Search

Background: In India, Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) are participatory community health forums, but there is little information about their composition, functioning and effectiveness. Our study examined VHSNCs as enablers of participatory action for community health in two rural districts in two states of eastern India - West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Kendujhar, in Odisha.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 169 VHSNCs and ten qualitative focus group discussions with purposively selected better and poorer performing committees, across the two states. We analysed the quantitative data using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data using a Framework approach.Results: We found that VHSNCs comprised equitable representation from vulnerable groups when they were formed. More than 75 % members were women. Almost all members belonged to socially disadvantaged classes. Less than 1 % members had received any training. Supervision of committees by district or block officials was rare. Their work focused largely on strengthening village sanitation, conducting health awareness activities, and supporting medical treatment for ill or malnourished children and pregnant mothers. In reality, 62 % committees monitored community health workers, 6.5 % checked sub-centres and 2.4 % monitored drug availability with community health workers. Virtually none monitored data on malnutrition. Community health and nutrition workers acted as conveners and record keepers. Links with the community involved awareness generation and community monitoring of VHSNC activities. Key challenges included irregular meetings, members' limited understanding of their roles and responsibilities, restrictions on planning and fund utilisation, and weak linkages with the broader health system.Conclusions: Our study suggests that VHSNCs perform few of their specified functions for decentralized planning and action. If VHSNCs are to be instrumental in improving community health, sanitation and nutrition, they need education, mobilisation and monitoring for formal links with the wider health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lack of sanitation facilities is a serious health risk and obliges people to practice open defecation, thereby increasing the risk of disease transmission. The aim of this study was to assess latrine coverage and the associated factors among the rural communities in district of Bahir Dar Zuria, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 608 households in district of Bahir Dar Zuria. First, the district was stratified based on the distance from Bahir Dar city. Then, ten kebeles (the smallest administrative units) were selected from the 32 rural kebeles in the district. After the kebeles had been identified, the households were selected by systematic sampling method using existing list of all households as a sampling frame. Intervals (Kth)) for selecting households were determined by dividing the number of households with the sample size allocated for each kebele. After determining the Kth interval, the first household was selected randomly. The next households were identified systematically onwards by adding cumulatively Kth intervals to the first selected household .Data were collected by means of a pretested, standardized questionnaire and observation checklist. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 16. Results: Of the 608 households, 355 (58.4%) had pit latrines and only 220 (62.0%) were functional (providing services during data collection). One hundred eighty seven (52.7%) had been constructed two or more years prior to the time of the study and 202 (56.9%) latrines required maintenance. The availability of latrines was twice higher in households with an income of 5000 or more Ethiopian Birr (1USD = 17.5 Ethiopian Birr) per year (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-2.27) than those who hand an income less than 5000 Birr per year; the availability of latrines was twofold higher in households visited by health professional at least three times a month (AOR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.33-3.93) than those that received no visits. The latrine coverage was about two times higher in households that were less than 30 minutes walk from a health institution (AOR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.11-2.22) than households that were over 30 minutes walk. The latrine coverage was lower in households located in distant areas (AOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36-0.77) than in households closer to the city. Conclusions: Latrine coverage in District of Bahir Dar Zuria was far from the national target of 100%. The availability of latrines was affected by income level, frequency of visits by health workers, walking time from local health institutions, and distance from Bahir Dar. Therefore, it is recommended that the frequency of supportive visits be increased and that special attention be given to households in inaccessible areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Unimproved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) behaviors are key drivers of infectious disease transmission and influencers of mental well-being. While WASH is seen as a critical enabler of health, important knowledge gaps related to the content and delivery of effective, holistic WASH programming exist. Corresponding impacts of WASH on mental well-being are also underexplored. There is a need for more robust implementation research that yields information regarding whether and how community-based, demand-side interventions facilitate progressive and sustained adoption of improved sanitation and hygiene behaviors and downstream health impacts. The purpose of this protocol is to detail the rationale and design of a cluster-randomized trial evaluating the impact of a demand-side sanitation and hygiene intervention on sustained behavior change and mental well-being in rural and peri-urban Amhara, Ethiopia.Methods: Together with partners, we developed a theoretically-informed, evidence-based behavioral intervention called Andilaye. We randomly selected and assigned 50 sub-districts (kebeles) from three purposively selected districts (woredas); half to receive the Andilaye intervention, and half the standard of care sanitation and hygiene programming (i.e., community-led total sanitation and hygiene [CLTSH]). During baseline, midline, and endline, we will collect data on an array of behavioral factors, potential moderators (e.g., water and sanitation insecurity, collective efficacy), and our primary study outcomes: sanitation and hygiene behaviors and mental well-being. We will perform a process evaluation to assess intervention fidelity and related attributes.Discussion: While CLTSH has fostered sanitation and hygiene improvements in Ethiopia, evidence of behavioral slippage, or regression to unimproved practices in communities previously declared open defecation free exists. Other limitations of CLTSH, such as its focus on disgust, poor triggering, and over-saturation of Health Extension Workers have been documented. We employed rigorous formative research and practically applied social and behavioral theory to develop Andilaye, a scalable intervention designed to address these issues and complement existing service delivery within Ethiopia's Health Extension Program. Evidence from this trial may help address knowledge gaps related to scalable alternatives to CLTSH and inform sanitation and hygiene programming and policy in Ethiopia and beyond.Trial Registration: This trial was registered with clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT03075436 ) on March 9, 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]