Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have received a five-year, US$ 10.9 million (€ 7.3 million) grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to evaluate several interventions to combat diarrhoeal disease in developing countries.

Dr. Jack Colford, professor of epidemiology at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, will coordinate the project, working with the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA).

The project will examine whether single sanitation interventions are as cost effective as combinations of several interventions, and how they impact child health and well-being. In addition to improved sanitation, the intervention packages will include drinking water improvements such as household treatment, and handwashing.

The study will test the impact of these sanitation, water and hygiene interventions using a large-scale, randomized impact evaluation involving 23,000 children in Bangladesh and Kenya. The research team includes experts from various disciplines, including public health, economics, behavioral change, nutrition, cognitive development and tropical enteropathy.

Related news:

• Health impact: water, sanitation and hygiene interventions to combat childhood diarrhoea, Source Weekly, 20 Oct 2009
• Hygiene promotion: the role of media exposure, poverty and infrastructure on handwashing in Kenya, Source Weekly, 20 Oct 2009

Contact:

• Project coordinator - Prof. John M. Colford, Jr., School of Public Health, UC Berkely, USA, jcolford@berkeley.edu
• Bangladesh - Dr. Stephen Luby, Head, Programme for IDVS, Health Systems & Infectious Diseases Division, ICDDR,B, Bangladesh, sluby@icddrb.org
• Kenya - Dr. Michael Kremer, IPA research affiliate and Gates Professor of Developing Societies, Center for International Development, Harvard Kennedy School, USA, Michael_Kremer@ksg.harvard.edu

Source: Linda Anderberg, UC Berkely News, 05 Nov 2009

Tags: africa, hygiene promotion, monitoring & evaluation, on-site sanitation, south asia, water treatment, water-related diseases