April 27, 2020
By: David Weatherill, CAWST
This article was originally posted on CAWST.
To learn about hygiene and handwashing behaviour in the Department of Gracias a Dios, Pure Water for the World Honduras and CAWST partnered with UNICEF to complete a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) study in 2016. Focused on the communities and schools of Puerto Lempira and Villeda Morales municipalities, the study collected and analyzed qualitative and quantitative data from students, teachers, and parents from 12 selected communities.
David Weatherhill, Global WASH Advisor for CAWST reflected, “The Honduras team have great communication skills and they put these skills to masterful use in completing the KAP study, especially when dealing with some sensitive issues such as menstrual hygiene management.”
This 2016 study informed our interventions and education on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in schools in the region. It remains relevant as a case study, especially now as we influence and motivate hygiene behaviour change all over the world to combat COVID-19. Findings emphasized the need for maintenance of existing handwashing infrastructure and enhancing community norms around hygiene to motivate consistent hygiene practices, and building on the strong, preexisting knowledge of handwashing practices in the communities.
The team used the RANAS model of behaviour change, which looks at the factors of risk, attitude, norm, ability, and self-regulation [1]. More recently, CAWST has been using the Behaviour Centered Design model, which focuses on changes in the environment, triggering changes in the brain and body of target individuals, which then changes behaviour [2].
Read the full case study here.
References
1 Mosler, H-J. (2012). A systematic approach to behavior change interventions for the water and sanitation sector in developing countries: a conceptual model, a review, and a guideline. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 22, 431-449.
2 Aunger, R. & Curtis, V. (2015). A Guide to Behaviour Centred Design. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
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