CERES :: Browsing by Author "Hutchings, Paul"

Browsing by Author "Hutchings, Paul"

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Open Access
Association between water and sanitation service levels and soil-transmitted helminth infection risk factors: a cross-sectional study in rural Rwanda
(Oxford University Press, 2020-02-12) Mather, William; Hutchings, Paul; Budge, Sophie; Jeffrey, Paul
Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are one of the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases in the world. Drug treatment is the preferred method for infection control yet re-infection occurs rapidly, so water and sanitation represent important complementary barriers to transmission. This cross-sectional study set out to observe STH risk factors in rural Rwandan households in relation to the Sustainable Development Goal water and sanitation service levels. Survey and observation data was collected from 270 households and 67 water sources in rural Rwanda and was processed in relation to broader risk factors identified from the literature for the role of water and sanitation in STH infection pathways. The study found a significant association between higher water and sanitation service levels and lower STH infection risk profiles for both water and sanitation. However, variability existed within service level classifications, indicating that greater granularity within service level assessments is required to more precisely assess the efficacy of water and sanitation interventions in reducing STH infection risks.
Open Access
Climate change impacts on urban wash services in Ghana.
(2017) Boakye, Richard Opoku; Parker, Alison; Hutchings, Paul; Weatherhead, E. Keith
The global water and sanitation sector is faced with numerous problems. Evident from Sub-Sahara Africa is the lack of access to potable water and improved sanitation which has made water coverage and sanitation a worry for most governments in low and middle-income countries. Climate change will exacerbate these problems especially in the urban poor communities. There is therefore the need to investigate how to make urban WASH services climate proof. In line with achieving this aim, part of this work assessed the existing WASH vulnerabilities, assessed the potential impacts of developed hydrological scenarios on the existing vulnerabilities and developed recommendations for various stakeholders using the Rapid Climate Adaptation Assessment (RCAA) methodology. The other part of this work assessed the adaptive capacity of the urban WASH sector by applying the Adaptive capacity wheel (ACW) methodology. In the application of these two methodologies, qualitative empirical data were collected from semi-structured interviews, direct observations and focus group discussions. The empirical data collected helped to understand the stakeholders‟ climate change awareness, the linkages in the local vulnerabilities, and ways to enhance the adaptive capacity of the WASH sector. This research argues that the vulnerabilities of the WASH services are similar within and across the ecological zones in Ghana. These vulnerabilities resulted from intermittent water supply, poorly managed solid waste and lack of spatial planning which are problems in urban poor WASH management. Though these vulnerabilities were arrived by simple hydrological scenario, they show the need for adaptation measures to be incorporated into urban poor WASH planning. To integrate adaptation measures to achieve resilience, this work further argues that the adaptive capacity of the sector can be enhanced by improving the learning capacity and motivation of stakeholders as well as empowering larger-scale institutions to provide structures and guidance at the lower- and individual level.
Open Access
Community management or coproduction? The role of state and citizens in rural water service delivery in India
(Water Alternatives Association, 2018-06-01) Hutchings, Paul
This paper makes the case for a realignment in the discourse and conceptualisation of community management of rural water supply. It draws on data from 20 case studies of reportedly successful community management programmes from India to argue that current discourse is remiss not to describe the substantial role of the state and other supporting agencies in financing and supporting service provision. In the context of such substantial levels of support, conceptually, it is argued that the tendency to treat the challenge of rural water supply as one of either a community participation or collective action problem that only the community can address further limits current thinking in this area. Recasting the primary challenge of rural water service delivery as improved cooperation and coordination between state and citizen, the paper proposes a more substantial focus on coproduction as a route to overcome sustainability problems in rural water supply. The paper ends by reflecting on the generalisability of this thinking noting the specific context of the Indian empirical data. It concludes by arguing that, although certain aspects of the study are specific to that empirical domain, the normative and conceptual reasons for shifting the discourse remain applicable in broader contexts.
Open Access
Comparative sanitation data from high-frequency phone surveys across 3 countries
(Elsevier, 2024-06-26) Lewis, Amy R.; Bell, Andrew R.; Casas, Ana; Kupiec-Teahan, Beata; Mendoza Sanchez, José; Willcock, Simon; Anciano, Fiona; Barrington, Dani J.; Dube, Mmeli; Hutchings, Paul; Karani, Caroline; Llaxacondor, Arturo; López, Hellen; Mdee, Anna L.; Ofori, Alesia D.; Riungu, Joy N.; Russel, Kory C.; Parker, Alison H.
With less than half of the worldʼs urban population having safely managed sanitation due to the high cost and difficulty of building sewers and treatment plants, many rely on off-grid options like pit latrines and septic tanks, which are hard to empty and often lead to illegal waste dumping; this research focuses on container-based sanitation (CBS) as an emerging off-grid solution. Off-grid sanitation refers to waste management systems that operate independently of centralized infrastructure and CBS is a service providing toilets that collect human waste in sealable containers, which are regularly emptied and safely disposed of. These data relate to a project investigating CBS in Kenya, Peru, and South Africa, focusing on how different user groups access and utilize sanitation – contrasting CBS with other types. Participants, acting as citizen scientists, collected confidential data through a dedicated smartphone app designed by the authors and external contractors. This project aimed to explore the effective scaling, management, and regulation of off-grid sanitation systems, relevant to academics in urban planning, water and sanitation services, institutional capability, policy and governance, and those addressing inequality and poverty reduction. The 12-month data collection period offered participants small incentives for weekly engagement, in a micro payment for micro tasks approach. Participants were randomly selected, attended a training workshop, and (where needed) were given a smartphone which they could keep at the end of the project. We conducted weekly smartphone surveys in over 300 households across informal settlements. These surveys aimed to understand human-environment interactions by capturing daily life, wellbeing, income, infrastructural service use, and socioeconomic variables at a weekly resolution, contributing to more informed analyses and decision-making. The smartphone-based approach offers efficient, cost-effective, and flexible data collection, enabling extensive geographical coverage, broad subject areas, and frequent engagement. The Open Data Kit (ODK) tools were used to support data collection in the resource-constrained environment with limited or intermittent connectivity.
Open Access
Do domestic animals contribute to bacterial contamination of infant transmission pathways? Formative evidence from Ethiopia
(IWA Publishing, 2019-08-26) Budge, Sophie; Hutchings, Paul; Parker, Alison; Tyrrel, Sean; Tulu, Tizita; Gizaw, Mesfin; Garbutt, Camila
Child stunting is associated with poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), partly due to the effect of infection on intestinal nutrient absorption. WASH interventions, however, show little effect on growth. A hypothesis is that bacterial contamination of hands and floors from domestic animals and their faeces, and subsequent ingestion via infant hand-to-mouth behaviours, may explain this. This formative study used microbial testing and survey and observational data from 20 households in Ethiopia to characterise principle bacterial transmission pathways to infants, considering WASH facilities and practices, infant behaviours and animal exposure. Microbial swabbing showed the contamination of hands and floor surfaces from thermotolerant coliform bacteria. Animal husbandry practices, such as keeping animals inside, contributed significantly (all p < 0.005). There was no evidence that latrine facilities mitigated contamination across infant (p = 0.76) or maternal (p = 0.86) hands or floor surfaces (p = 0.36). This small study contributes to the evidence that animal faeces are an important source of domestic bacterial contamination. The results imply that interventions aiming to reduce pathogen transmission to infants should think beyond improving WASH and also consider the need to separate infants and animals in the home. Intervention studies will be required to determine whether this reduces infant infection and improves linear growth.
Open Access
Editorial: Setting SDG ambitions in a realistic time-scale
(Practical Action Publishing, 2018-01-01) Hutchings, Paul; Carter, Richard C.
Open Access
Environmental associated emotional distress and the dangers of climate change for pastoralist mental health
(Elsevier, 2019-11-02) Cooper, Sarah; Hutchings, Paul; Butterworth, John A.; Joseph, Solome; Kebede, Abinet; Parker, Alison H.; Terefe, Bethel; Van Koppen, Barbara
Pastoralists in the Horn of Africa are among the most vulnerable populations to climate change yet little is known about how environmental change shapes their wellbeing and mental health. This paper presents a formative study into the relations between emotion, wellbeing and water security among pastoralist communities in Afar, Ethiopia. It uses focus group and interview data to demonstrate the close relationship between environmental conditions and emotional wellbeing, and shows how current water insecurity leads to extreme worry and fatigue among the studied population, especially in the dry season. In the context of difficulties of translating mental health clinical classifications and diagnostic tools in cross-cultural settings, the paper argues the inductive study of emotion may be a useful approach for studying environmental determined wellbeing outcomes among marginal populations in the light of understanding climate change impacts.
Open Access
Evaluating the circular economy for sanitation: findings from a multi-case approach
(Elsevier, 2020-07-15) Mallory, Adrian; Akrofi, Daniel; Dizon, Jenica; Mohanty, Sourav; Parker, Alison; Rey Vicario, Dolores; Prasad, Sharada S.; Welvita, Indunee; Brewer, Timothy R.; Mekala, Sneha; Bundhoo, Dilshaad; Lynch, Kenny; Mishra, Prajna; Willcock, Simon; Hutchings, Paul
Addressing the lack of sanitation globally is a major global challenge with 700 million people still practicing open defecation. Circular Economy (CE) in the context of sanitation focuses on the whole sanitation chain which includes the provision of toilets, the collection of waste, treatment and transformation into sanitation-derived products including fertiliser, fuel and clean water. After a qualitative study from five case studies across India, covering different treatment technologies, waste-derived products, markets and contexts; this research identifies the main barriers and enablers for circular sanitation business models to succeed. A framework assessing the technical and social system changes required to enable circular sanitation models was derived from the case studies. Some of these changes can be achieved with increased enforcement, policies and subsidies for fertilisers, and integration of sanitation with other waste streams to increase its viability. Major changes such as the cultural norms around re-use, demographic shifts and soil depletion would be outside the scope of a single project, policy or planning initiative. The move to CE sanitation may still be desirable from a policy perspective but we argue that shifting to CE models should not be seen as a panacea that can solve the global sanitation crisis. Delivering the public good of safe sanitation services for all, whether circular or not, will continue to be a difficult task
Open Access
An evaluation of different provision strategies for scaled-up container-based sanitation
(IWA Publishing, 2021-09-17) Ferguson, Charlie; Mallory, Adrian; Hutchings, Paul; Remington, Claire; Lloyd, Erica; Kiogora, Domenic; Anciano, Fiona; Parker, Alison
Container-based sanitation (CBS) is increasingly used to provide safely managed sanitation in low-income urban settlements. However, questions remain around the viability of scaling up the technology, partly because it relies on regular emptying and servicing of containers by a CBS provider. This paper investigates mechanisms by which this process can be achieved efficiently. Three separate collection strategies are evaluated for their routing efficiencies as CBS goes to scale. An open-source route optimisation solver determines the constituent driving and walking distances necessary for each strategy and has been applied in areas of Cape Town, Cap-Haïtien, Lima and Nairobi. The results indicate that with fewer users (e.g. 50) transfer station models offer the shortest driving routes. However, these do require users to carry their containers (e.g. up to 170 m when stations are 100 m apart). As the number of users increases (e.g. to 5,000), visiting individual houses from a neighbourhood depot offers increasingly efficient driving distances. Overall, however, the results suggest that economies in collection distances for scaled CBS will be largely conditional on greater vehicle capacity (rather than any particular provision strategy). This highlights the importance of road access throughout low-income urban settlements in providing a viable CBS service at scale.
Open Access
Evidence of similarities in ecosystem service flow across the rural–urban spectrum
(MDPI, 2021-04-17) Welivita, Indunee; Willcock, Simon; Lewis, Amy; Bundhoo, Dilshaad; Brewer, Timothy R.; Cooper, Sarah; Lynch, Kenneth; Mekala, Sneha; Mishra, Prajna Paramita; Venkatesh, Kongala; Rey Vicario, Dolores; Hutchings, Paul
In 2006, the world’s population passed the threshold of being equally split between rural and urban areas. Since this point, urbanisation has continued, and the majority of the global population are now urban inhabitants. With this ongoing change, it is likely that the way people receive benefits from nature (ecosystem services; ES) has also evolved. Environmental theory suggests that rural residents depend directly on their local environment (conceptualised as green-loop systems), whereas urban residents have relatively indirect relationships with distant ecosystems (conceptualised as red-loop systems). Here, we evaluate this theory using survey data from >3000 households in and around Hyderabad, India. Controlling for other confounding socioeconomic variables, we investigate how flows of 10 ES vary across rural, peri-urban and urban areas. For most of the ES we investigated, we found no statistical differences in the levels of direct or indirect use of an ecosystem, the distance to the ecosystem, nor the quantities of ES used between rural and urban residents (p > 0.05). However, our results do show that urban people themselves often travel shorter distances than rural people to access most ES, likely because improved infrastructure in urban areas allows for the transport of ES from wider ecosystems to the locality of the beneficiaries’ place of residence. Thus, while we find some evidence to support red-loop–green-loop theory, we conclude that ES flows across the rural-urban spectrum may show more similarities than might be expected. As such, the impact of future urbanisation on ES flows may be limited, because many flows in both rural and urban areas have already undergone globalisation
Open Access
A framework for targeting water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in pastoralist populations in the Afar region of Ethiopia
(Elsevier, 2019-08-20) Whitley, Lucy; Hutchings, Paul; Cooper, Sarah; Parker, Alison; Kebede, Abinet; Joseph, Solome; Butterworth, John A.; van Kopp, Barbara M.C.; Mulejaa, Adolph
Globally, many populations face structural and environmental barriers to access safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. Among these populations are many of the 200 million pastoralists whose livelihood patterns and extreme environmental settings challenge conventional WASH programming approaches. In this paper, we studied the Afar pastoralists in Ethiopia to identify WASH interventions that can mostly alleviate public health risks, within the population's structural and environmental living constraints. Surveys were carried out with 148 individuals and observational assessments made in 12 households as part of a Pastoralist Community WASH Risk Assessment. The results show that low levels of access to infrastructure are further compounded by risky behaviours related to water containment, storage and transportation. Additional behavioural risk factors were identified related to sanitation, hygiene and animal husbandry. The Pastoralist Community WASH Risk Assessment visually interprets the seriousness of the risks against the difficulty of addressing the problem. The assessment recommends interventions on household behaviours, environmental cleanliness, water storage, treatment and hand hygiene via small-scale educational interventions. The framework provides an approach for assessing risks in other marginal populations that are poorly understood and served through conventional approaches.
Open Access
Multi-sectoral participatory design of a babyWASH playspace for rural Ethiopian households
(American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2021-03-03) Budge, Sophie; Parker, Alison; Hutchings, Paul; Garbutt, Camila; Rosenbaum, Julia; Tulu, Tizita; Woldemedhin, Fitsume; Jemal, Mohammedyasin; Engineer, Bhavin; Williams, Leon
Growing evidence suggests current water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions do not improve domestic hygiene sufficiently to improve infant health, nor consider the age-specific behaviors which increase infection risk. A household playspace (HPS) is described as one critical intervention to reduce direct fecal–oral transmission within formative growth periods. This article details both the design and development (materials and methods), and testing (results) of a HPS for rural Ethiopian households. Design and testing followed a multi-sectoral, multistep participatory process. This included a focus group discussion (FGD), two user-centered and participatory design workshops in the United Kingdom and Ethiopia, discussions with local manufacturers, and a Trials by Improved Practices (TIPs) leading to a final prototype design. Testing included the FGD and TIPs study and a subsequent randomized controlled feasibility trial in Ethiopian households. This multi-sectoral, multistage development process demonstrated a HPS is an acceptable and feasible intervention in these low-income, rural subsistence Ethiopian households. A HPS may help reduce fecal–oral transmission and infection—particularly in settings where free-range domestic livestock present an increased risk. With the need to better tailor interventions to improve infant health, this article also provides a framework for future groups developing similar material inputs and highlights the value of participatory design in this field
Open Access
Nature provides valuable sanitation services
(Elsevier, 2021-02-19) Willcock, Simon; Parker, Alison; Wilson, Charlotte; Brewer, Timothy R.; Bundhoo, Dilshaad; Cooper, Sarah; Lynch, Kenneth; Mekala, Sneha; Mishra, Prajna Paramita; Rey, Dolores; Welivita, Indunee; Venkatesh, Kongala; Hutchings, Paul
Much previous research shows that safe disposal of human waste has a positive impact on human wellbeing, while preventing the degradation of ecosystems. However, to date, the role that ecosystems themselves play in treating human waste has been largely neglected. We conceptualize the role nature plays in treating human waste—acting as a pipeline and/or treatment plant. We estimate that nature is treating ~41.7 million tons of human waste per year worldwide, a service worth at least 4.4 ± 3.0 billion USD year−1. We demonstrate the opportunities and challenges of quantifying these “sanitation ecosystem services,” using 48 cities across the globe as a worked example. In highlighting this, we are not marginalizing the vital role of engineered infrastructure, but instead are promoting better understanding of how engineered and natural infrastructure interact within a circular economy. This is a promising route for further research and may allow adaptive design and management, reducing costs, and improving effectiveness and sustainability.
Open Access
On a journey to citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS)? A political economy analysis of container-based sanitation (CBS) in the fragmented (in)formal city
(Taylor and Francis, 2025) Mdee, Anna; Ofori, Alesia Dedaa; Barrington, Dani; Anciano, Fiona; Dube, Mmeli; Hutchings, Paul; Kramer, Sasha; López-Valladares, Hellen; Parker, Alison; Riungu, Joy Nyawira; Ward, Christopher
Rapidly growing cities face the chronic challenge of access to safe, dignified and accessible sanitation, in contexts of inequality and informality. Technological and operational innovations, such as container-based sanitation (CBS), are promoted as relatively low-cost market-based circular economy off-grid solutions to deliver citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS). However, in the absence of evidence that CBS is delivering on these promises, this paper asks: under what conditions can CBS services contribute to achieving CWIS goals? It applies a combined political economy and socio-technical regime analysis to examine multi-level governance in the sanitation sector and CBS service regimes in Cape Town, Lima, Nairobi and Cap-Haitien. Only Cape Town, a municipality-controlled system, demonstrates the necessary public authority that enables CBS to operate at scale. Yet, it is regarded by many residents in informal settlements as poor sanitation for poor people. This suggests that scaling CBS requires sustained public investment and strong coordinating authority.
Open Access
The political risks of technological determinism in rural water supply: A case study from Bihar, India
(Elsevier, 2016-04-19) Hutchings, Paul; Parker, Alison; Jeffrey, Paul
With the politics of the environment so fundamental to the development process in rural India, this paper analyses the relations between water discourses and drinking water technology. First, the national discourses of water are analysed using key policy and populist documents. Second, the paper presents ethnographic fieldwork studying the politics of drinking water in rural Bihar, where the relative merits of borehole handpumps and open wells are contested. The links between the national discourses and local contestation over appropriate technology are examined. The paper argues both policy and traditionalist perspectives are too technologically deterministic to adequately account for the myriad challenges of delivering rural water supply. The emphasis on technology, rather than service levels, creates the conditions in which capability traps emerge in terms of service provision. This is not only in terms of monitoring regimes but in the very practices of rural actors who use certain water supply technologies under an illusion of safety. With a focus on furthering the policy debate, the paper considers ways forward and suggests that a move from a binary understanding of access to a holistic measure of service levels will reduce the potential for political contestation and capability traps in rural water supply.
Open Access
A qualitative study of NIMBYism for waste in smaller urban areas of a low-income country, Mzuzu, Malawi
(Sage, 2021-01-11) Holm, Rochelle H.; Chunga, Brighton A.; Mallory, Adrian; Hutchings, Paul
When waste management infrastructure is built, there can be resistance from the local affected populations, often termed the Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) phenomenon. This study aims to understand the forms of resistance that may develop in such contexts, focusing on 2 solid waste and 1 liquid waste management site within Mzuzu City, Malawi. At the newest solid waste site, community resistance had grown to the extent that the site was reportedly destroyed by the local community. Interviews and observations of the sites are complemented by examining historic and recent satellite images. It was found that, at the new solid waste site, community engagement had not been conducted effectively prior to construction and as part of ongoing site operations. This was compounded by poor site management and the non-delivery of the promised benefits to the community. In contrast, at the liquid waste site, the community could access untreated sludge for use as fertilizer and were happier to live within its vicinity. While NIMBYism is a frustrating phenomenon for city planners, it is understandable that communities want to protect their health and well-being when there is a history of mismanagement of waste sites which is sadly common in low-income settings. It is difficult for government agencies to deliver these services and broader waste management. In this study, an unsuccessful attempt to do something better with a legitimate goal is not necessarily a failure, but part of a natural learning process for getting things right
Open Access
A randomised controlled feasibility trial of a BabyWASH household playspace: the CAMPI study
(PLOS (Public Library of Science), 2021-07-14) Budge, Sophie; Hutchings, Paul; Parker, Alison; Tyrrel, Sean; Norton, Sam; Garbutt, Camila; Woldemedhin, Fitsume; Jemal, Mohammed Yasin; Moges, Mathewos; Hussen, Siraj; Beyene, Hunachew
Background Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions should support infant growth but trial results are inconsistent. Frequently, interventions do not consider behaviours or transmission pathways specific to age. A household playspace (HPS) is one intervention component which may block faecal-oral transmission. This study was a two-armed, parallel-group, randomised, controlled feasibility trial of a HPS in rural Ethiopia. It aimed to recommend proceeding to a definitive trial. Secondary outcomes included effects on infant health, injury prevention and women’s time. Methods November 2019−January 2020 106 households were identified and assessed for eligibility. Recruited households (N = 100) were randomised (blinded prior to the trial start) to intervention or control (both n = 50). Outcomes included recruitment, attrition, adherence, and acceptability. Data were collected at baseline, two and four weeks. Findings Recruitment met a priori criteria (≥80%). There was no loss to follow-up, and no non-use, meeting adherence criteria (both ≤10%). Further, 48.0% (95% CI 33.7−62.6; n = 24) of households appropriately used and 56.0% (41.3−70.0; n = 28) cleaned the HPS over four weeks, partly meeting adherence criteria (≥50%). For acceptability, 41.0% (31.3−51.3; n = 41) of infants were in the HPS during random visits, failing criteria (≥50%). Further, the proportion of HPS use decreased during some activities, failing criteria (no decrease in use). A modified Barrier Analysis described good acceptability and multiple secondary benefits, including on women’s time burden and infant injury prevention. Interpretation Despite failing some a priori criteria, the trial demonstrated mixed adherence and good acceptability among intervention households. A definitive trial to determine efficacy is warranted if recommended adjustments are made.
Open Access
Revisiting the history, concepts and typologies of community management for rural drinking water supply in India
(Taylor & Francis (Routledge): SSH Titles, 2016-02-26) Hutchings, Paul; Franceys, Richard; Mekala, Snehalatha; Smits, Stef; James, AJ
Community management has been widely criticized, yet it continues to play a significant role in rural drinking water supply. In India, as with other ‘emerging’ economies, the management model must now adapt to meet the policy demand for ever-increasing technical sophistication. Given this context, the paper reviews the history and concepts of community management to propose three typologies that better account for the changing role of the community and external support entities found in successful cases. It argues that external support entities must be prepared to take greater responsibility for providing ongoing support to communities for ensuring continuous service delivery.
Open Access
Risk factors and transmission pathways associated with infant Campylobacter spp. prevalence and malnutrition: A formative study in rural Ethiopia
(PLOS (Public Library of Science), 2020-05-08) Budge, Sophie; Barnett, Megan; Hutchings, Paul; Parker, Alison; Tyrrel, Sean F.; Hassard, Francis; Garbutt, Camila; Moges, Mathewos; Woldemedhin, Fitsume; Jemal, Mohammedyasin
Early infection from enteropathogens is recognised as both a cause and effect of infant malnutrition. Specifically, evidence demonstrates associations between growth shortfalls and Campylobacter infection, endemic across low-income settings, with poultry a major source. Whilst improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) should reduce pathogen transmission, interventions show inconsistent effects on infant health. This cross-sectional, formative study aimed to understand relationships between infant Campylobacter prevalence, malnutrition and associated risk factors, including domestic animal husbandry practices, in rural Ethiopia. Thirty-five households were visited in Sidama zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ region. Infant and poultry faeces and domestic floor surfaces (total = 102) were analysed for presumptive Campylobacter spp. using selective culture. Infant anthropometry and diarrhoeal prevalence, WASH facilities and animal husbandry data were collected. Of the infants, 14.3% were wasted, 31.4% stunted and 31.4% had recent diarrhoea. Presumptive Campylobacter spp. was isolated from 48.6% of infant, 68.6% of poultry and 65.6% of floor surface samples. Compared to non-wasted infants, wasted infants had an increased odds ratio (OR) of 1.41 for a Campylobacter-positive stool and 1.81 for diarrhoea. Positive infant stools showed a significant relationship with wasting (p = 0.026) but not stunting. Significant risk factors for a positive stool included keeping animals inside (p = 0.027, OR 3.5), owning cattle (p = 0.018, OR 6.5) and positive poultry faeces (p<0.001, OR 1.34). Positive floor samples showed a significant correlation with positive infant (p = 0.023), and positive poultry (p = 0.013, OR 2.68) stools. Ownership of improved WASH facilities was not correlated with lower odds of positive stools. This formative study shows a high prevalence of infants positive for Campylobacter in households with free-range animals. Findings reaffirm contaminated floors as an important pathway to infant pathogen ingestion and suggest that simply upgrading household WASH facilities will not reduce infection without addressing the burden of contamination from animals, alongside adequate separation in the home.
Open Access
The role of actual and ideal self- congruence in Brand humanisation.
(Cranfield University, 2021-03) Almutari, Tariq; Jeffrey, Paul; Hutchings, Paul
The creation of emotional attachment among consumers is a key branding requirement in today’s marketing world. One way to achieve this is to humanise the brand/product’s personality to match consumers’ self-congruence, so the aim of this research is to investigate whether a humanised brand will increase the consumer’s emotional attachment by the consumer’s actual self-congruence or by ideal self-congruence. Previous studies have encouraged marketing practitioners and scholars to introduce brand humanisation strategies in marketing communication that will drive consumers to communicate with brands. This marketing communication technique consists of a set of humanlike features, indicating a mind and personality. It is designed to allow the consumer to perceive a brand as humanoid and to create a positive emotional response towards it. Most forms of humanisation allow consumers to perceive a brand as human under specific conditions. It is clear from the previous literature and the marketing perspective that consumers most frequently, but not always, consider a humanised brand as some sort of human-like being. This belief has encouraged scholars to formulate a new marketing communication technique and concept, known as ‘humanising branding’. This thesis discusses the main conceptualizing models of brand humanization and practical models in the field. These models have affected the field, demonstrating the value of brand humanization and the unclear definitions of using brand humanization in academic research and in marketing communication. To the marketing literature and knowledge of academics and practitioners the study contributes by developing a model of brand humanisation. This thesis confronts two research questions and thereby contributes to the marketing literature and knowledge for academics and practitioners. First, it contributes to the literature on consumer brand relationship by using an experiment among participants from Cranfield University to examine the impact of humanised branding on consumer emotional attachment. The results show that a humanised brand has a significant impact on consumer emotional attachment, whereas a non-humanised brand does not. Second, the research contributes to the literature on self-congruence by an experiment among participants from Cranfield University which examines the impact of humanised branding on consumer emotional attachment through the use of actual and ideal self-congruence. The results show that both humanised and non-humanised brands make an impact on consumer actual self-congruence and that when the humanised brand matches the consumer’s actual self-congruence, such an impact is likely to increase the consumer’s emotional attachment. A humanised brand is likely to have an impact on consumer ideal self-congruence, but it is unlikely to increase consumer emotional attachment when it matches the consumer ideal self-congruence. The thesis discusses the main managerial and academic implications of this finding.