Study Overview
This paper analyzes a randomized experiment that uses novel strategies to promote handwashing with soap at critical points in time in Peru. It evaluates a large-scale comprehensive initiative that involved both community and school activities in addition to communication campaigns. The analysis indicates that the initiative was successful in reaching the target audience and in increasing the treated population’s knowledge about appropriate handwashing behavior. These improvements translated into higher self-reported and observed handwashing with soap at critical junctures. However, no significant improvements in the health of children under the age of 5 years were observed.
Study Results
The community intervention that has been studied here, which combined a mass media campaign with more intensive training and promotional activities at the district level, proved to be effective in reaching the targeted audience with its handwashing promotion message, and it significantly increased the proportion of mothers and caregivers who reported receiving it. The treated community group reported receiving the message through at least one communication channel more than 15 percent more often than the control group did. This more comprehensive treatment seems to have successfully transmitted the key messages related to handwashing with soap. Increased exposure to the campaign and educational sessions translated into observable learning about best handwashing practices.
Intervention: Handwashing promotion program