Publication: Handwashing Behavior Change at Scale : Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Vietnam
Date
2012-09
ISSN
Published
2012-09
Author(s)
Chase, Claire
Do, Quy-Toan
Abstract
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.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Chase, Claire; Do, Quy-Toan. 2012. Handwashing Behavior Change at Scale : Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Vietnam. Policy Research Working Paper; No. 6207. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12056 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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