A Randomized Controlled Study of a Large-Scale Rural Sanitation Behavior Change Program in Madhya Pradesh, India

This research brief provides background on the consequences of fecal contamination in household environments in rural communities in India, describes the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) strategy to drive sanitation access and behavior change to improve child health outcomes, and summarizes the results of the evaluation of these efforts in Madhya Pradesh.

• Toilet coverage rose 19 to 41 percent in intervention villages compared to 22 percent in control villages. Tweet
• Self-reported open defecation among adults declined 10 to 74 percent in intervention villages compared with 84 percent in control villages. Tweet
• There were some improvements in water quality and reduction in parasitic infection among children but no consistent improvements in child health outcomes in intervention areas compared with control areas. Tweet
• Some child health benefits may require more time to materialize and capture, given that in many villages implementation had only recently been completed by the time of the survey. Tweet