Research

Knowledge fuels change. The data produced by SWASH+ Kenya research have in some cases validated the approaches being used. In others, unanticipated results have had a certain shock value that has led to further investigation and reaching out to influence the other determinants of behavior change and sustainability with which school WASH is intertwined. For example, when a study revealed that children receiving hygiene messages in school does not significantly impact the hygiene behaviors of parents, SWASH+ partners gained a better understanding of the other means by which parents’ behaviors are influenced and, among other adaptations, started “parent days” at schools to increase outreach to parents.

There is a large body of evidence linking hygiene practices and water safety to health outcomes. School WASH research attempts to isolate the school-specific causal relationships within this domain because they must be understood, primarily to improve programming and understand how school WASH fits into and complements broader health initiatives.

SWASH+ Kenya’s research partner is Emory University’s Center for Global Safe Water (CGSW). CGSW has conducted randomized, controlled studies in 185 schools based on the following research objectives:

1. Compare the health impact and cost-effectiveness of school-, clinic-, and community-based water, sanitation and hygiene interventions on households.
2. Determine the overall and incremental benefits associated with each component of the school interventions in terms of how behaviors are adopted and spread into the community, and the health impacts on children.
3. Assess and determine the strength of a child's influence in motivating households or families to adopt health-seeking and hygiene behaviors such as water safety.
4. Assess the potential for successfully sustaining and scaling up school-based water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions.

In addition to these planned studies, additional studies have arisen organically and have sometimes been occasioned by unexpected occurrences such as the construction of washrooms in a few schools which turned out to be very popular with girls and appear promising for changing hygiene behavior.

These studies and findings represent one of the most important contributions of the SWASH+ project and it is hoped that they will provoke, inform, and improve the way water, sanitation and hygiene work is carried out in schools across the world.

Visit our Publications page to read the studies and findings.