Effect of a water, sanitation and hygiene program on handwashing with soap among household members of diarrhoea patients in healthcare facilities in Bangladesh: a cluster-randomised controlled trial of the CHoBI7 mobile health program.

OBJECTIVE: The Cholera-Hospital-Based-Intervention-for-7-days (CHoBI7) is a water treatment and handwashing with soap intervention for diarrhoea patients and their household members which is initially delivered in a healthcare facility setting. This study evaluated the effectiveness of CHoBI7 program delivery in increasing handwashing with soap in a healthcare facility setting among diarrhoea patients and their household members. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial of the CHoBI7 program was conducted among 404 diarrhoea patients and their accompanying household members in healthcare facilities in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The 'Standard Message' Arm received the standard message given in Bangladesh to diarrhoea patients on the use of oral rehydration solution. The 'Health Facility Visit + Soapy Water' Arm received the standard message, the CHoBI7 communication module delivered bedside to the patient; and a soapy water bottle in the healthcare facility. The 'Health Facility Visit + Handwashing Station' Arm received this same intervention plus a small plastic handwashing station. Within 24 h of intervention delivery, three-hour structured observation of handwashing practices at stool/vomit- and food-related events (key events) was conducted in healthcare facilities of diarrhoea patients and their accompanying household members. RESULTS: Compared to the Standard Message Arm, there was significantly more handwashing with soap at key events in both the Health Facility Visit + Soapy Water Arm (51% vs. 25 %) (Odds Ratio: 3.02; (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.41, 6.45) and the Health Facility Visit + Handwashing Station Arm (58% vs. 25%) OR: 4.12; (95% CI: 1.86, 9.14). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that delivery of the CHoBI7 communication module and provision of a soapy water bottle to diarrhoea patients and their accompanying household members presents a promising approach to increase handwashing with soap among this high risk population in a healthcare facility setting in Bangladesh.

OBJECTIF: Le programme (CHoBI7Cholera-Hospital-Based-Intervention-for-7-days) est une intervention de traitement de l'eau et de lavage des mains avec du savon pour les patients et les membres de leur famille qui est initialement administrée dans un établissement de santé. Cette étude a évalué l'efficacité du programme CHoBI7 pour augmenter le lavage des mains au savon dans les établissements de santé. MÉTHODES: Un essai contrôlé randomisé du programme CHoBI7 a été mené auprès de 404 patients atteints de diarrhée et des membres de leur famille qui les accompagnent dans des établissements de santé à Dhaka, au Bangladesh. Le bras "Message standard" a reçu le message standard donné au Bangladesh aux patients atteints de diarrhée sur l'utilisation de la solution de réhydratation orale. Le bras "Visite de l'établissement de santé + eau savonneuse" a reçu le message standard, le module de communication CHoBI7 a été délivré au chevet du patient et une bouteille d'eau savonneuse dans l'établissement de santé. Le bras "Visite de l'établissement de santé + station de lavage des mains" a reçu la même intervention, ainsi qu'une petite station de lavage des mains en plastique. Dans les 24 heures suivant l'intervention, une observation structurée de trois heures des pratiques de lavage des mains lors d'événements liés aux selles/vomis et à la nourriture (événements clés) a été menée dans les établissements de santé. RÉSULTATS: Par rapport au bras 'Message standard', le lavage des mains au savon était significativement plus fréquent lors des événements clés dans le bras 'Visite de l'établissement de santé + Station de lavage des mains' (58% contre 25%) (rapport de cotes (OR): 4,12 ; (intervalle de confiance (IC) de 95%: 1,86-9,14) et dans le bras 'Visite de l'établissement de santé + Eau savonneuse' (51% contre 25%) (OR: 3,02 ; (IC95% : 1,41-6,45). CONCLUSION: Ces résultats démontrent que l'implémentation du module CHoBI7 constitue une approche prometteuse pour augmenter le lavage des mains au savon dans un établissement de santé au Bangladesh.

Prospective cohort study of child mouthing of faeces and fomites in Dhaka, Bangladesh (CHoBI7 Program).

OBJECTIVE: To characterise childhood mouthing and handling behaviours and to assess the association between hand-to-object and object-to-mouth contacts and diarrhoea prevalence in young children in urban Dhaka, Bangladesh. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted among 494 children under 5 years of age in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This study was nested within the randomised controlled trial of the Cholera Hospital-Based Intervention for 7 Days (CHoBI7) mobile health (mHealth) program. The CHoBI7 mHealth program focuses on promoting handwashing with soap and water treatment to diarrhoea patients and their household members through mobile messages and a single in person visit. Mouthing and handling of faeces and fomites among young children was measured by five-hour structured observation and caregiver reports. Diarrhoea surveillance data was collected monthly for 12 months. RESULTS: Fifty five percent of caregivers reported that their child put a visibly dirty fomite (object or soil) in their mouth in the past week. Caregivers reported that 50% of children had mouthed visibly dirty objects, 26% had mouthed dirt, and 2% had mouthed faeces. Forty five percent of children were observed mouthing a visibly dirty fomite during structured observation, 40% of children were observed mouthing a visibly dirty object, 10% were observed mouthing soil, and one child (0.2%) was observed mouthing faeces. Mouthing of visibly dirty fomites was highest for children 12-18 months of age with 69% of these children having caregiver reports and 54% having observed events. Children with caregiver reports of mouthing faeces had a significantly higher odds of diarrhoea over the subsequent month (Odds Ratio: 4.54; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.06, 19.48). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that mouthing of contaminated fomites among young children is frequent in urban environments in Bangladesh, and that mouthing faeces is associated with a significantly higher odds of diarrhoea. Interventions are urgently needed to protect young children from faecal pathogens in their play spaces.

OBJECTIF: Caractériser les comportements de mâchouillement et de manipulation par les enfants et évaluer l'association entre les contacts main-objet et objet-bouche et la prévalence de la diarrhée chez les jeunes enfants dans la ville de Dhaka, au Bangladesh. MÉTHODES: Une étude de cohorte prospective a été menée auprès de 494 enfants de moins de 5 ans à Dhaka, au Bangladesh. Cette étude s'inscrivait dans le cadre de l'essai contrôlé randomisé du programme CHoBI7 (Cholera-Hospital-Based-Intervention-for-7-days) de santé mobile (mHealth. Le programme de santé mobile CHoBI7 se concentre sur la promotion du traitement de l'eau et du lavage des mains avec à l'eau et au savon aux patients atteints de diarrhée et aux membres de leur foyer par le biais de messages mobiles et de visites de face à face. Le mâchouillement et la manipulation des excréments et des fomites chez les jeunes enfants ont été mesurés par des observations structurées de cinq heures et par les rapports des personnes s'occupant d'enfants (soignants). Les données de surveillance de la diarrhée ont été recueillies chaque mois pendant 12 mois. RÉSULTATS: 55% des soignants ont déclaré que leur enfant avait mis un fomite visiblement sale (objet ou terre) dans sa bouche au cours de la semaine précédente. Les soignants ont indiqué que 50% des enfants avaient mâchouillé des objets visiblement sales, 26% avaient mâchouillé de la terre et 2% avaient mâchouillé des excréments. 45% des enfants ont été observés en train de mâchouiller un fomite visiblement sale au cours d'une observation structurée. 40% des enfants ont été observés en train de mâchouiller un objet, 10% ont été observés en train de mâchouiller de la terre et un enfant (0,2%) a été observé en train de mâchouiller des excréments. Le mâchouillement de fomites visiblement sales était le plus fréquent chez les enfants de 12 à 18 mois; 69% de ces enfants ont été signalés par les soignants et 54% ont été observés en train de le faire. Les enfants dont les soignants avaient signalé un mâchouillement d'excréments présentaient un risque de diarrhée nettement plus élevé au cours du mois suivant (rapport de cotes: 4,54; intervalle de confiance à 95%: 1,06-19,48). CONCLUSION: Ces résultats démontrent que le fait de mâchouiller des fomites contaminés chez les jeunes enfants est fréquent en milieu urbain au Bangladesh et que le fait de mâchouiller des excréments est associé à un risque de diarrhée nettement plus élevé. Des interventions sont urgemment nécessaires pour protéger les jeunes enfants des agents pathogènes fécaux dans leurs espaces de jeu.

Child mouthing of soil and presence of animals in child sleeping spaces are associated with growth faltering among young children in Dhaka, Bangladesh (CHoBI7 Program).

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate potential risk factors for growth faltering among children under 5 years of age. METHOD: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 553 children under 5 years from diarrhoea patient households in urban Dhaka, Bangladesh. Height and weight measurements were obtained at baseline and at a 12-month follow-up. Caregivers of young children were administered a monthly questionnaire on household sociodemographic characteristics and hygiene practices. RESULTS: Children with caregiver reports of mouthing soil at the majority of household visits had a significant reduction in their height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) from baseline to the 12-month follow-up (ΔHAZ: -0.28 (95% confidence interval (CI): -0.51, -0.05)). A significant reduction in HAZ was also observed for children in households with animals in their sleeping space (ΔHAZ: -0.37 (95% CI: -0.71, -0.04)). CONCLUSION: These findings provide further evidence to support the hypothesis that child mouthing of soil and the presence of animals in the child's sleeping space are potential risk factors for growth faltering among young children. Interventions are urgently needed to provide clean play and sleeping spaces for young children to reduce exposure to faecal pathogens through child mouthing.

OBJECTIF: L'objectif de l'étude était d'examiner les facteurs de risque potentiels de retard de croissance chez les enfants de moins de 5 ans. MÉTHODE: Nous avons mené une étude de cohorte prospective sur 553 enfants de moins de 5 ans provenant de ménages avec des patients diarrhéiques dans la ville de Dhaka, au Bangladesh. Les mesures de taille et de poids ont été obtenues au départ et à 12 mois de suivi. Les personnes s'occupant de jeunes enfants (les gardiens) ont reçu un questionnaire mensuel sur les caractéristiques sociodémographiques des ménages et les pratiques d'hygiène. RÉSULTATS: Les enfants pour lesquels les gardiens ont déclaré qu'ils mâchouillaient de la terre lors de la majorité des visites à domicile présentaient une diminution du score Z de taille pour l'âge (TAZ) de manière significative de l'âge de référence au 12 mois de suivi (ΔTAZ −0,28 (intervalle de confiance (IC) à 95%: −0,51, −0,05)). Une réduction significative des TAZ a également été observée pour les enfants des ménages ayant des animaux dans leur espace de couchage (ΔTAZ −0,37 (IC95%: −0,71, −0,04)). CONCLUSION: Ces résultats apportent des données supplémentaires pour appuyer l'hypothèse selon laquelle le fait que l'enfant mâchouille de la terre et la présence d'animaux dans son espace de couchage sont des facteurs de risque potentiels de retard de croissance chez les jeunes enfants. Des interventions sont urgemment nécessaires pour fournir des espaces de jeu et de sommeil sains aux jeunes enfants afin de réduire l'exposition aux agents pathogènes fécaux par le mâchouillement des enfants.

Geophagy Is Associated with Growth Faltering in Children in Rural Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between geophagy (mouthing of dirt, sand, clay, or mud) and growth faltering in young children. STUDY DESIGN: We examined linear growth as height and weight standardized by age and sex, and weight standardized by height, in a cohort of children aged 6-36 months in rural Mirzapur, Bangladesh. We determined geophagy behavior at baseline through caregiver report. Anthropometric measurements were assessed at baseline and at a 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: We found that among children not stunted at baseline, those with caregiver-reported geophagy at baseline grew less over 1 year compared with their peers, with a difference in the change of standardized height for age and sex of -0.31 (95% CI, -0.61 to -0.01). CONCLUSION: These findings show that caregiver-reported geophagy was associated with growth faltering in a pediatric population in rural Bangladesh. Future studies are needed to learn more about this exposure pathway and its relevance to child growth.

Impact of adding hand-washing and water disinfection promotion to oral cholera vaccination on diarrhoea-associated hospitalization in Dhaka, Bangladesh: evidence from a cluster randomized control trial.

Background: Information on the impact of hygiene interventions on severe outcomes is limited. As a pre-specified secondary outcome of a cluster-randomized controlled trial among >400 000 low-income residents in Dhaka, Bangladesh, we examined the impact of cholera vaccination plus a behaviour change intervention on diarrhoea-associated hospitalization. Methods: Ninety neighbourhood clusters were randomly allocated into three areas: cholera-vaccine-only; vaccine-plus-behaviour-change (promotion of hand-washing with soap plus drinking water chlorination); and control. Study follow-up continued for 2 years after intervention began. We calculated cluster-adjusted diarrhoea-associated hospitalization rates using data we collected from nearby hospitals, and 6-monthly census data of all trial households. Results: A total of 429 995 people contributed 500 700 person-years of data (average follow-up 1.13 years). Vaccine coverage was 58% at the start of analysis but continued to drop due to population migration. In the vaccine-plus-behaviour-change area, water plus soap was present at 45% of hand-washing stations; 4% of households had detectable chlorine in stored drinking water. Hospitalization rates were similar across the study areas [events/1000 person-years, 95% confidence interval (CI), cholera-vaccine-only: 9.4 (95% CI: 8.3-10.6); vaccine-plus-behaviour-change: 9.6 (95% CI: 8.3-11.1); control: 9.7 (95% CI: 8.3-11.6)]. Cholera cases accounted for 7% of total number of diarrhoea-associated hospitalizations. Conclusions: Neither cholera vaccination alone nor cholera vaccination combined with behaviour-change intervention efforts measurably reduced diarrhoea-associated hospitalization in this highly mobile population, during a time when cholera accounted for a small fraction of diarrhoea episodes. Affordable community-level interventions that prevent infection from multiple pathogens by reliably separating faeces from the environment, food and water, with minimal behavioural demands on impoverished communities, remain an important area for research.

Observed Handwashing with Soap Practices Among Cholera Patients and Accompanying Household Members in a Hospital Setting (CHoBI7 Trial).

Household members of cholera patients are at a 100 times higher risk of cholera than the general population. Despite this risk, there are only a handful of studies that have investigated the handwashing practices among hospitalized diarrhea patients and their accompanying household members. To investigate handwashing practices in a hospital setting among this high-risk population, 444 hours of structured observation was conducted in a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, among 148 cholera patients and their household members. Handwashing with soap practices were observed at the following key events: after toileting, after cleaning the anus of a child, after removing child feces, during food preparation, before eating, and before feeding. Spot-checks were also conducted to observe the presence of soap at bathroom areas. Overall, 4% (4/103) of key events involved handwashing with soap among cholera patients and household members during the structured observation period. This was 3% (1/37) among cholera patients and 5% (3/66) for household members. For toileting events, observed handwashing with soap was 7% (3/46) overall, 7% (1/14) for cholera patients, and 6% (2/32) for household members. For food-related events, overall observed handwashing with soap was 2% (2/93 overall), and 0% (0/34) and 3% (2/59) for cholera patients and household members, respectively. Soap was observed at only 7% (4/55) of handwashing stations used by patients and household members during spot-checks. Observed handwashing with soap at key times among patients and accompanying household members was very low. These findings highlight the urgent need for interventions to target this high-risk population.

Fecal Markers of Environmental Enteropathy are Associated with Animal Exposure and Caregiver Hygiene in Bangladesh.

Undernutrition is estimated to be an underlying cause of over half of all deaths in young children globally. There is a growing body of literature suggesting that increased exposure to enteric pathogens is responsible for environmental enteropathy (EE), a disorder associated with impaired growth in children. To determine if household unsanitary environmental conditions were significantly associated with EE and stunting in children, we conducted a cohort of 216 children (≤ 30 months) in rural Bangladesh. Stool was analyzed for four fecal markers of EE: alpha-1-antitrypsin, myeloperoxidase, and neopterin combined to form an EE disease activity score, and calprotectin. We observed a significant association between having an animal corral in a child's sleeping room and elevated EE scores (1.0 point difference, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.13, 1.88) and a two times higher odds of stunting (height-for-age z-score < -2) (odds ratio [OR]: 2.53, 95% CI: 1.08, 5.43) after adjusting for potential confounders. In addition, children of caregivers with visibly soiled hands had significantly elevated fecal calprotectin (µg/g) (384.1, 95% CI: 152.37, 615.83). These findings suggest that close contact with animals and caregiver hygiene may be important risk factors for EE in young children. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that unsanitary environmental conditions can lead to EE in susceptible pediatric populations.