Subsidized Sachet Water to Reduce Diarrheal Disease in Young Children: A Feasibility Study in Accra, Ghana.
Subsidized Sachet Water to Reduce Diarrheal Disease in Young Children: A Feasibility Study in Accra, Ghana.
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DOI：
10.4269/ajtmh.15-0854
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发表时间：
2016-07-06
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Hill AG
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文献类型：
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作者：
Wright J;Dzodzomenyo M;Fink G;Wardrop NA;Aryeetey GC;Adanu RM;Hill AG
在西非，用塑料袋出售的饮用水（袋装水）的使用正在迅速增长。对水消费和儿童健康的影响仍不清楚，关于袋装水的税收和监管的辩论正在进行中。这项研究评估了向阿克拉的低收入城市家庭提供有补贴的袋装水的可行性，并测量了由此产生的用水量变化。共有86名儿童，6-36个月大，居住在缺乏室内自来水的社区，被随机分为三个研究组。对照组接受腹泻知识教育。第二组收到15升/周/儿童的免费水袋（价值：0.63美元/周）和教育券。第三组以半价获得相同体积水囊的代金券，外加教育。在基线时测量饮水量，并在此后随访4个月。在基线时，81名儿童中有66名（82%）只喝小袋水。当每个孩子每周得到一张代金券时，免费小袋代金券组的家庭平均每周每个孩子兑换0.94张代金券，半价组的家庭平均每周每个孩子兑换0.82张代金券。在半价组中没有观察到用水量的变化，尽管研究没有能力检测这种差异。在免费小袋代金券组中，估计小袋水消耗量增加了0.27 L/儿童/天（P = 0.03）。在免费小袋券组中，儿童小袋水消费量的增加表明，提供全额补贴的小袋水可能会改善儿童饮用水的质量。需要进一步的研究来量化这一点和任何相关的儿童健康影响。
Use of drinking water sold in plastic bags (sachet water) is growing rapidly in west Africa. The impact on water consumption and child health remains unclear, and a debate on the taxation and regulation of sachet water is ongoing. This study assessed the feasibility of providing subsidized sachet water to low-income urban households in Accra and measured the resultant changes in water consumption. A total of 86 children, 6–36 months of age in neighborhoods lacking indoor piped water, were randomized to three study arms. The control group received education about diarrhea. The second arm received vouchers for 15 L/week/child of free water sachets (value: $0.63/week) plus education. The third arm received vouchers for the same water sachet volume at half price plus education. Water consumption was measured at baseline and followed for 4 months thereafter. At baseline, 66 of 81 children (82%) drank only sachet water. When given one voucher/child/week, households redeemed an average 0.94 vouchers/week/child in the free-sachet-voucher arm and 0.82 vouchers/week/child in the half-price arm. No change in water consumption was observed in the half-price arm, although the study was not powered to detect such differences. In the free-sachet-voucher arm, estimated sachet water consumption increased by 0.27 L/child/day (P = 0.03). The increase in sachet water consumption by children in the free-sachet-voucher arm shows that provision of fully subsidized water sachets might improve the quality of drinking water consumed by children. Further research is needed to quantify this and any related child health impacts.