Improving community health through marketing exchanges: A participatory action research study on water, sanitation, and hygiene in three Melanesian countries.
Diseases related to poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) are major causes of mortality and morbidity. While pursuing marketing approaches to WaSH to improve health outcomes is often narrowly associated with monetary exchange, marketing theory recognises four broad marketing exchange archetypes: market-based, non-market-based, command-based and culturally determined. This diversity reflects the need for parameters broader than monetary exchange when improving WaSH. This study applied a participatory action research process to investigate how impoverished communities in Melanesian urban and peri-urban informal settlements attempt to meet their WaSH needs through marketing exchange. Exchanges of all four archetypes were present, often in combination. Motivations for participating in the marketing exchanges were based on social relationships alongside WaSH needs, health aspirations and financial circumstances. By leveraging these motivations and pre-existing, self-determined marketing exchanges, WaSH practitioners may be able to foster WaSH marketing exchanges consistent with local context and capabilities, in turn improving community physical, mental and social health.
Monash University and International WaterCentre, Level 16, 333 Ann Street, Brisbane, 4000, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: dani.barrington@monash.edu.
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Barrington
Department of Marketing, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Wellington Road, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia.
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Sridharan
Department of Marketing, Monash University, Berwick Campus, 100 Clyde Road, Berwick, 3806, Victoria, Australia.
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Saunders
International WaterCentre, Level 16, 333 Ann Street, Brisbane, 4000, Queensland, Australia.
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Souter
The Water Institute, The University of North Carolina, Campus Box #7431, Chapel Hill, 27599-7431, North Carolina, USA.
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Bartram
The Water Institute, The University of North Carolina, Campus Box #7431, Chapel Hill, 27599-7431, North Carolina, USA.
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Shields
Institute of Applied Science, University of the South Pacific, Private Bag, Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji.
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Meo
International WaterCentre, Level 16, 333 Ann Street, Brisbane, 4000, Queensland, Australia.
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Kearton
Live & Learn Environmental Education, Ross House, 247-251 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, 3000, Victoria, Australia.
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Hughes
D017144:Focus Groups; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene / Q000592:standards; D040541:Marketing / Q000379:methods*; D008542:Melanesia / Q000208:ethnology; D011634:Public Health / Q000592:standards*; D012424:Rural Population; D012499:Sanitation / Q000592:standards; D060753:Water Quality / Q000592:standards
Fiji; PAR; Pacific; Sanitation marketing; Social capital; Solomon Islands; Vanuatu; Well-being