What triggers mothers to promote handwashing for their children?

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  • Elisabeth
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Re: What triggers mother to promote handwashing for their children?

I came across this publication while reviewing new documents in the SuSanA library, which fits to this thread. SNV uses vaccination centres as an entry point to reach pregnant women and young mothers with handwashing messages:

SNV (2019). Emotional demonstrations (emo-demos) of handwashing with soap at vaccination centres. SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, The Hague, The Netherlands
www.susana.org/en/knowledge-hub/resource...library/details/3649

Emotional demonstrations (emo-demos) are used in behaviour-centred design to trigger behaviour changes, such as handwashing with soap, by creating disgust and shame.
Through the Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene For All (SSH4A) programme, vaccination centres in villages were found to be an ideal place to raise awareness of the importance of washing hands with soap among pregnant women, mothers and caregivers.

This case study presents the emo-demo for triggering behaviour changes at vaccination centres. It provides practical information for implementing an emo-demo of this kind, and a brief discussion on the remaining challenges and lessons learned by the SNV team and their partners on the ground.

Dr. Elisabeth von Muench
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Re: What triggers mother to promote handwashing for their children?

I saw that you were referring to hand-washing in the subject only after posting the earlier reply, the points remain valid nonetheless.

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paresh
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Re: What triggers mother to promote handwashing for their children?

The range of hygiene training, most of which happens in this age group is very broad; from potty training, hand-washing, bathing, oral hygiene, to menstrual hygiene. It would be better if you could mention which particular aspect of hygiene you are interested in.

Irrespective of the type, the obvious answer to me is that parents are also a kid's first teachers, and they assume the responsibility to make the kid independent and keep them healthy. For working women, saving their own time of child-care so as to leave home in time for work or engage that time in economic activity, etc could be a reason to impart this training sooner.

I am also wondering if the reasons will vary due to the context - urban v/s rural, income class, employment type, etc. And the level of training or its correctness will offcourse depend on knowledge of the woman herself - Couple of examples one can think of are
1. They may insist on hand washing but not know to wash hands so that all parts are washed.
2. They may educate an adolescent girl about menstruation but not know about or how to use sanitary pads or insist on use of sanitary pads but not know how to dispose them.

In most cultures the responsibility invariably falls on the woman, I therefore like your explicit assumption of women imparting hygiene education to children

paresh
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  • adityajn098
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Re: What triggers mother to promote handwashing for their children?

You got the question. I thought I was being unclear, I was going to write a new one which would be more clear. If children are near the age of 4-10 years. So what can the factors which make the woman to give hygiene training to their children.

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  • Siysila
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  • An MPH student from Cameroon studying at the Department of Global Health, Nagasaki University.Interested in WASH approaches in intestinal parasites and helminthiasis control.
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Re: What triggers mother to promote handwashing for their children?

I do agree that Primary Health Care providers play an important role in promoting healthy hygiene practices among mothers towards their newborns.

However, I thought the question is trying to look at what factors trigger the mother to instill these hygiene habits in their already growing children( Child`s behavior).

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  • adityajn098
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Re: What triggers mother to promote handwashing for their children?

Thanks a lot. I agree that Health Care provider can give ways to improve the hygienic condition favoring the children.

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  • Masango
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Re: What triggers mother to promote handwashing for their children?

I strongly agree about the role played by primary health care providers when it comes to initiating new mothers to health care and sanitation issues mostly as we don't see it futuring any where on our official curriculum. Here in Cameroon, women and expectant mothers are thought the basics during their antinental visits to hospital and health centers as they go for pregnancy follow up. Its organised like a sort of classes and is compulsory for all pregnant women registered at the center. In addition to that, in our African context, a lot of that knowledge is handed down from generation to generation through practical demonstrations. So in our community, when a woman gives birth, the mother comes over and she gives the baby the first baths baths under the watchful eyes of her daughter and she will only leave that house when she is sure that her daughter has mastered all she needs to ensure the survival of the baby. Upon her departure, the son in-law buys her gifts and some for the husband as a sign of appreciation. As to what triggers mothers to promote handwashing among their children, I think the fear of illness and disease is the first motive. I think once a mother is made to understand that her child's health depends on her sanitation practices, she would do all it takes to have a healthy baby. So, the extend to which mothers would get involved in hand washing for the children will depend on the extent to which we can link handwashing to the health of the child.

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Re: What triggers mother to promote handwashing for their children?

With regards to hygiene and babies, what impressed me when I was a new mother was the care that the midwives and nurses applied after the baby was born (at the hospital and at home for a home birth). They showed me and my husband how to care for the baby, e.g. how to clean the baby's eyes, how to bath it, how and when to wash our hands, how to keep bottles clean and sterilised (apart from breastfeeding), washing our hands after changing nappies etc. We were very open to their messages at that moment because of course you want to keep your baby safe and it is such a fragile little thing! Later it was all the advice we got through health visitors, booklets and pumphlets as the baby was growing up. So I would say the primary healthcare providers have a big role to play in triggering mothers and fathers for this.

Elisabeth
Dr. Elisabeth von Muench
Freelance consultant on environmental and climate projects
Located in Ulm, Germany
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  • adityajn098
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What triggers mother to promote handwashing for their children?

Mothers are the important person which can inculcate handwash habits in Childs behavior. So, what are the factor which can trigger the mothers to promote handwash practice and formation of handwash habit among children.

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