controlled trial of the plastic-housing BioSand filter and its impact on diarrheal disease in Copan, Honduras.
Point of use drinking water treatment with the BioSand filter (BSF) allows people to treat their water in the home. The purpose of this research was to document the ability of the Hydraid plastic-housing BSF to reduce diarrheal disease in households who received a BSF in a randomized controlled trial. The trial of the Hydraid plastic-housing BSF was carried out in rural, mountainous communities in Copan, Honduras during April of 2008 to February of 2009. A logistic regression adjusting for clustering showed that the incidence of diarrheal disease in children under 5 years was reduced by approximately 45% (odds ratio = 0.55, 95% confidence interval = 0.28, 1.10) in households that had a BSF compared with those households without a BSF, but this finding fluctuated depending on season and was not statistically significant. Households with a BSF had significantly better drinking water quality regardless of water source or season.
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. anna.fabiszewski@emory.edu
Anna M
AM
Fabiszewski de Aceituno
Christine E
CE
Stauber
Adam R
AR
Walters
Rony E
RE
Meza Sanchez
Mark D
MD
Sobsey
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D060766:Drinking Water; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006721:Honduras / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation*
D060766:Drinking Water