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COVID-19, public health messaging, and sanitation and hygiene practices in rural India

Publication ,  Journal Article
Pakhtigian, EL; Downs-Tepper, H; Anson, A; Pattanayak, SK
Published in: Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development
November 1, 2022

Despite the importance of safe sanitation and hygiene for sustainable development and public health, approximately half of India’s rural population lacks access to safely managed sanitation. Policies prioritizing improved sanitation access have accelerated coverage, yet barriers to universal access and use remain. In this paper, we investigate how personal experience with a public health shock impacts recall of public health messages and households’ sanitation and hygiene practices. Using a panel survey conducted before and after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting lockdown, in Bihar, India, we compare public health messaging recall and hygiene and sanitation beha-viors among households that experienced severe economic disruptions due to the COVID-19 lockdown and those that did not. We find that households that experienced economic disruptions had a higher recall of public health messaging around safe sanitation and hygiene. In addition, households that experienced these disruptions reported more social distancing, increased handwashing behavior, and reduced open defecation. A major public health shock, the COVID-19 pandemic, increased messaging around the importance of safe hygiene and sanitation for public health in India. We find that personal experience increased the salience of public health messaging, with positive returns to sanitation and hygiene practices.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development

DOI

EISSN

2408-9362

ISSN

2043-9083

Publication Date

November 1, 2022

Volume

12

Issue

11

Start / End Page

828 / 837

Related Subject Headings

  • 4104 Environmental management
  • 4011 Environmental engineering
  • 3304 Urban and regional planning
  • 1205 Urban and Regional Planning
  • 0907 Environmental Engineering
  • 0502 Environmental Science and Management
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Pakhtigian, E. L., Downs-Tepper, H., Anson, A., & Pattanayak, S. K. (2022). COVID-19, public health messaging, and sanitation and hygiene practices in rural India. Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 12(11), 828–837. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2022.134

Published In

Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development

DOI

EISSN

2408-9362

ISSN

2043-9083

Publication Date

November 1, 2022

Volume

12

Issue

11

Start / End Page

828 / 837

Related Subject Headings

  • 4104 Environmental management
  • 4011 Environmental engineering
  • 3304 Urban and regional planning
  • 1205 Urban and Regional Planning
  • 0907 Environmental Engineering
  • 0502 Environmental Science and Management