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HelminthiasisNCT02396407

Spillover Effects of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Interventions on Child Health

A study testing Combined water, sanitation, and hygiene in people with Helminthiasis and Diarrhea, run by University of California, Berkeley at 1 site in Bangladesh.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to measure whether a combined water, sanitation, and hygiene intervention leads to improved health of children who did not receive the intervention themselves and who live within a close vicinity of intervention recipients. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages Up to 60 monthsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Helminthiasis, Diarrhea, Respiratory Infection
What is being tested?
Combined water, sanitation, and hygiene
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
1,789 participants
Where
1 siteBangladesh
Study dates
Jan 2015to May 2016
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Up to 60 months
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Children not enrolled in WASH Benefits who live in a compound within 120 steps (2 minutes walking time) of a compound enrolled in WASH Benefits (combined WSH or control arms) and are 0-60 months 24 months after intervention

Who cannot join

  • Children enrolled in WASH Benefits
  • Children who live in compounds (baris) that share a courtyard with a compound enrolled in the WASH Benefits study
  • Children who live in compounds (baris) that share a latrine or handwashing station with a compound enrolled in the WASH Benefits study

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Bangladesh1 site
  • International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh

    Dhaka

Other trials in Bangladesh

About this study

The purpose of this study is to measure whether a combined water, sanitation, and hygiene intervention leads to improved health of children who did not receive the intervention themselves and who live within a close vicinity of intervention recipients.

Read the detailed description

Almost 90% of diarrhea cases and 15% of under-5 diarrhea deaths worldwide could be prevented through improved water, sanitation, and hygiene. Sanitation interventions are also important for the prevention of soil-transmitted helminths, which infect 21 million children under five each year. Infection with soil-transmitted helminths and repeated episodes of diarrhea early in life can compromise physical and cognitive growth and development, resulting in poorer school performance later in life. Thus, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions are important not only for reducing child mortality, but also for preventing cycles of poverty and poor health.

It is possible that WASH interventions affect not only those who receive them but also those who are geographically proximate or connected socially to those receiving the intervention. Indeed, there is a large infectious disease modeling literature based on this premise. Investigators define intervention effects on non-recipients "spillovers", and they are often referred to as "herd effects" or "indirect effects". Most studies that have empirically measured spillovers of child health interventions with an experimental design have focused on vaccines and deworming, and no studies have measured spillovers from WASH interventions. The development and application of methodology for measuring spillovers of community interventions empirically would make a valuable contribution to fields including epidemiology, economics, political science, and social welfare, all of which are concerned with measuring the impact of programs and interventions which may spill over. The presence and magnitude of positive spillovers are important; if spillovers are present and are in the same direction as treatment effects but are not accounted for when estimating treatment effects, estimates will be biased towards the null. As a result, both the efficacy and cost effectiveness of the intervention will be underestimated.

In this study, investigators will measure spillovers of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions in an existing, large, rigorously designed trial: the WASH Benefits trial (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01590095). Funded by the Bill \& Melinda Gates Foundation, this trial aims to measure the individual and combined effects of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions on child health and development. It is a cluster-randomized, controlled trial with six treatment arms and a double-sized control arm carried out in rural Bangladesh. This add-on study is funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (1R21HD076216-01A1). Investigators hypothesize that children who live in close proximity to compounds that receive a combined sanitation, handwashing, and water treatment intervention--compared to children who live in close proximity to control compounds (no intervention)--will have: 1) lower prevalence of diarrhea, 2) lower prevalence and intensity of infection of soil transmitted helminths, and 3) lower prevalence of respiratory illness.

Investigators will collect additional data from the existing combined intervention (sanitation+handwashing+water) and control arms of the WASH Benefits trial. For each WASH Benefits household, investigators will locate the nearest household with children 0-59 months of age that are not enrolled in WASH Benefits and collect data in that household. Our primary outcomes are soil transmitted helminth infection among children 0-59 months, caregiver-reported 7-day diarrhea, and respiratory illness among children 0-59 months (the same age as the WASH Benefits cohort). Our findings will document either the presence or absence of spillovers of the combined sanitation+handwashing+water intervention.

Being tested
Combined water, sanitation, and hygiene
Keywords
Chlorine water treatment, Point-of-use water treatment, Household water treatment with safe storage, Handwashing with soap, Hand hygiene, Latrines, Child potties, Intestinal parasitic infection, Soil-transmitted helminths, Water, Sanitation, Handwashing, Diarrhea, Herd immunity, Helminths
Medical subject headings
Helminthiasis, Diarrhea, Respiratory Tract Infections, Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Combined water, sanitation, and hygieneBehavioural

    Water: Free chlorine tablets (Aquatabs; NaDCC) and safe storage vessel to treat and store drinking water.

    Sanitation: Free child potties, sani-scoop hoes to remove feces from household, and latrine upgrades to a dual pit latrine for all households in study compounds.

    Handwashing: Handwashing stations including soapy water bottles and detergent soap.

    Local promoters visit study compounds at least monthly to deliver behavior change messages that focus on (1) treating drinking water for children < 36 months of age, (2) use of latrines for defecation and the removal of human and animal feces from the compound, and (3) handwashing with soap at critical times around food preparation, defecation, and contact with feces.

Study groups in NCT02396407
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Combined water, sanitation, and hygieneActive comparatorWater quality, Sanitation, Handwashing
Receives: Behavioral: Combined water, sanitation, and hygiene
Non-intervention armNo interventionNone. Households will continue their usual practices.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (Ascaris, hookworm, Trichuris)

    Children's stool will be collected. Kato-Katz will be used to detect Ascaris, hookworm, Trichuris ova in stool. Stool samples with any ova will be considered positive.

    Measured: Measured approximately 24 months after intervention

  2. Intensity of soil-transmitted helminth infections (Ascaris, hookworm, Trichuris)

    Children's stool will be collected. Kato-Katz will be used to detect Ascaris, hookworm, Trichuris ova in stool. Intensity will be measured using WHO cutoffs based on the number of eggs per gram of stool (>=5,000 eggs/gram for Ascaris, >=1,000 eggs/gram for hookworm, and >=2,000 eggs/gram for Trichuris).

    Measured: Measured approximately 24 months after intervention

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Diarrhea prevalence

    Diarrhea is defined as 3+ loose or watery stools in 24 hours or 1+ stools with blood in 24 hours. Diarrhea will be measured in interviews using caregiver-reported symptoms with 2-day and 7-day recall, measured 24 months after intervention.

    Measured: Measured approximately 24 months after intervention

  2. Respiratory illness prevalence

    Respiratory illness is defined as a persistent cough or difficulty breathing in the 7 days before the interview. Respiratory illness will be measured in interviews using caregiver-reported symptoms with 2-day and 7-day recall, measured 24 months after intervention.

    Measured: Measured approximately 24 months after intervention

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted24 Mar 2015 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2015
  3. Primary completionMay 2016
  4. Study completionMay 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Investigator
Enrolment
1,789 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02396407
Sponsor's protocol ID
1R21HD076216-01A1
Other IDs
1R21HD076216-01A1
Status last verified
Oct 2016
First submitted
18 Mar 2015
Last updated
26 Oct 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Arnold BF, Null C, Luby SP, Unicomb L, Stewart CP, Dewey KG, Ahmed T, Ashraf S, Christensen G, Clasen T, Dentz HN, Fernald LC, Haque R, Hubbard AE, Kariger P, Leontsini E, Lin A, Njenga SM, Pickering AJ, Ram PK, Tofail F, Winch PJ, Colford JM Jr. Cluster-randomised controlled trials of individual and combined water, sanitation, hygiene and nutritional interventions in rural Bangladesh and Kenya: the WASH Benefits study design and rationale. BMJ Open. 2013 Aug 30;3(8):e003476. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003476.

    PubMed 23996605
  • Lin A, Arnold BF, Afreen S, Goto R, Huda TMN, Haque R, Raqib R, Unicomb L, Ahmed T, Colford JM, Luby SP. Household environmental conditions are associated with enteropathy and impaired growth in rural Bangladesh. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2013 Jul;89(1):130-137. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.12-0629. Epub 2013 Apr 29.

    PubMed 23629931
  • Sultana R, Mondal UK, Rimi NA, Unicomb L, Winch PJ, Nahar N, Luby SP. An improved tool for household faeces management in rural Bangladeshi communities. Trop Med Int Health. 2013 Jul;18(7):854-60. doi: 10.1111/tmi.12103. Epub 2013 Apr 5.

    PubMed 23557125
  • Hulland KR, Leontsini E, Dreibelbis R, Unicomb L, Afroz A, Dutta NC, Nizame FA, Luby SP, Ram PK, Winch PJ. Designing a handwashing station for infrastructure-restricted communities in Bangladesh using the integrated behavioural model for water, sanitation and hygiene interventions (IBM-WASH). BMC Public Health. 2013 Sep 23;13:877. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-877.

    PubMed 24060247
  • Dreibelbis R, Winch PJ, Leontsini E, Hulland KR, Ram PK, Unicomb L, Luby SP. The Integrated Behavioural Model for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: a systematic review of behavioural models and a framework for designing and evaluating behaviour change interventions in infrastructure-restricted settings. BMC Public Health. 2013 Oct 26;13:1015. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-1015.

    PubMed 24160869
  • Vujcic J, Ram PK, Hussain F, Unicomb L, Gope PS, Abedin J, Mahmud ZH, Islam MS, Luby SP. Toys and toilets: cross-sectional study using children's toys to evaluate environmental faecal contamination in rural Bangladeshi households with different sanitation facilities and practices. Trop Med Int Health. 2014 May;19(5):528-36. doi: 10.1111/tmi.12292. Epub 2014 Mar 19.

    PubMed 24645919
  • Ercumen A, Naser AM, Unicomb L, Arnold BF, Colford JM Jr, Luby SP. Effects of source- versus household contamination of tubewell water on child diarrhea in rural Bangladesh: a randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2015 Mar 27;10(3):e0121907. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121907. eCollection 2015.

    PubMed 25816342

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Combined water, sanitation, and hygiene in people with Helminthiasis and Diarrhea, run by University of California, Berkeley at 1 site in Bangladesh.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 26 Oct 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Bangladesh. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (Ascaris, hookworm, Trichuris) (time frame: Measured approximately 24 months after intervention). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02396407, which also lists 7 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 26 Oct 2016.

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