Impact of a school-based water and hygiene intervention on child health and school attendance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a cluster-randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

School-based water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) may improve the health and attendance of schoolchildren, particularly post-menarcheal girls, but existing evidence is mixed. We examined the impact of an urban school-based WASH programme (Project WISE) on child health and attendance.

Methods

The WISE cluster-randomised trial, conducted in 60 public primary schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia over one academic year, enrolled 2-4 randomly selected classes per school (~ 100 pupils) from grades 2 to 8 (aged 7-16) in an 'open cohort'. Schools were assigned 1:1 by stratified randomisation to receive the intervention during the 2021/2022 or the 2022/2023 academic year (waitlist control). The intervention included improvements to drinking water storage, filtration and access

SUBMITTER: Bick S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11367772 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature