Rural Bangladesh
#00281
PartialRegion
Implements
#00379 Expand safe water, sanitation and hygiene to reduce infections and antibiotic demand
Location
Rural Bangladesh24.4769, 90.2934
Description
The WASH Benefits cluster-randomized trial evaluated household water, sanitation, handwashing, and nutrition interventions among young children in rural Bangladesh. A secondary analysis examined caregiver-reported antibiotic use across trial arms. Water, sanitation, and handwashing interventions, alone or combined with nutrition, reduced reported antibiotic use. The study is classified as partial because antibiotic use was caregiver-reported and the trial did not directly measure changes in resistant infections or environmental resistance.
Metrics
2Children using antibiotics at least once10 to 14 percent lower in intervention groupsrelative prevalence
Children using antibiotics multiple times24 to 35 percent lower in intervention groupsrelative prevalence
Lessons learned
- Preventing childhood infections can reduce antibiotic demand upstream of prescribing decisions — WASH trials should pre-register antibiotic use as an outcome alongside diarrhoea and growth.
Sources
1