DIRT AND DIARRHEA - FORMATIVE RESEARCH IN HYGIENE PROMOTION PROGRAMS

Investment in the promotion of better hygiene for the prevention of di arrhoeal diseases and as a component of water and sanitation programme s is increasing. Before designing programmes capable of sustainably mo difying hygiene behaviour in large populations, valid answers to a num ber of basic questions concerning the site and the intended beneficiar ies have to be obtained. Such questions include 'what practices favour the transmission of enteric pathogens?', 'what advantages will be per ceived by those who adopt safe practices?' and 'what channels of commu nication are currently employed by the target population?' A study of hygiene and diarrhoea in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, used a mixture of methods to address such questions. This paper draws on that experie nce to propose a plan of preliminary research using a variety of techn iques which could be implemented over a period of a few months by plan ners of hygiene promotion programmes. The techniques discussed include structured observation, focus group discussions and behavioural trial s, Modest investment in such systematic formative research with clear and limited goals is likely to be repaid many times over in the increa sed effectiveness of hygiene promotion programmes.