science program
IPWR Research Investigator: Maria Elena Figueroa, Ph.D.
Location:
John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Amount: $200,000 for two years
Project: Health and Economic Benefits of a Large-scale Safe Water Program in Indonesia
In Indonesia, more than 100 million people lack access to safe water, diarrheal disease is the second leading killer of children under five and boiling water is the preferred household treatment method. The national commercial launch of Air RahMat, a chlorine-based point-of-use water treatment, provides a unique opportunity to examine the effectiveness of this treatment in a real-world context. Health impact evaluations of this type of product have typically been efficacy studies, examining free product provided in a controlled environment with substantial investment to ensure product uptake. The proposed research will document the health benefits of Air RahMat and will seek to understand the link between these benefits and the necessary behavior changes related to safe water and hygiene practices. It will use a multi-method approach including: a) a prospective cohort design with baseline and endline interviews one year apart; b) ethnographic data collection about household and community hygiene practices; c) monitoring of children’s health indicators; and d) a population-based survey at the end of the first and second years of the program to assess overall effect. Data will be analyzed using generalized estimating equation models as well as multivariate regression, path analysis, and propensity score models. Findings will provide information about the health benefits of safe water interventions in a non-experimental context and will help refine safe water interventions worldwide.
Water-related publications from investigators in this research
Figueroa ME & Kincaid DL. Social, Cultural and Behavioral Correlates of Household Water Treatment and Storage, in Sobsey M & Clasen T (eds.) Household Water Treatment and Save Storage. Geneva: World Health Organization (in press)
Gupta S, Quick R. Inadequate Drinking Water Quality from Tanker Trucks Following a Tsunami Disaster, Aceh, Indonesia, June 2005. Disaster Prevention and Management 2006; 15:213-215.
Gupta S, Suantio S, Gray A, Widyastuti E, Jain N, Rolos R, Hoekstra Rm, Quick R. Factors Associated with E. Coli Contamination of Household Drinking Water Among Tsunami and Earthquake Survivors, Indonesia. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2007 (in press).
Stockman LJ, Fischer TK, Deming M, Ngwira B, Bowie C, Cunliffe N, Bresee J, Quick RE. Awareness and use of WaterGuard among mothers in Malawi: lessons learned from a national survey, 2005. Emerging Infectious Diseases 2007 (in press).
