Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #108167

Emtinan Al-Medhwahi, BA, PHRplus Yemen, Abt Associates Inc., 49-1 Tourist City , P.O. Box 22333, Mujahed Street, Sana'a, Yemen, 967 1 309 917/8, Cheri_Rassas@abtassoc.com and Susan Keane, MS, Environment, Abt Associates Inc., 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814.

The major causes of child morbidity in Yemen, such as diarrhea disease, acute respiratory infection and parasitic diseases, are caused by or related to environmental factors. The USAID-funded Partners for Health Reformplus Project (PHRplus) is implementing a pilot project to address basic health needs in Thula, including household water supply and sanitation. The purpose of the pilot is to identify major environmental health problems in the district, using field visits, observations, interviews and stakeholder meetings, and implement community-based solutions to these problems, wherever possible. Through consultation with local authorities, the project conducted a survey of households in nine villages. The survey enabled the project team to understand the knowledge and practices of households in these villages in relation to water, sanitation and hygiene in order to identify their needs for improved health through better hygiene and health education. Results are being used as a baseline to monitor interventions which include-implementing participatory hygiene promotion and other health promotion programs in the areas selected from the baseline survey; and advocating with other donors in building a network for sanitation and hygiene promotion and water resources improvement.

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of the presentation, the participants would learn the procedures for developing a baseline survey in a developing country setting, and how to use the baseline information in this context for developing messages, designing awareness programs, identifying other critical links to promote health and for monitoring the impact of health interventions.

Keywords: Environmental Health, Water Quality

Related Web page: www.phrplus.org/countries_yem.html

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation