SAFEWATER Health & Behaviour Impact Field Trials; Mexico

Summary

At least 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is faecally contaminated and thus likely to lead to diarrheal illness: nearly 1,000 children die each day due to water and sanitation-related diarrhoeal diseases. Diseases related to the consumption of contaminated drinking-water place a major burden on human health. In 2017, 785 million people still lacked access to an improved drinking water source, and these are mostly the poor and marginalised. Almost a quarter of those people rely on surface water that is untreated and over 90% live in rural areas. Many people are forced to rely on sources that are microbiologically unsafe, leading to a higher risk of contracting waterborne diseases, including typhoid, hepatitis A and E, polio and cholera. The objectives of the SAFEWATER project is to develop technologies to provide clean water to economically deprived communities in rural Colombia and Mexico. These water technologies will be tested under real conditions with the cooperation of the rural communities.

The SAFEWATER field trials aims to evaluate the health and behaviour impacts of implementing SAFEWATER water treatment technologies for drinking water disinfection, with a behavioral change intervention, within rural communities in Colombia and Mexico

The project has three specific objectives:

1. Assess water quality improvement at household level
2. Assess behaviors and test behavioral interventions
3. Assess child growth and related health outcomes

Three communities in Colombia and one community in Mexico were recruited to take part in the study. Communities were selected based on factors such as current availability of clean water, accessibility, safety, community size and current activities within the communities. Pilot and feasibility studies were carried out prior to commencing field trials, thus the design of the trials vary across countries.

Mexico field trial: The trial in Mexico will use a stepped-wedge design, randomized at household level over a 12-month period (6-12 steps dependent on adherence and feasibility). All households (max n200) willing to be involved will be recruited (separate clinicaltrials.gov registration).

Colombia field trial: the trial in Colombia will use a non-randomized parallel design (2:1; intervention:control). A maximum of 84 households (54:30; intervention:control) will be recruited to take part, with families with young children (\<12 years) prioritized.

Outcomes for both countries will include 1) water quality, 2) water-related behaviour (e.g. frequency of system use, uses of treated / raw water), and 3) health, e.g. diarrhoea prevalence, growth (height/weight), school attendance, water insecurity status, gut integrity.

Impact: The development and deployment of the SAFEWATER technology has the potential to impact on clean drinking water access for participating communities in Mexico and Colombia and subsequently on the health and wellbeing of those individuals involved. Additionally if successful, the work will also provide an evidence based model for the provision of improved access to clean drinking water for rural communities in developing regions more widely.

Conditions

• Water-Related Diseases

Interventions

DEVICE

SAFEWATER systems for drinking water disinfection

A domestic water purification technology, consisting of a raw water storage tank, a pump, a filtration unit (2 cartridge filters), a UVC disinfection unit (UV lamp), a storage tank for drinking water (treated and safe water), and a distribution network inside the house for drinking water.

BEHAVIORAL

Behavior change interventions

Targeting behaviors around the use of the technology and water more generally. Behavioral interventions will be data-driven (i.e., dependent on the problems that arise) but are likely to include household and community-level activities.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fundación Cántaro Azul, A.C. (NGO), Mexico

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Centro de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Antioquia (CTA) (NGO), Colombia

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Universidad de Medellin, Colombia

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of São Paulo, Brazil

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Ulster

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-03-01

Primary Completion

2022-04-30

Completion

2022-04-30

Countries

• Colombia
• Mexico

Study Locations