Using a community-based participatory approach to build sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure to improve health status of northern laotians

Illness and poverty in Laos are directly related to lack of access to clean water access and poor sanitation practices. Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WaSH) for Health is a health promotion program created for rural populations which addresses health and hygiene problems related to water and sanitation. WaSH's goal is to improve the health of families, coupled with positive health behavior changes through regular health promotion, evaluation, community contribution and ownership. A needs and assets assessment was conducted in the Oudomxay Province in northern Laos to understand the health determinants underlying the poor health of local villagers. A qualitative community-based approach was then used to study eight villages. Key informant interviews with village chiefs (n= 8) and focus groups with villagers (n= 371) were conducted. Villagers were also asked to create community maps to identify health centers, water sources, toilets, and schools. A prioritization chart was used to reduce each village's concerns to the top three. The focus group questions concentrated on sources of income, health practices, water collection methods, latrine facilities, and village expectations. Data analyzed using grounded theory resulted in emerging themes. Northern Laotians identified and prioritized 1) clean water, 2) latrines, and 3) fully functional health centers as their top three needs. Baseline results are presently being used to plan and create a culturally appropriate health intervention and to mobilize the community and local health agencies to build sustainable infrastructure to support proper sanitation.