Title | Factors determining the effectiveness of Oxfam’s public health promotion approach in Haiti |
Publication Type | Miscellaneous |
Year of Publication | 2012 |
Authors | Contzen, N, Mosler, H-J |
Pagination | 73 p.; 32 fig.; 13 tab. |
Date Published | 2012-02-29 |
Publisher | Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG) |
Place Published | Duebendorf, Switzerland |
Keywords | data analysis, data processing, haiti, hand washing, public health, sanitation, water consumption |
Abstract |
In response to the devastating earthquake of january 12th 2010 and the cholera outbreak of october of that same year Oxfam Great Britain, Oxfam Quebec and Intermón Oxfam conducted public health promotion and cholera response in Haiti. Different promotion activities were applied which aimed at changing hygiene behavior by changing perceptions and beliefs about healthy behaviors amongst people affected by crisis. In february 2011 four Oxfam affiliates in Haiti in partnership with a team of behavior change researchers from Eawag launched the present research project to do an in-depth evaluation of the promotional activities that had been conducted with the goal of further improving the WASH situation for people in Haiti and worldwide by understanding how to make hygiene promotion more effective. The main focus of the research project was around the question which specific promotion activities were strongly associated with perceptions and beliefs about handwashing with soap and were thus capable of changing handwashing behavior at key times. To address this question, 811 structured interviews with the primary caretaker of a household were conducted in may and june 2011 in camps and neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, Gressier, Petit Goâve, Grand-Goâve, and Léogâne. Regression analysis revealed that attitudes, norms and ability beliefs are most important in determining handwashing behavior at key times while health risk beliefs and health knowledge are of only minor importance. In terms of promotion activities, regression and mediation analysis revealed hygiene radio spots, material distributions with instructions for use, information from friends or neighbors, and hygiene theater were strongly associated with feces and food related handwashing. In addition, radio programs with experts answering listener’s questions fostered feces related hand washing while community clubs were beneficial for food related handwashing. However, some of the promotion activities are negatively associated with handwashing at key times. Respondents who experienced a focus group, stickers, posters and paintings, and hygiene songs wash their hands less often after any contact with feces or before handling food than respondents who did not experience |
Notes | With 6 references |
Custom 1 | 141.0 |