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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Gopal Iyer, Dr Myra GiesenORCiD, Professor David GrahamORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) research has long relied on household surveys to gather knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) data with local enumerators or community correspondents (CCs). However, CCs must be trained to build capacity and ensure representative survey responses. Here, we use a case study in low-income, informal communities from New Delhi, India to assess the value of structured training for individuals who lead the gathering of KAP data (CC leaders, CCLs) on WaSH and antibiotic resistance. Feedback from CCLs showed that directed training increased their motivation, confidence, and technical competence and provided them skills that enhanced data collection. Training further strengthened relationships and empowered our local community-based organisation (CBO), expanding their role beyond being an implementing partner. Empowerment led to new insights, such as evident problems with communications between local doctors and community dwellers. Only three of 38 focus group attendees knew what an antibiotic was, apparently because they were never told. Overall, this work shows that interviewer training has many trickle-down benefits, improving the quality of data, building confidence in field teams, and empowering local CBOs, but most importantly, by increasing knowledge among community dwellers, such that they also might be empowered.
Author(s): Iyer G, Giesen MJ, Juneja R, Graham DW
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development
Year: 2021
Volume: 11
Issue: 4
Pages: 535-545
Print publication date: 01/07/2021
Online publication date: 19/05/2021
Acceptance date: 20/04/2021
Date deposited: 28/05/2021
ISSN (print): 2043-9083
ISSN (electronic): 2408-9362
Publisher: IWA Publishing
URL: https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2021.232
DOI: 10.2166/washdev.2021.232
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