Assessing the health impact of the following measures in schools in Maradi (Niger): Construction of latrines,clean water supply,establishment of hand washing stations,and health education

Objective. to assess the effect on health of the following measures in schools in maradi (niger): clean water supply,construction of latrines,establishment of hand washing stations,and health education. methodology. it was a before and after intervention study on a sample of school children aged 7 to 12 years in the maradi region. the interventions included building of latrines,supplying clean water,setting up hand washing stations,and teaching health education lessons. an individual questionnaire,analysis of stool samples,and a group questionnaire were administered to children and teachers,respectively. the threshold for significance was set at p < 0.05. results. a statistically significant reduction in cases of diarrhoea and abdominal pains was noted after the project. overall,carriage of at least one parasite increased from 7.5% before the project to 10.2% after it (p = 0.04). in the programme group schools,there was a statistically significant increase in the prevalence of hymenolepis nana,from 0 to 1.9 (p = 0.02). pinworm prevalence remained stable in this group but increased significantly in the control group. conclusions. putting health infrastructure in place in schools obviously had an impact on hygiene-related habits in the beneficiary schools and communities. © 2014 halima boubacar maïnassara and zilahatou tohon.