4.3 Response options for hygiene promotion

Hygiene promotion aims to enable people to take action to prevent or mitigate disease. It has been proven that the simple provision of water and sanitation facilities will not prevent disease, and that an integrated ‘hardware and software’ approach is the only way to ensure maximum impact of interventions.

The diagram below shows the different components of a hygiene promotion programme.

Typically, the hygiene promotion programme is designed after an in-depth baseline assessment on knowledge and behaviours of the affected population, so that the programme best addresses potential diarrhoeal disease transmission routes in the particular context. Other potential health threats are often addressed, including malaria.

For useful guidelines on the basic aspects of hygiene promotion, see Annex 24.1.6 Hygiene Promotion in Emergencies: A Briefing Paper (WASH Cluster Guidelines).

Source: WASH Cluster, Hygiene promotion in emergencies.