African Wilderness Medicine | 16 July 2006
Public Health Literacy Programmes and Hygiene Practices in Reducing Diarrheal Disease Among Urban Senegalese Adults Over Three Years
K, r, o, m, a, h, S, u, s, s, o
Abstract
Diarrheal diseases remain a significant public health concern in urban Senegalese communities, despite efforts to improve hygiene practices. A longitudinal study design was employed, with baseline data collected from urban Senegalese communities. Participants were randomized into intervention (public health literacy programme) or control groups, and hygiene practices were assessed through self-reported surveys at intervals over the study period. Hygiene practice improvements in the intervention group led to a statistically significant decrease in diarrheal disease incidence by 25% compared to controls (p < 0.01), with an estimated relative risk reduction of 48% (95% CI: -67, -13). Public health literacy programmes significantly impact urban Senegalese adults' hygiene practices and reduce diarrheal disease incidence over time. Implementation of such programmes should be scaled up to broader populations in similar settings. Diarrhea, Public Health Literacy, Hygiene Practices, Urban Senegal Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p<em>i)=\beta</em>0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.