Evaluating the Individual and Combined Effects of Hand Hygiene Promotion and Hardware Provision on Handwashing With Soap in Lusaka, Zambia

Summary

The goal of this study is to assess the individual and combined effects of hand hygiene behavioural promotion and handwashing hardware and supply provision on handwashing with soap behaviour at handwashing opportunities in households in peri-urban communities in Lusaka, Zambia.

Households will be randomly allocated to one of the four groups: AB) Hand hygiene behavioural promotion + handwashing hardware and supply provision, A) handwashing hardware and supply provision only, B) hand hygiene behavioural promotion only or C) No intervention.

Researchers will compare handwashing behaviour between the four groups to see which is most effective.

Conditions

• Handwashing Behaviour

Interventions

OTHER

Handwashing Hardware and Supply Provision

Households will be given a locally available handwashing facility called the Kalingalinga bucket. Intervention delivery workers will set-up the handwashing facility, and demonstrate how it works, including where to place soap on the stand. Households will also be given supplies and materials to make their own liquid soap from locally available soap products (soapy water). Discussions will also be held on HWF maintenance. This component of the intervention should take no longer than 30 minutes. Intervention delivery workers will return to households after three months (one visit) to ensure there are no issues with the handwashing station (e.g., broken stand or tap), to bring more liquid soap and to remind households how to make soapy water.

BEHAVIORAL

Hand Hygiene Behavioural Promotion

The hand hygiene behavioural promotion intervention employs interactive storytelling and visual aids to promote handwashing with soap. Intervention delivery workers will act as storytellers, narrating stories about three characters with different handwashing habits. The intervention progresses through five bi-weekly visits, with a final sixth visit 4 weeks after the fifth visit. The 30-minute visits progress through different stages: (1) identifying behaviours, (2) understanding disease risks, (3) encouraging practical solutions and (4) promoting practice. The penultimate stage of the intervention focuses on reflection and commitment, encouraging participants to assess their behaviours and pledge to adopt improved hygiene practices. The final visit allows participants to reflect on the whole intervention and covers information participants would like to revisit.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia

  collaborator OTHER

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Robert Dreibelbis, PhD · London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-03-14

Primary Completion

2025-11-30

Completion

2025-11-30

Countries

• Zambia

Study Locations