NCT04765540

The Effect of Behaviour Change Interventions on Use of Public Handwashing Stations in Bangladesh

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 855 (actual)
• Sponsor: The Behavioural Insights Team · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

As part of the COVID-19 response, BRAC has built 1000 public handwashing stations in several hundred villages in 20 sub-districts of Bangladesh. The investigators investigate the effects of two sets of behavioural interventions on use of the handwashing stations, compared to no additional interventions. The first set comprises passive nudges installed on and around the handwashing station, aimed at attracting people to the station. The second set comprises actively delivered higher-intensity interventions, including free soap offered as an incentive for using the handwashing station and a community board used to display social proof. This set of interventions aims to increase motivation to use the station.

Detailed description

As part of the COVID-19 response, BRAC, an international development organisation based in Bangladesh, has built 1000 public handwashing stations in several hundred villages in Dhaka, Khulna and Mymensingh divisions. The investigators investigate the effects of two sets of behavioural interventions on use of the handwashing stations, compared to no additional interventions. The first set of interventions, which do not require ongoing labour (hence termed 'low intensity'), involve the installation of various 'nudges' (e.g. mirrors and signposts) on the station and in the surrounding area; these interventions are designed to attract attention and guide people to the stations. The second set of interventions, which do require ongoing labour ('high intensity'), involve 'promoters' visiting the stations a few times a week for three weeks to hand out free bars of soap to station users, update a community board next to the station with cumulative usage numbers, and to encourage users to place comments or marks on the board as a form of social proof. Stations will be assigned to receive either the low intensity nudges, the high intensity intervention, or no additional intervention beyond BRAC's standard programming using a covariate adaptive randomisation process (with randomisation occurring at the village level to reduce spillover risk). The Investigators will measure use of the stations for one week prior to the implementation of the behavioural interventions, and then for a further six weeks. Station usage will be measured by a combination of structured observations and tally counters attached to the foot pedals that operate the station.

Conditions

• Hand Washing
• Handwashing
• Covid19

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Low Intensity Nudges	A bundle of 'low-intensity' passive interventions, including: Large Mirrors \& hand-shaped sign posts pointing to the station
BEHAVIORAL	High Intensity Activities	A bundle of 'high-intensity' active interventions delivered for three weeks, including: Free soap and free facemasks for handwashing station users, a community message board \& general encouragement
BEHAVIORAL	BRAC's business-as-usual	A set of community activities to increase awareness of public handwashing stations and the need to use them. This includes in-person group sessions demonstrating hand hygiene as well as stickers and posters placed in the community to alert people to the handwashing stations.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-01-03
• Primary completion: 2021-05-06
• Completion: 2021-05-06
• First posted: 2021-02-21
• Last updated: 2021-07-22

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: Bangladesh