An Introduction to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: A Distance Learning Course Open Access

Abstract

In recent years, public health workforce capacity training has become a focal point of institutions around the world. In order to create a more efficient and adaptable workforce, topic specific trainings outside of the learner’s core expertise have been developed and delivered through online distance learning methods. While there are a few WASH related distance learning courses, there are not any courses that provide a comprehensive introduction to WASH topics.

The purpose of this special studies project is to develop an ‘Introduction to WASH’ distance learning course for deployment through the Africa CDC Institute for Workforce Development. This thesis describes the theoretical background that supports the development of online educational courses for adults, provides five module outlines for instructional use, and discusses the implications of the course at Africa CDC.

The course was designed as five module outlines covering water, sanitation, hygiene and the links between WASH topics. With adult learners as the target audience, various adult learning theories were reviewed and applied to the module design. In addition to WASH content, each module outline consists of specific learning objectives, key readings and discussion questions as well as additional resources for further study. The water module focuses on global water challenges, water infrastructure, water storage and water treatment options. The sanitation module covers global sanitation challenges, sanitation infrastructure, behavior changes related to sanitation, and wastewater surveillance of diseases. The water and sanitation module emphasizes the role of water scarcity in sanitation interventions as well as key diseases related to water and sanitation and disease prevention methods. The hygiene module introduces global hygiene challenges, hand hygiene infrastructure, and behavior changes related to hand hygiene. Lastly, the sanitation and hygiene module focuses on ways to break the fecal-oral transmission cycle and ways to identify and address menstrual hygiene management needs.

Together, these modules provide introductory knowledge on key aspects of WASH. This distance learning course will provide public health workers throughout Africa a way to increase crosscutting competencies and, therefore, increase public health workforce capacity.

Table of Contents

I. INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................1

Public Health Capacity Training...................................................................................................................1

Intersection of Public health Capacity Training and WASH..........................................................................2

Africa CDC Institute for Workforce Development..........................................................................................3

Purpose Statement........................................................................................................................................4

II. Literature Review.......................................................................................................................5

History of Andragogy.....................................................................................................................................5

Andragogical Theory of Learning...................................................................................................................6

Moore's Interaction Framework......................................................................................................................8

Online Training............................................................................................................................................10

CDC Public Health Workforce Development..................................................................................................11

Analysis of Existing WASH Courses...............................................................................................................13

IHE DELFT WASH in Emergencies.................................................................................................................13

CDC Train Global WASH Course...................................................................................................................14

UNICEF WASH in Schools..............................................................................................................................15

III. Methodology..............................................................................................................................17

APE Experience...............................................................................................................................................17

Final Deliverable.............................................................................................................................................17

Course Design.................................................................................................................................................18

Module Format...............................................................................................................................................18

IRB Requirement.............................................................................................................................................20

Plan for Deployment........................................................................................................................................20

IV. Module Outlines..........................................................................................................................22

Module Outline 1..............................................................................................................................................22

Critical Global Water Issues and Challenges....................................................................................22  

Water Infrastructure and Services.....................................................................................................27  

Water Storage Methods.....................................................................................................................29

Water Treatment Options at the Household Level.............................................................................32 

Module 1. References........................................................................................................................................32

Module Outline 2..............................................................................................................................................39

Global Sanitation Issues.....................................................................................................................39  

Sanitation Infrastructure and Services................................................................................................42  

Behavior Change for Sanitation Interventions.....................................................................................47  

Disease Surveillance Through Wastewater.........................................................................................48 

Module 2. References..........................................................................................................................................51

Module Outline 3................................................................................................................................................54

Water Scarcity and Sanitation..............................................................................................................54  

WASH Related Diseases.........................................................................................................................55  

Disease Prevention Methods................................................................................................................59 

Module 3. References...........................................................................................................................................63

Module Outline 4..................................................................................................................................................66

Identify Global Hand Hygiene Issues.....................................................................................................66  

Understand Hygiene Supplies and Services.............................................................................................68

Hygiene Behavior Change......................................................................................................................71 

Module 4. References..............................................................................................................................................76

Module Outline 5....................................................................................................................................................78

Breaking the Fecal-Oral Transmission Cycle..............................................................................................78

Menstrual Hygiene Management....................................................................................................81 

Module 5. References.................................................................................................................................................85

V. Discussion..............................................................................................................................................88

VI. Impact Statement.................................................................................................................................92

VII. Literature Cited...................................................................................................................................93

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	M.P.H.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health Education Health Sciences, Public Health
Keyword	Public Health Public Health Education
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dr. Joanne McGriff, Emory University

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