Hygiene Evaluation Procedures - Approaches and Methods for Assessing Water - and Sanitation-Related Hygiene Practices (International Nutrition Foundation for Developing Countries - INFDC, 1997, 124 pages): 2. Planning a hygiene evaluation study: When should I do a hygiene evaluation study?

Hygiene Evaluation Procedures - Approaches and Methods for Assessing Water - and Sanitation-Related Hygiene Practices (International Nutrition Foundation for Developing Countries - INFDC, 1997, 124 pages)

2. Planning a hygiene evaluation study

		(introductory text...)
		What am I going to investigate?
		What types of information will I need?
		Who will be involved?
		Who will be in the study team?
		What resources will I need?
		When should I do a hygiene evaluation study?

When should I do a hygiene evaluation study?

The timing of your study will depend on your answers to the following questions:

· Do your project objectives include improvements in hygiene practices? If not, then the results of your investigation will not be linked to project objectives. but may be used in redirecting your project goals. If your project is about to come to an end, the main reason for conducting a hygiene evaluation study may be to gain a detailed insight into existing hygiene practices for the record, or possibly to consider in future interventions. If your project is a pilot project, then your study may influence future projects.
· Which methods has your project already applied for monitoring its effectiveness? Are there many records you need to gather, review, and digest before you set out on this study? How much time will that require?
· Do you know when the best times are for you and your colleagues to work on the project? Do you have financial deadlines coming up soon? If the end of a project financial year is imminent, there may be funds left over that need to be spent quickly. However, will you and your colleagues have the time to implement a good hygiene evaluation study? Remember that money is only part of what is needed. What about your collaborators, including government ministries, agencies, and/or trainers? Will your timing easily correspond with theirs?
· Do you know whether and when members of your study population are likely to be willing and interested in participating in your investigation? For example, if they live in a rural area, they will be especially busy at harvest time. They may have been involved in several other studies, and he reluctant to participate without considerable consideration and negotiation. You may also need to allow extra time if climatic conditions make travelling difficult at certain times of year or if climatic conditions will affect study results. For example, heavy rain and prolonged drought both have extreme effects on water and sanitation.

BOX 4: Financial Arrangements for the Study Team

In one study project staff were paid weekly cash allowances to cover subsistence (food and drink). Transportation costs (vehicle, maintenance, fuel) were handled separately. The (external) study coordinator provided materials (paper, flip charts, notebooks, pens, etc.). At the end of the study, the ream rook tea, sugar, bread, and biscuits to the villages where they had worked to share with some of the study participants (those present). The village health workers who acted as support members of the study ream were rewarded for their efforts in kind ( items of local clothing were purchased for them). Project staff were treated to an end-of-study celebration meal and given token rewards for their efforts. This reinforced the sense of ream spirit and shared ownership of the study results.

In another study, community members of the study team were given rewards in kind - project staff shared their food and drink with them. At the end of the study, the key collaborators (all women) were each given a new garment in recognition of their contribution to the study. The project staff were paid allowances in cash to cover their field expenses. Camping gear was provided by the project (tents, camp beds, blankets, water containers, plastic plates, cups and cutlery, a solar lantern, kerosene lanterns, and small torches.) Tents were nor used for security reasons, but the rest of the camping equipment was used in village owned buildings, such as meeting rooms and school rooms, where the study ream was allowed to stay.