Design and implementa tion of par ticipa tor y h ygiene and sanita tion tr ansf or ma tion (PHAST) as a str a te g y to contr ol soil-tr ansmitted helminth infections in Luweero, Uganda

Background: The study is a continuation of a research carried out in Luweero district in Uganda 1 . It investigated whether PHAST was a suitable tool for reducing transmission of soil transmitted helminths. PHAST means Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation; a participatory approach that uses visual tools to stim ulate the par ticipation of people in promotion of improved hygiene and sanitation. Objecti ve: To assess the ef fect of PHAST on intestinal helminth tr ansmission in c hildren under f ive years. Methods: Three phases namel y; (1) Baseline survey (2) PHAST inter vention (3) Follow up wer e conducted. During Phase 1, the subjects’ stool samples were examined for presence of helminthic ova and questionnaires administered. In Phase 2, PHAST was conducted only in experimental villages. All subjects in the experimental and control villages were treated thrice with Albendazole. During Phase 3, all steps of Phase 1 were repeated. Results: There was an overall reduction in the pr evalence of children infected with helminths after PHAST inter vention. Also, comparison of pre-inter vention and post-inter vention m ultivariate results indica tes that the lik elihood of children getting infected with helminths reduced in most of the experimented variables. Conclusion: Health stakeholders should utilize PHAST approach to sensitize communities on the importance of hygiene to curb soil-transmitted helminth infections.