Table 3.
Water source, water handling, and water treatment practices reported by program participants or observed by field workers at baseline (2007) and three-year follow-up (2010), Blantyre and Salima Districts, Malawi*
| Characteristic | Blantyre District | Salima District | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline, n = 231 | Follow-up, n = 126 | Baseline, n = 158 | Follow-up, n = 106 | Baseline, n = 389 | Follow-up, n = 232 | |
| Primary water source† | ||||||
| Improved water source | 213 (92) | 119 (94) | 133 (84) | 94 (89) | 346 (89) | 213 (92) |
| House/yard tap, public tap | 120 (52) | 57 (45) | 14 (9) | 6 (6) | 134 (34) | 63 (27) |
| Protected borehole, well, or spring | 93 (40) | 62 (49) | 119 (75) | 88 (83) | 212 (54) | 150 (65) |
| Water storage and handling† | ||||||
| Water storage container has a cover | 218 (94) | 111 (90) | 141 (92) | 96 (92) | 359 (93) | 207 (91) |
| Hygiene kit bucket used for water storage | NA | 66 (53) | NA | 39 (37) | NA | 105 (45) |
| Pours or uses tap to remove drinking water | 10 (4) | 65 (52) | 0 (0) | 34 (32) | 1 (3) | 99 (42) |
| Water treatment‡ | ||||||
| Treats drinking water with any method | 205 (89) | 113 (90) | 130 (82) | 101 (96) | 335 (86) | 214 (93) |
| WaterGuard | 124 (54) | 82 (35) | 46 (29) | 79 (75) | 170 (44) | 161 (69) |
| Boiling | 86 (37) | 16 (13) | 48 (30) | 22 (21) | 134 (34) | 38 (16) |
| Treat with chlorine stock solution | 22 (10) | 53 (42) | 27 (17) | 56 (53) | 49 (13) | 109 (47) |
| Handwashing† | ||||||
| Soap in household | 179 (78) | 101 (80) | 105 (68) | 68 (64) | 284 (74) | 169 (73) |
| Presence of handwashing station with soap and water | 30 (13) | 25 (20) | 23 (15) | 67 (63) | 53 (14) | 92 (40) |
*
Values are no. (%). NA = not available.
†
Characteristics observed by field workers.
‡
Characteristics reported by participant.