Costs of hand hygiene for all in household settings
Estimating the price tag for the 46 least developed countries
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21878660 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ian Ro (0000-0002-2218-5400, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, corresponding author), Joanna Esteves Mills (0000-0002-5220-1424, World Health Organization), Tom Slaymaker (0000-0001-5733-1984, United Nations Children's Fund), Richard B Johnston (World Health Organization), Richard Johnston (0000-0003-0051-1225, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland), Guy Hutton (0000-0002-4731-3456, United Nations Children's Fund), Robert Dreibelbis (0000-0002-9716-0419, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), Maggie Montgomery (World Health Organization) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | e007361 |
| Publication date | 2021-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMJ Global Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2059-7908 • E-ISSN: 2059-7908 |
| Publisher | BMJ (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007361 |
| PMID | 34916276 |
| OpenAlex | W4225545000 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 39 |
INTRODUCTION: Domestic hand hygiene could prevent over 500 000 attributable deaths per year, but 6 in 10 people in least developed countries (LDCs) do not have a handwashing facility (HWF) with soap and water available at home. We estimated the economic costs of universal access to basic hand hygiene services in household settings in 46 LDCs. METHODS: Our model combines quantities of households with no HWF and prices of promotion campaigns, HWFs, soap and water. For quantities, we used estimates from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme. For prices, we collated data from recent impact evaluations and electronic searches. Accounting for inflation and purchasing power, we calculated costs over 2021-2030, and estimated total cost probabilistically using Monte Carlo simulation. RESULTS: An estimated US$12.2-US$15.3 billion over 10 years is needed for universal hand hygiene in household settings in 46 LDCs. The average annual cost of hand hygiene promotion is US$334 million (24% of annual total), with a further US$233 million for 'top-up' promotion (17%). Together, these promotion costs represent US$0.47 annually per head of LDC population. The annual cost of HWFs, a purpose-built drum with tap and stand, is US$174 million (13%). The annual cost of soap is US$497 million (36%) and water US$127 million (9%). CONCLUSION: The annual cost of behavioural change promotion to those with no HWF represents 4.7% of median government health expenditure in LDCs, and 1% of their annual aid receipts. These costs could be covered by mobilising resources from across government and partners, and could be reduced by harnessing economies of scale and integrating hand hygiene with other behavioural change campaigns where appropriate. Innovation is required to make soap more affordable and available for the poorest households
Business · Cost–benefit analysis · Developing country · Economic cost · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Hygiene · Political science · Population · Purchasing · Purchasing power · Food Safety and Hygiene · Infection Control and Ventilation · Infection Control in Healthcare · Medicine · Marketing
The determinants of handwashing in humanitarian crisis setting during the Covid-19 pandemic
Integration of a Wash Component in the Standard National Protocol for Treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Children Aged 6–59 Months in Northern Senegal—A Costing Study
Enablers and barriers of handwashing with soap in low-income settlements of Mombasa, Kenya
Behavioural factors influencing hand hygiene practices across domestic, institutional and public community settings
Minimum material requirements for hand hygiene in community settings
Efficacy and effectiveness of hand hygiene-related practices used in community settings for removal of organisms from hands
Effectiveness of measures taken by governments to support hand hygiene in community settings
Interventions to improve hand hygiene in community settings
Effectiveness of domestic food hygiene interventions on the microbiological quality of child food and childhood diarrhoea
The global disease burden attributable to unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing with unqualified facilities from 1990 to 2019
Decision Modelling For Health Economic Evaluation
The Knowledge Base for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal Targets on Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene
Impact of drinking water, sanitation and handwashing with soap on childhood diarrhoeal disease
The Wash Benefits and SHINE trials
Community Health Workers in Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries
Burden of disease from inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene for selected adverse health outcomes
Narrative review of models and success factors for scaling up public health interventions
The impact of a demand-side sanitation and hygiene promotion intervention on sustained behavior change and health in Amhara, Ethiopia
Implementing effective hygiene promotion
Setting Priorities, Targeting Subsidies among Water, Sanitation, and Preventive Health Interventions in Developing Countries
Dirt and Diarrhoea
Ethiopia’s health extension workers use of work time on duty
| Citations per year | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |