'WE CAN'T GET WORMS FROM COW DUNG': REPORTED KNOWLEDGE OF PARASITISM AMONG PASTORALIST YOUTH ATTENDING SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THE NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA, TANZANIA.

Records at the Endulen Hospital in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), Tanzania, reveal that soil-transmitted helminth infections and protozoa are consistently in the top ten diagnoses for Maasai pastoralists, indicating a significant public health concern. Nevertheless, Maasai pastoralist adaptations to life in close proximity to livestock and to unreliable access to water raise important questions about experiences of, and resiliency to, parasitic infections. Though these infections are particularly prevalent among youth in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), a focus on resiliency highlights local capacity to recover from and prevent illness. For instance, how is human parasitism perceived and experienced among communities displaying behaviours that studies have associated with transmission of diarrhoeal diseases, such as open defecation? Among these communities, how is parasitism seen to impact the health and development of children? And, what resources are available to endure or mitigate this heavy disease burden among affected communities? This study draws on formative research carried out in May 2014 in anticipation of an innovative school-based and youth-driven water, sanitation and hygiene education intervention rolled out in two boarding schools in the NCA in subsequent months. The initiative is grounded in a One Health approach to health promotion, drawing on partnerships in medicine, public health and veterinary medicine to appreciate the unique interactions between humans, animals and the environment that shape well-being among pastoralist communities. Qualitative data generated through group discussions with secondary school youth (n=60), Maasai teachers (n=6) and a women's group (n=8) in the NCA convey existing knowledge of the prevalence, prevention and treatment of human parasitism. An underlying principle of the larger initiative is to engage youth as creative agents of change in developing and sustaining locally relevant health promotion strategies. Findings highlight practical knowledge around certain 'neglected tropical diseases', namely helminths, among pastoralist communities in the NCA, in turn feeding into the development of the science fair and related interventions.

An Application of the Integrated Behavioral Model for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to Assess Perceived Community Acceptability and Feasibility of the Biosand Filter among Maasai Pastoralists in Rural Tanzania.

In addition to diarrheal disease risk, lack of access to safe water may have other indirect effects throughout one's life, such as school and workplace absenteeism, leading to less economic productivity. In contexts with scarce resources and unsafe drinking water, household water treatment and safe storage options such as the Biosand filter (BSF) allows households to directly reduce contamination and increase the quality of their drinking water. This study aimed to develop an understanding of perceived community acceptability and feasibility related to pre- and post-implementation of a BSF pilot project in rural Maasai households in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), Tanzania. The study was guided by the Integrated Behavioral Model for Water Sanitation and Hygiene interventions (IBM-WASH) to understand the various factors influencing end-user perceptions of the BSF. In-depth interviews, group discussions and think tanks were conducted among a cross-section of community members, stakeholders, and other actors from May 2016 to September 2017. The data were analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach. A range of perceived contextual, technological, and psychosocial factors were found to potentially affect the acceptability and feasibility of BSF adoption in the NCA, highlighting the complex layers of influences in the setting. Whilst the BSF is seemingly an accepted option to treat water within the NCA, the community identified key barriers that may lower BSF adoption. The application of the IBM-WASH model served as a useful framework for evaluating the introduction of the BSF, identifying insights into contextual, technological, and psychosocial community factors.