Handwashing Behavior Change at Scale : Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Vietnam

Handwashing Behavior Change at Scale : Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Vietnam

Handwashing with soap, which has been shown to reduce diarrhea in young children by as much as 48 percent, is frequently mentioned as one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to save children's lives. Yet rates of handwashing remain very...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Chase, Claire, Do, Quy-Toan
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2013
Subjects:	ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS ANEMIA APPROPRIATE INCENTIVES AVIAN INFLUENZA BABY BEHAVIOR CHANGE BREASTFEEDING BULLETIN CAPACITY BUILDING CARE FOR CHILDREN CAREGIVERS CHILD DEATHS CHILD DEVELOPMENT CHILD HEALTH CHILD MORTALITY CHILD MORTALITY RATES CHILD NUTRITION CHILD SURVIVAL CLEANLINESS COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN COOKING DEFECATION DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS DEVELOPMENT POLICY DIARRHEA DIARRHEAL DISEASES DIARRHOEA DISEASE DISEASE BURDEN DISEASE PREVENTION DRINKING WATER ECONOMIC GROWTH EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION EPIDEMIOLOGY ETHNIC GROUP ETHNIC GROUPS FAMILY MEMBERS FEMALES FEVER FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS FOOD PREPARATION GAUGE GENDER NORMS GERM THEORY GERMS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAND WASHING HANDS WITH SOAP HANDWASHING HEALTH EDUCATION HEALTH FACILITIES HEALTH INDICATORS HEALTH MESSAGES HEALTH OUTCOMES HEALTH WORKERS HIV/AIDS HOME VISITS HOUSEHOLD ASSETS HOUSEHOLD LEVEL HYGIENE HYGIENE BEHAVIOR HYGIENE BEHAVIOUR HYGIENE EDUCATION HYGIENE PRACTICES HYGIENE PROMOTION HYGIENE PROMOTION PROGRAM ILLNESS IMPACT ON HEALTH IMPAIRMENTS INFANT INFECTION INFECTIONS INFLUENZA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION INTERVENTION LIVING CONDITIONS LOCAL CAPACITY LOCAL TELEVISION MALARIA MALNUTRITION MARKETING MASS MEDIA MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS MINISTRY OF HEALTH MINORITY MORBIDITY MORTALITY MOTHER NATIONAL GOVERNMENT NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS NATIONAL LEVEL NAUSEA NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS NUTRITION PATHOGENS POLICY DISCUSSIONS POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POOR HYGIENE POPULATION ESTIMATES POPULATION SIZE POSTERS PRACTITIONERS PRETESTING PREVALENCE PREVENTABLE DISEASES PRIMARY CAREGIVERS PROGRESS PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS PSYCHOLOGY PUBLIC HEALTH QUALITY CONTROL RADIO RURAL AREAS RURAL POPULATION RURAL WATER SUPPLY SAFE DRINKING WATER SAFE WATER SANITATION SANITATION FACILITIES SEX SEXUALITY SOAP SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SOCIAL SCIENCE SOCIAL SCIENCES SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SYMPTOMS TELEVISION TOUCH TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE TREATMENT TROPICAL MEDICINE TUBERCULOSIS TV UNION MEMBERS URBAN AREAS VACCINE VOMITING WASH HANDS WITH SOAP WASHING HANDS WATER SOURCE WATER TREATMENT WORKERS WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION YOUNG CHILDREN Microdata Set
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/09/16763010/handwashing-behavior-change-scale-evidence-randomized-evaluation-vietnam http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12056

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Summary:	Handwashing with soap, which has been shown to reduce diarrhea in young children by as much as 48 percent, is frequently mentioned as one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to save children's lives. Yet rates of handwashing remain very low throughout the world. Handwashing with soap campaigns are de rigueur in developing countries, but little is known about their effectiveness. Few have been rigorously evaluated, and none on a large-scale. This paper evaluates a large-scale handwashing campaign in three provinces of Vietnam in 2010. Exposure to the campaign resulted in a slight increase in the availability of handwashing materials in the household, and caregivers in the treatment group were more likely to report washing hands at some of the times emphasized by the campaign. However, observed handwashing with soap at these times is low, and there isn't any difference between the treatment and control groups. As a result, no impact on health or productivity is found. These results suggest that even under seemingly optimal conditions, where knowledge and access to soap and water are not main constraints, behavior change campaigns that take place on a large scale face tradeoffs in terms of intensity and effectiveness.