Browsing by Author "Budge, Sophie"
Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access Association between water and sanitation service levels and soil-transmitted helminth infection risk factors: a cross-sectional study in rural Rwanda(Oxford University Press, 2020-02-12) Mather, William; Hutchings, Paul; Budge, Sophie; Jeffrey, PaulSoil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are one of the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases in the world. Drug treatment is the preferred method for infection control yet re-infection occurs rapidly, so water and sanitation represent important complementary barriers to transmission. This cross-sectional study set out to observe STH risk factors in rural Rwandan households in relation to the Sustainable Development Goal water and sanitation service levels. Survey and observation data was collected from 270 households and 67 water sources in rural Rwanda and was processed in relation to broader risk factors identified from the literature for the role of water and sanitation in STH infection pathways. The study found a significant association between higher water and sanitation service levels and lower STH infection risk profiles for both water and sanitation. However, variability existed within service level classifications, indicating that greater granularity within service level assessments is required to more precisely assess the efficacy of water and sanitation interventions in reducing STH infection risks.Item Open Access Do domestic animals contribute to bacterial contamination of infant transmission pathways? Formative evidence from Ethiopia(IWA Publishing, 2019-08-26) Budge, Sophie; Hutchings, Paul; Parker, Alison; Tyrrel, Sean; Tulu, Tizita; Gizaw, Mesfin; Garbutt, CamilaChild stunting is associated with poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), partly due to the effect of infection on intestinal nutrient absorption. WASH interventions however show little effect on growth. A hypothesis is that bacterial contamination of hands and floors from domestic animals and their faeces, and subsequent ingestion via infant hand-to-mouth behaviours, may explain this. This formative study used microbial testing and survey and observational data from twenty households in Ethiopia to characterise principle bacterial transmission pathways to infants, considering WASH facilities and practices, infant behaviours and animal exposure. Microbial swabbing showed contamination of hands and floor surfaces from thermotolerant coliform (TTC) bacteria. Animal husbandry practices, such as keeping animals inside, contributed significantly (all p<0.005). There was no evidence that latrine facilities mitigated contamination across infant (p=0.76) or maternal (p=0.86) hands or floor surfaces (p=0.36). This small study contributes to the evidence that animal faeces are an important source of domestic bacterial contamination. The results imply that interventions aiming to reduce pathogen transmission to infants should think beyond improving WASH and also consider the need to separate infants and animals in the home. Intervention studies will be required to determine whether this reduces infant infection and improves linear growth.Item Open Access Do domestic animals contribute to bacterial contamination of infant transmission pathways? Formative evidence from Ethiopia(IWA Publishing, 2019-08-26) Budge, Sophie; Hutchings, Paul; Parker, Alison; Tyrrel, Sean; Tulu, Tizita; Gizaw, Mesfin; Garbutt, CamilaChild stunting is associated with poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), partly due to the effect of infection on intestinal nutrient absorption. WASH interventions, however, show little effect on growth. A hypothesis is that bacterial contamination of hands and floors from domestic animals and their faeces, and subsequent ingestion via infant hand-to-mouth behaviours, may explain this. This formative study used microbial testing and survey and observational data from 20 households in Ethiopia to characterise principle bacterial transmission pathways to infants, considering WASH facilities and practices, infant behaviours and animal exposure. Microbial swabbing showed the contamination of hands and floor surfaces from thermotolerant coliform bacteria. Animal husbandry practices, such as keeping animals inside, contributed significantly (all p < 0.005). There was no evidence that latrine facilities mitigated contamination across infant (p = 0.76) or maternal (p = 0.86) hands or floor surfaces (p = 0.36). This small study contributes to the evidence that animal faeces are an important source of domestic bacterial contamination. The results imply that interventions aiming to reduce pathogen transmission to infants should think beyond improving WASH and also consider the need to separate infants and animals in the home. Intervention studies will be required to determine whether this reduces infant infection and improves linear growth.Item Open Access Environmental enteric dysfunction and child stunting(Oxford University Press, 2019-02-07) Budge, Sophie; Parker, Alison; Hutchings, Paul T.; Garbutt, CamilaIn 2017, an estimated 1 in every 4 (23%) children aged < 5 years were stunted worldwide. With slow progress in stunting reduction in many regions and the realization that a large proportion of stunting is not due to insufficient diet or diarrhea alone, it remains that other factors must explain continued growth faltering. Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), a subclinical state of intestinal inflammation, can occur in infants across the developing world and is proposed as an immediate causal factor connecting poor sanitation and stunting. A result of chronic pathogen exposure, EED presents multiple causal pathways, and as such the scope and sensitivity of traditional water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions have possibly been unsubstantial. Although the definite pathogenesis of EED and the mechanism by which stunting occurs are yet to be defined, this paper reviews the existing literature surrounding the proposed pathology and transmission of EED in infants and considerations for nutrition and WASH interventions to improve linear growth worldwide.Item Open Access Multi-sectoral participatory design of a babyWASH playspace for rural Ethiopian households(American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2021-03-03) Budge, Sophie; Parker, Alison; Hutchings, Paul; Garbutt, Camila; Rosenbaum, Julia; Tulu, Tizita; Woldemedhin, Fitsume; Jemal, Mohammedyasin; Engineer, Bhavin; Williams, LeonGrowing evidence suggests current water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions do not improve domestic hygiene sufficiently to improve infant health, nor consider the age-specific behaviors which increase infection risk. A household playspace (HPS) is described as one critical intervention to reduce direct fecal–oral transmission within formative growth periods. This article details both the design and development (materials and methods), and testing (results) of a HPS for rural Ethiopian households. Design and testing followed a multi-sectoral, multistep participatory process. This included a focus group discussion (FGD), two user-centered and participatory design workshops in the United Kingdom and Ethiopia, discussions with local manufacturers, and a Trials by Improved Practices (TIPs) leading to a final prototype design. Testing included the FGD and TIPs study and a subsequent randomized controlled feasibility trial in Ethiopian households. This multi-sectoral, multistage development process demonstrated a HPS is an acceptable and feasible intervention in these low-income, rural subsistence Ethiopian households. A HPS may help reduce fecal–oral transmission and infection—particularly in settings where free-range domestic livestock present an increased risk. With the need to better tailor interventions to improve infant health, this article also provides a framework for future groups developing similar material inputs and highlights the value of participatory design in this fieldItem Open Access A randomised controlled feasibility trial of a BabyWASH household playspace: the CAMPI study(Public Library of Science, 2021-07-14) Budge, Sophie; Hutchings, Paul; Parker, Alison; Tyrrel, Sean; Norton, Sam; Garbutt, Camila; Woldemedhin, Fitsume; Jemal, Mohammed Yasin; Moges, Mathewos; Hussen, Siraj; Beyene, HunachewBackground Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions should support infant growth but trial results are inconsistent. Frequently, interventions do not consider behaviours or transmission pathways specific to age. A household playspace (HPS) is one intervention component which may block faecal-oral transmission. This study was a two-armed, parallel-group, randomised, controlled feasibility trial of a HPS in rural Ethiopia. It aimed to recommend proceeding to a definitive trial. Secondary outcomes included effects on infant health, injury prevention and women’s time. Methods November 2019−January 2020 106 households were identified and assessed for eligibility. Recruited households (N = 100) were randomised (blinded prior to the trial start) to intervention or control (both n = 50). Outcomes included recruitment, attrition, adherence, and acceptability. Data were collected at baseline, two and four weeks. Findings Recruitment met a priori criteria (≥80%). There was no loss to follow-up, and no non-use, meeting adherence criteria (both ≤10%). Further, 48.0% (95% CI 33.7−62.6; n = 24) of households appropriately used and 56.0% (41.3−70.0; n = 28) cleaned the HPS over four weeks, partly meeting adherence criteria (≥50%). For acceptability, 41.0% (31.3−51.3; n = 41) of infants were in the HPS during random visits, failing criteria (≥50%). Further, the proportion of HPS use decreased during some activities, failing criteria (no decrease in use). A modified Barrier Analysis described good acceptability and multiple secondary benefits, including on women’s time burden and infant injury prevention. Interpretation Despite failing some a priori criteria, the trial demonstrated mixed adherence and good acceptability among intervention households. A definitive trial to determine efficacy is warranted if recommended adjustments are made.Item Open Access Underlying data for "Domestic poultry ownership is associated with infant Campylobacter spp. infection and malnutrition: formative evidence from Ethiopia"(Cranfield University, 2020-04-24 13:58) Parker, Alison; Hutchings, Paul; Budge, Sophie; Hassard, Francis; Tyrrel, SeanUnderlying data for "Domestic poultry ownership is associated with infant Campylobacter spp. infection and malnutrition: formative evidence from Ethiopia"