This study tested the effect of a 4-week Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) intervention on diarrhoeal infections in children, and knowledge, awareness, practices (KAP) in the six tribal villages of Palghar. We performed a quasi-experimental study in N = 180 households among mothers with children under-five registered in the anganwadi centers. Households received either WaSH kits (control arm n = 90) or kits combined with education (intervention arm n = 90). We estimated the effect of this 4-week intervention by comparing the groups post-intervention for change in KAP and diarrhoea infection. The average overall KAP score of the intervention group increased significantly from 8.54 ± 1.65 to 11.89 ± 1.60 (p < 0.001), between pre-intervention (t0) and 4 weeks after intervention (t2). In the control group, the change in average overall KAP score was not statistically significant (8.39 ± 1.72 to 8.74 ± 1.76 (p = 0.764)), between the t0 and t2 assessments. Diarrhoeal infection was reduced by 6% in the intervention compared to 2% in the control group. These findings support that a combination of short- and long-term strategies was more effective in reducing diarrhoea among tribal children than standalone approaches. 

 
Angeline Jeyakumar, Bibek Raj Giri, Swapnil Godbharl 2024, Impact of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) interventions on diarrhoeal infections among children in the tribal regions of Palghar: a quasi-experimental study., J Water Health 1 July 2024; 22 (7): 1125–1138

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