Modeling the complexities of water, hygiene, and health in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

ABSTRACT: Researchers have long studied the causes and prevention strategies of poor household water quality and early childhood diarrhea using intervention-control trials. Although the results of such trails can lead to useful information, they do not capture the complexity of this natural/engineered/social system. We report on the development of an agent-based model (ABM) to study such a system in Limpopo, South Africa. The study is based on four years of field data collection to accurately capture essential elements of the communities and their water contamination chain. An extensive analysis of those elements explored behaviors including water collection and treatment frequency as well as biofilm buildup in water storage containers, source water quality, and water container types. Results indica

SUBMITTER: Mellor JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3556459 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature