IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i3p1065-d727801.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Urban Water Access and Use in the Kivus: Evaluating Behavioural Outcomes Following an Integrated WASH Intervention in Goma and Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo

Author

Listed:
  • Hugo Legge

    (Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK)

  • Shahana Fedele

    (Mercy Corps, Edinburgh EH6 6LX, UK)

  • Florian Preusser

    (Mercy Corps, Edinburgh EH6 6LX, UK)

  • Patrycja Stys

    (Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, London School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, UK)

  • Papy Muzuri

    (Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, London School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, UK)

  • Moritz Schuberth

    (Mercy Corps, Edinburgh EH6 6LX, UK)

  • Robert Dreibelbis

    (Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK)

Abstract

Increasing the availability and reliability of community water sources is a primary pathway through which many water supply interventions aim to achieve health gains in communities with limited access to water. While previous studies in rural settings have shown that greater access to water is associated both with increased overall consumption of water and use of water for hygiene related activities, there is limited evidence from urban environments. Using data collected from 1253 households during the evaluation of a community water supply governance and hygiene promotion intervention in the cities of Goma and Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, we conducted a secondary analysis to determine the impact of these interventions on household water collection and use habits. Using multiple and logistic regression models we compared differences in outcomes of interest between households in quartiers with and without the intervention. Outcomes of interest included litres per capita day (lpcd) of water brought to the household, lpcd used at the household, and lpcd used for hygiene-related activities. Results demonstrated that intervention households were more likely to use community tapstands than households located in comparison quartiers and collected on average 16.3 lpcd of water, compared with 13.5 lpcd among comparison households (adj. coef: 3.2, 95 CI: 0.84 to 5.53, p = 0.008). However, reported usage of water in the household for domestic purposes was lower among intervention households (8.2 lpcd) when compared with comparison households (9.4 lpcd) (adj. coef: −1.11, 95 CI: −2.29 to 0.07), p = 0.066) and there was no difference between study groups in the amount of water allocated to hygiene activities. These results show that in this setting, implementation of a water supply governance and hygiene promotion intervention was associated with a modest increase in the amount of water being bought to the household, but that this did not translate into an increase in either overall per capita consumption of water or the per capita amount of water being allocated to hygiene related activities.

Suggested Citation

  • Hugo Legge & Shahana Fedele & Florian Preusser & Patrycja Stys & Papy Muzuri & Moritz Schuberth & Robert Dreibelbis, 2022. "Urban Water Access and Use in the Kivus: Evaluating Behavioural Outcomes Following an Integrated WASH Intervention in Goma and Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:3:p:1065-:d:727801
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/3/1065/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/3/1065/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Curtis, Val & Dreibelbis, Robert & Buxton, Helen & Izang, Nancy & Adekunle, Dara & Aunger, Robert, 2019. "Behaviour settings theory applied to domestic water use in Nigeria: A new conceptual tool for the study of routine behaviour," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 1-1.
    2. Friedrich, Max N.D. & Kappler, Andreas & Mosler, Hans-Joachim, 2018. "Enhancing handwashing frequency and technique of primary caregivers in Harare, Zimbabwe: A cluster-randomized controlled trial using behavioral and microbial outcomes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 66-76.
    3. Tracy Morse & Elizabeth Tilley & Kondwani Chidziwisano & Rossanie Malolo & Janelisa Musaya, 2020. "Health Outcomes of an Integrated Behaviour-Centred Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Food Safety Intervention–A Randomised before and after Trial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-19, April.
    4. Alexandra Huttinger & Laura Brunson & Christine L. Moe & Kristin Roha & Providence Ngirimpuhwe & Leodomir Mfura & Felix Kayigamba & Philbert Ciza & Robert Dreibelbis, 2017. "Small Water Enterprise in Rural Rwanda: Business Development and Year-One Performance Evaluation of Nine Water Kiosks at Health Care Facilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-13, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Legge, Hugo & Fedele, Shahana & Preusser, Florian & Stys, Patrycja & Muzuri, Papy & Schuberth, Moritz & Dreibelbis, Robert, 2022. "Urban water access and use in the Kivus: evaluating behavioural outcomes following an integrated WASH intervention in Goma and Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 113562, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Mindy Panulo & Kondwani Chidziwisano & Tara K. Beattie & Elizabeth Tilley & Christabel Kambala & Tracy Morse, 2022. "Process Evaluation of “The Hygienic Family” Intervention: A Community-Based Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Project in Rural Malawi," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-19, June.
    3. Benjamin L. Robinson & Mike J. Clifford & Sarah Jewitt, 2021. "TIME to Change: An Evaluation of Practical Action Nepal’s Results Based Finance Program," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-18, May.
    4. Jewitt, Sarah & Smallman-Raynor, Matthew & K C, Binaya & Robinson, Benjamin & Adhikari, Puspanjali & Evans, Catrin & Karmacharya, Biraj Man & Bolton, Charlotte E. & Hall, Ian P., 2022. "Domesticating cleaner cookstoves for improved respiratory health: Using approaches from the sanitation sector to explore the adoption and sustained use of improved cooking technologies in Nepal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    5. Darcy M. Anderson & Ryan Cronk & Donald Fejfar & Emily Pak & Michelle Cawley & Jamie Bartram, 2021. "Safe Healthcare Facilities: A Systematic Review on the Costs of Establishing and Maintaining Environmental Health in Facilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-22, January.
    6. Jurgita Slekiene & Kondwani Chidziwisano & Tracy Morse, 2022. "Does Poor Mental Health Impair the Effectiveness of Complementary Food Hygiene Behavior Change Intervention in Rural Malawi?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-12, August.
    7. Dagnachew Adugna & Marina Bergen Jensen & Brook Lemma & Geremew Sahilu Gebrie, 2018. "Assessing the Potential for Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting from Large Public Institutions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-11, February.
    8. Harter, Miriam & Inauen, Jennifer & Mosler, Hans-Joachim, 2020. "How does Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) promote latrine construction, and can it be improved? A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Ghana," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    9. Yolisa Nalule & Helen Buxton & Alison Macintyre & Por Ir & Ponnary Pors & Channa Samol & Supheap Leang & Robert Dreibelbis, 2021. "Hand Hygiene during the Early Neonatal Period: A Mixed-Methods Observational Study in Healthcare Facilities and Households in Rural Cambodia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-16, April.
    10. Yunho Ji & Won Seok Lee & Joonho Moon, 2023. "Café Food Safety and Its Impacts on Intention to Reuse and Switch Cafés during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Starbucks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-11, February.
    11. Limbani R. Kalumbi & Chisomo Thaulo & Eleanor E. MacPherson & Tracy Morse, 2020. "Perspectives and Practices on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene from a Fishing Community along Lake Malombe, Southern Malawi," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-17, September.
    12. Kondwani Chidziwisano & Elizabeth Tilley & Tracy Morse, 2020. "Self-Reported Versus Observed Measures: Validation of Child Caregiver Food Hygiene Practices in Rural Malawi," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-14, June.
    13. Inauen, Jennifer & Lilje, Jonathan & Mosler, Hans-Joachim, 2020. "Refining hand washing interventions by identifying active ingredients: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural Zimbabwe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    14. Adam Biran & Rosie Sanderson & Diana Gonzalez & Hugo Bugoro & Mohammad Kadir & David Gegeo & Jamesford Keboy & Clement Lifoia & Sheilla Funubo & Hellenda Honimae & Lanique Naolina Pitasua & Joanna Tat, 2022. "Formative Research Using Settings and Motives to Explore Child Faeces Disposal and Management in Rural Solomon Islands," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-15, August.
    15. Kim Dockx & Hans Van Remoortel & Emmy De Buck & Charlotte Schelstraete & An Vanderheyden & Tiene Lievens & John Thomas Kinyagu & Simon Mamuya & Philippe Vandekerckhove, 2019. "Effect of Contextualized Versus Non-Contextualized Interventions for Improving Hand Washing, Sanitation, and Health in Rural Tanzania: Study Design of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-12, July.
    16. Arielle Sandrine Rafanomezantsoa & Claudia Coral & Narilala Randrianarison & Christoph Kubitza & Denis Randriamampionona & Harilala Andriamaniraka & Stefan Sieber & Sarah Tojo-Mandaharisoa & Jonathan , 2023. "Identifying nutrition-sensitive development options in Madagascar through a positive deviance approach," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(2), pages 519-534, April.
    17. Tongtong Zhao & Bo Shao, 2022. "Domestic Water Consumption and Its Influencing Factors in the Yellow River Basin Based on Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index and Decoupling Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-14, December.
    18. Ali Aljamal & Mark Speece & Mohsen Bagnied, 2020. "Sustainable Policy for Water Pricing in Kuwait," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-18, April.
    19. de Barra, Mícheál & Gon, Giorgia & Woodd, Susannah & Graham, Wendy J. & de Bruin, Marijn & Kahabuka, Catherine & Williams, A. Jess & Konate, Khadidja & Ali, Said M. & Said, Rukaiya & Penn-Kekana, Love, 2021. "Understanding infection prevention behaviour in maternity wards: A mixed-methods analysis of hand hygiene in Zanzibar," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:3:p:1065-:d:727801. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.