Adherence to Household Water Treatment (HTW) Sample Clauses

Adherence to Household Water Treatment (HTW). The quantitative microbial risk model developed by (Xxxxx & Xxxxxx, 2012) underscores the importance of the sustained behavior change discussed in (Wood et al., 2012)’s Behavior Change Continuum. The (Xxxxx & Xxxxxx, 2012) model suggests that while high levels of adherence to HWT in high risk settings may avert greater than 500 DALYS per 100,000 person- years, even a 10% decrease in adherence could lead to a 96% reduction in predicted health benefits, depending on the dose response function for pathogens in the water. The model shows the precipitous nature in which health benefits can decline if adherence, or “correct, consistent and sustained use”, are not achieved in a HWT intervention (Xxxxx & Xxxxxx, 2012, p. 2). Unfortunately, adherence by participants is a distinct challenge in the implementation of HWT programs and can be difficult to monitor as it requires frequent data collection. In most quantitative studies it is hard to distinguish sporadic use from either continuous use or disuse of water treatment because the measurement is typically taken at one distinct point in time. Furthermore, it is often not feasible to collect repeated measurements over an extended period of time. Although the evidence for HWT adherence is lacking, a qualitative study of Malawi women revealed that many women treated water seasonally rather than year round (Wood et al., 2012). This suggests inconsistent adherence may be one of the factors contributing to the reduced evidence of long term health benefits in the studies reviewed by (Hunter, 2009; Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxxxx, 2009)and (Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxx, 2007).