Solar Disinfection (SODIS) of Drinking Water for Use in Developing Countries or in Emergency Situations

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Dysentery; Diarrhoea

• Registration Number: NCT01306383
• Lead Sponsor: Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland

Brief Summary

SODISWATER was a health impact assessment study investigating the effect of sunlight to inactivate microbial pathogens in drinking water. This study was carried out by observing whether children younger than 5 years old who drink solar disinfected water were healthier than those who did not. Health was measured by how often the children had diarrhoea or dysentery.

Caregivers for the participants were given plastic bottles to place in the sun, water samples were then collected from these plastic bottles to be analyzed. They were also requested to fill in diarrhea diaries.

TESTABLE RESEARCH HYPOTHESES:

Health Impact Assessment: Children who use solar disinfected water will have:

(a) lower morbidity due to non-bloody diarrhoea and bloody diarrhoea (c) increased growth rates (d) lower mortality (e) increased family productivity (f) decreased care-giver burden (g) increased school attendance

Detailed Description

The current evidence base for solar disinfection in the prevention of diarrhoeal disease in children rests on three published studies. All share two significant weaknesses: all were carried out in Kenya, in communities which have very high incidences of diarrhoeal disease and water characterised by high levels of both turbidity and microbial contamination. Furthermore, neither of the studies of diarrhoeal disease distinguished between dysentery (associated with significant risk of mortality) and other sorts of diarrhoea, which carry a far lower risk. The present study will extend the evidence base into communities at lower risk and with higher water quality. Furthermore, by using pictorial diaries, dysentery can be analysed as a specific health endpoint. Diarrhoea will be recorded consistent with the World Health organisation definition: three or more loose or watery stools in a 24-hour period and/or stools containing blood or mucus.

AIM OF THE PROJECT IN RELATION TO HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDIES:

The primary aim of the SODISWATER PROJECT is to demonstrate that SODIS is an appropriate intervention against diarrhoeal and waterborne disease among communities in developing countries and those affected by natural or man-made disasters by conducting multi-centred epidemiologically controlled Health Impact Assessments of the SODIS technique across the African Continent under a variety of social, geographical and climactic conditions.

SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES OF SODISWATER IN RELATION TO HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDIES:

1. Assessment of the change in health reasonably attributed to the provision of solar disinfected drinking water at the point of use in 3 countries (Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cambodia).

2. Assessment of the relationship between solar disinfected drinking water and selected health indicators (including morbidity due to non-bloody diarrhoea and dysentery, weight loss, mortality, growth rates, productivity, care-giver burden, and school attendance. Mortality will also be monitored but the sample sizes are of insufficient size to produce detailed information and scaling up, to account for this is not possible due to prohibitive costs).

3. Demonstration of the effectiveness of SODIS at household level.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2008-06
• Primary Completion: 2009-10
• Study Completion: 2010-05
• Status Verified: 2011-02
• Study First Submitted: 2011-02-28
• Study First Submitted QC: 2011-02-28
• Study First Posted: 2011-03-01
• Last Update Submitted: 2011-11-09
• Last Update Posted: 2011-11-10

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 2400

Inclusion Criteria

• Presence of one or more children aged less than 5 years in the household

Exclusion Criteria

• Chlorinated piped water source available in household

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Dysentery disease rate	12 month	Incidence of occurrence of blood or mucous in diarrhoeal stools was noted by caregivers and recorded in a pictorial diary which was collected every 2 weeks.
Diarrhoea disease rate	12 months	Incidence of diarrhoea and numbers of diarrhoeal episodes was noted by caregivers and recorded in a pictorial diary which was collected every 2 weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Height and weight benefit	12 months	Anthropometric measurements of height and weight were recorded at 3 month intervals across the 12 month study period.

Trial Locations

Locations (3)

CIC; 🇰🇭 Phnom Penh, Cambodia

ICROSS; 🇰🇪 Nairobi, Ngong Hills, Kenya

IWSD; 🇿🇼 Harare, Mount Pleasant, Zimbabwe