Save a Life for Three Dollars

Last week, Dr. Val Curtis of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, spoke at George Washington University on the topic of hand washing and health in the developing world. I was excited to attend this event not only because of all the work we’re doing on water here at GSI, but also because a colleague assured me that Dr. Curtis’ remarks would be peppered with euphemisms for defecation. While her prediction that a certain slang term would be used in the first minute of the presentation didn’t pan out, the event still proved to be highly entertaining. However, don’t assume that just because at times Dr. Curtis likes to lighten the mood, she skimps on hard science and facts. With degrees in anthropology, epidemiology, and engineering, you can be assured that Dr. Curtis knows her you know what.

The case for HWWS (hand-washing with soap) as a way to prevent the spread of disease is an easy one to make.  Diarrhea is one of the highest causes of death for infants in the developing world, but studies show that simple HWWS lowers the risk for contracting diarrhea-causing bacteria by 47%. What’s more, diarrhea is the most affordable disease to fight, at an average cost of $3 per adjusted life year lost. If the quantitative evidence shows that diarrhea can be eradicated easily and cheaply, why do so many children still die from diarrhea? This question makes up the bulk of Dr. Curtis’ presentation: how do you change people’s behavior?

Hand washing is viewed differently in different parts of the world.  In the West, washing with soap is an integral part of our culture and an event that for many has become a habit. In other parts of the world, however, hand washing is viewed as elitist or an unnecessary hassle. So how do you convince people that hand-washing prevents disease even when it goes against cultural norms and values? Marketing. If marketing could convince our parents and grandparents to become soapiphiles in the 20th century and create a culture obsessed with cleaning products, why couldn’t it do the same thing in Africa? Dr. Curtis is taking this approach, using psychology and market research to develop advertisements that specifically target mothers. Playing to some of our most basic human emotions, like love and disgust, Dr. Curtis is hoping to convince mothers to wash their hands regularly after using the toilet and before preparing food and to instill these habits early in their children’s lives. 

For more information about Dr. Curtis and her work, click here.