Handwashing Behavior Change at Scale : Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Vietnam

Chase, Claire ; Do, Quy-Toan

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION;    ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS;    ANEMIA;    APPROPRIATE INCENTIVES;    AVIAN INFLUENZA;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-6207
RP-ID  :  WPS6207

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Handwashing with soap, which has beenshown to reduce diarrhea in young children by as much as 48percent, is frequently mentioned as one of the mosteffective and inexpensive ways to save children'slives. Yet rates of handwashing remain very low throughoutthe world. Handwashing with soap campaigns are de rigueur indeveloping countries, but little is known about theireffectiveness. Few have been rigorously evaluated, and noneon a large-scale. This paper evaluates a large-scalehandwashing campaign in three provinces of Vietnam in 2010.Exposure to the campaign resulted in a slight increase inthe availability of handwashing materials in the household,and caregivers in the treatment group were more likely toreport washing hands at some of the times emphasized by thecampaign. However, observed handwashing with soap at thesetimes is low, and there isn't any difference betweenthe treatment and control groups. As a result, no impact onhealth or productivity is found. These results suggest thateven under seemingly optimal conditions, where knowledge andaccess to soap and water are not main constraints, behaviorchange campaigns that take place on a large scale facetradeoffs in terms of intensity and effectiveness.