Hygiene in early childhood development centres in low-income areas of Blantyre, Malawi
Mwapasa, Taonga and Chidziwisano, Kondwani and Lally, David and Morse, Tracy (2023) Hygiene in early childhood development centres in low-income areas of Blantyre, Malawi. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 33 (8). pp. 751-767. ISSN 0960-3123 (https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2022.2048802)
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Abstract
Diarrhoeal disease remains a leading cause of death in children in sub-Saharan Africa, attributed to environmental health factors such as inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and food hygiene. This formative study in low-income areas of Blantyre focussed on the practices in Early Childhood Development Centre (ECDCs) environments where children spend a significant amount of time. A mixed-methods approach was applied to identify key hygiene behaviours in ECDCs through; checklist and structured observations (n = 849 children; n = 33 caregivers), focus group discussions (n = 25) and microbiological sampling (n = 261) of drinking water, food handler’s hands, and eating utensils. ECDCs had inadequate WASH infrastructure; coupled with poor hygiene practices and unhygienic environments increased the risk of faecal-oral disease transmission. Presence of E. coli in drinking water confirmed observed poor water handling habits by staff and children. Addressing undesired hygiene practices in ECDCs has the potential to improve the health outcomes of children in low-income settings.
ORCID iDs
Mwapasa, Taonga, Chidziwisano, Kondwani, Lally, David and Morse, Tracy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4185-9471;-
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Item type: Article ID code: 79873 Dates: DateEvent3 August 2023Published10 March 2022Published Online26 February 2022Accepted11 May 2021SubmittedSubjects: Technology > Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
Medicine > Public aspects of medicine > Public health. Hygiene. Preventive MedicineDepartment: Faculty of Engineering > Civil and Environmental Engineering Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 11 Mar 2022 14:32 Last modified: 20 Sep 2024 00:42 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/79873