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Robert Dreibelbis is a Lecturer at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and an Assistant Professor in the University of Oklahoma’s Department of Anthropology and Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences. Dreibelbis shares with Global Waters Radio his experiences with a handwashing behavior change pilot project in Bangladesh that delivered promising results obtained using subconscious environmental cues called “nudging.” Without the use of additional handwashing education interventions, the nudge-based intervention implemented by Dreibelbis and his team increased handwashing among school children by 72 percent during the trial period.
Dreibelbis also discusses the project’s implications for future handwashing behavior change research, particularly in the healthcare industry. A nudge-based approach to handwashing hygiene improvement in clinics and hospitals incorporating simple changes to infrastructure, availability or placement of handwashing facilities could drive significant hygiene improvements among healthcare workers, he suggests.
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For more information on topics, programs, or organizations related to this podcast:
- Global Handwashing Day 2016
- “Behavior Change Without Behavior Change Communication: Nudging Handwashing Among Primary School Students in Bangladesh”
- University of Oklahoma School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science
Global Waters Radio was a podcast series produced by the Water Team at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2016 - 2020. The series offered listeners insights from USAID officials, development partners, thought leaders and experts from across the water sector as they discussed USAID water programming and cutting-edge research from around the world.