Freeman M.C., Clasen T., Dreibelbis R., Saboori S., Greene L.E., Brumback B., Muga R., Rheingans R.
Center for Global Safe Water, Department of Environmental Health, Emory University, CNR 2027 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States; Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Center for Global Safe Water, Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States; Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, FL, United States; Tropical Institute for Community Health and Development, Great Lakes University of Kisumu, Kenya; Department of Global and Environmental Health, University of Florida, FL, United States
Freeman, M.C., Center for Global Safe Water, Department of Environmental Health, Emory University, CNR 2027 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States; Clasen, T., Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Dreibelbis, R., Center for Global Safe Water, Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States; Saboori, S., Center for Global Safe Water, Department of Environmental Health, Emory University, CNR 2027 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States; Greene, L.E., Center for Global Safe Water, Department of Environmental Health, Emory University, CNR 2027 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States; Brumback, B., Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, FL, United States; Muga, R., Tropical Institute for Community Health and Development, Great Lakes University of Kisumu, Kenya; Rheingans, R., Department of Global and Environmental Health, University of Florida, FL, United States
The impact of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access on mitigating illness is well documented, although impact of school-based WASH on school-aged children has not been rigorously explored. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in Nyanza Province, Kenya to assess the impact of a school-based WASH intervention on diarrhoeal disease in primary-school pupils. Two study populations were used: schools with a nearby dry season water source and those without. Pupils attending 'water-available' schools that received hygiene promotion and water treatment (HP&WT) and sanitation improvements showed no difference in period prevalence or duration of illness compared to pupils attending control schools. Those pupils in schools that received only the HP&WT showed similar results. Pupils in 'water-scarce' schools that received a water-supply improvement, HP&WT and sanitation showed a reduction in diarrhoea incidence and days of illness. Our study revealed mixed results on the impact of improvements to school WASH improvements on pupil diarrhoea. © 2013 Cambridge University Press.