Hygiene Evaluation Procedures - Approaches and Methods for Assessing Water- and Sanitation-Related Hygiene Practices (INFDC, 1997, 124 p.): 6. Investigating hygiene practices: Appraisal of the methods and tools

Hygiene Evaluation Procedures - Approaches and Methods for Assessing Water- and Sanitation-Related Hygiene Practices (INFDC, 1997, 124 p.)

6. Investigating hygiene practices

		(introduction...)
		Three-pile sorting
		Pocket chart
		Semi-structured (informal) interviews
		Focus group discussion
		Appraisal of the methods and tools

Appraisal of the methods and tools

The general rule is that no single method and/or tool on its own is perfect for assessing hygiene practices. One may be good for one purpose (for example, gathering information in a short period of time) while another may be good for another purpose (for example, obtaining detailed and extensive indepth information). Given that it is desirable, if not necessary, to use more than one method and/or tool in your study, decisions about which ones to select may be easier once you have consulted our appraisal of individual methods and tools from a predominantly practical perspective. Weighing the strengths and limitations of each method and tool is essential in deciding which combination(s) of methods and tools to use (see Table 4).

TABLE 4. Strengths and Limitations of the Methods and Tools Described in Chapter 6

Method/Tool	Strengths	Limitations
Three-Pile Sorting	+ Good for breaking the ice and initiating discussion on sensitive topics, particularly when investigators' knowledge of the local culture and language(s) are limited (for instance, explicit pictures of open defecation will introduce the topic of discussion more directly and effectively than words can).	- Requires time and special skills to prepare, pretest, and subsequently modify the pictures.
	+ Effective for finding out which hygiene behaviours and activities are locally considered to be good, bad, or in-between and more importantly, why.	- Requires well-trained and skilled facilitator(s).
	+ Allows study participants to engage in investigative and analytical processes which will increase their awareness of their own hygiene practices-a step towards instigating change where it may be necessary.	- Difficult to document results by using words (text) only, thus costly (in terms of time and money) to document.
Pocket Chart	+ Relatively quick and effective way of gathering quantifiable information and interpreting it quickly and reliably.	- Requires time and special skills to prepare, pretest, and subsequently modify the pictures.
	+ Allows study participants to engage in investigative and analytical processes which will increase their awareness of their own hygiene practices-a step towards instigating change where it may be necessary.	- Requires well-trained and skilled facilitator(s).
	+ Easy to document results.	- Requires time and patience/motivation from study participants, particularly if the number of variables involved exceeds three or four.
		- Difficult to conduct effectively with large groups (more than twenty people).

TABLE 4. Strengths and Limitations of the Methods and Tools Described in Chapter 6 (continued)

Method/Tool	Strengths	Limitations
Semi-Structured Interviews	+ Allows investigators to gain indepth knowledge of the subject under study.	- Requires highly skilled and/or trained investigators, interviewers, and note-takers.
	+ Relatively easy to document findings, e.g., without investing in visual aids.	- May be intrusive to study participants, especially if hurriedly done and/or with little tact.
		- Presents difficulty for interviewers if they are project personnel who are seen by the study population more as teachers/experts than as learners-respondents may give all the "right answers" which may not reflect their own practices, or may demand that the interviewer(s) gives them answers to difficult questions as she/he is an expert anyway.
		- Requires considerable amounts of time and energy for information management and review.
Focus Group Discussions	+ Useful for gauging the range of opinions and beliefs on the topic of enquiry.	- Information obtained cannot stand on its own, i.e., it needs to be complemented by survey data, to show the distribution of opinions and beliefs uncovered.
	+ Useful for exploring issues for investigation at the outset of a study and/or for interpreting data obtained by other methods (including quantitative surveys) in the final stages of a study.	- Presents difficulties in information management and review, particularly if tape-recorders are used.
	+ Easily modifiable to facilitate its use, e.g., by using pictures to Introduce topics for discussion and for stimulating/maintaining a lively discussion.	- If more than one language is in use, translation can mean added time and financial costs.