Focus on the impact hygiene and broader WASH interventions can produce in humanitarian contexts.

 

Studies published in 2022 investigated the impact hygiene and broader WASH interventions can produce in humanitarian contexts. White et al. (2022a) conducted a qualitative case study in Northern Iraq to investigate how hygiene behavior is affected by conflict and displacement. The authors found that the ongoing conflict and displacement had a negative impact on hygiene practices, such as handwashing and sanitation. Bisimwa etal. (2022) conducted formative research to develop evidence-based targeted WASH interventions to reduce cholera in hotspots in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Preventative Intervention for Cholera for 7 Days (PICHA7) program was developed based on this research, which includes interventions such as promoting hand hygiene, water treatment, and safe food handling practices and emphasizes the importance of community engagement and participation in the development and implementation of such interventions in this context. Some studies examined more novel approaches to address hand hygiene in humanitarian settings. White et al.(2022b) examined a novel handwashing stand (Oxfam Handwashing station) and hygiene promotion package (Mum’s Magic Hands) that was designed to facilitate hand hygiene in displacement camps during the COVID19 pandemic. The authors conducted a qualitative assessment which revealed an increase in handwashing behavior in the camps. 

 Overall, these studies highlight the need for evidence-based and context-specific WASH interventions to improve hygiene practices, emphasizing the importance of learning from previous research and good formative research for specific issues to inform program design for effective interventions.