A Cluster-Based Randomized Controlled Trial Promoting Community Participation in Arsenic Mitigation Efforts in Bangladesh
type: CreativeWork
description: Millions of villagers in Bangladesh drink water which exceeds the Bangladesh arsenic (As) standard of 50 micrograms per liter. Exposure to elevated levels of inorganic As (As) is associated with cancers of the skin, bladder, and lung, developmental effects, cardiovascular disease, skin lesions, and decreased children's intellectual functioning. Arsenic mitigation typically involves an outsider coming into a village to test the well water for As. After the results of the As test are provided this person typically leaves the village without providing the resources to address health concerns or give advice on mitigation options. In this dissertation, in an effort to provide ongoing resources on the health implications of As and to reduce As exposure, we sought to evaluate community level intervention strategies that could be used for successful As mitigation in Bangladesh. In Singair, Bangladesh, we conducted a household drinking water survey of 6649 households. The results of our survey indicated that 80% of wells were untested for As. Furthermore, we demonstrated that testing all of these untested wells would increase the number of households that lived with fifty meters of an As safe drinking water source by nearly 2.5 fold. In a cluster based randomized control trial (RCT) of 1000 households, we evaluated the effectiveness of having community members, compared to outside representatives, disseminate As education and conduct water As (WAs) testing. In 10 villages, a community member disseminated As education and provided WAs testing. In a second set of 10 villages an outside representative performed these tasks. Overall, fifty three percent of respondents with unsafe wells at baseline switched after receiving the As education and WAs testing intervention. There was no significant association observed between the type of As tester and well switching (Odds ratio (OR) =0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.37-1.61)). At follow-up, the average UAs concentrations for tho…
abstract: Millions of villagers in Bangladesh drink water which exceeds the Bangladesh arsenic (As) standard of 50 micrograms per liter. Exposure to elevated levels of inorganic As (As) is associated with cancers of the skin, bladder, and lung, developmental effects, cardiovascular disease, skin lesions, and decreased children's intellectual functioning. Arsenic mitigation typically involves an outsider coming into a village to test the well water for As. After the results of the As test are provided this person typically leaves the village without providing the resources to address health concerns or give advice on mitigation options. In this dissertation, in an effort to provide ongoing resources on the health implications of As and to reduce As exposure, we sought to evaluate community level intervention strategies that could be used for successful As mitigation in Bangladesh. In Singair, Bangladesh, we conducted a household drinking water survey of 6649 households. The results of our survey indicated that 80% of wells were untested for As. Furthermore, we demonstrated that testing all of these untested wells would increase the number of households that lived with fifty meters of an As safe drinking water source by nearly 2.5 fold. In a cluster based randomized control trial (RCT) of 1000 households, we evaluated the effectiveness of having community members, compared to outside representatives, disseminate As education and conduct water As (WAs) testing. In 10 villages, a community member disseminated As education and provided WAs testing. In a second set of 10 villages an outside representative performed these tasks. Overall, fifty three percent of respondents with unsafe wells at baseline switched after receiving the As education and WAs testing intervention. There was no significant association observed between the type of As tester and well switching (Odds ratio (OR) =0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.37-1.61)). At follow-up, the average UAs concentrations for tho…
author: George, Christine Marie
language: English
keywords: Environmental health, Public health, Drinking water--Arsenic content
date published: 2012
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:44:18Z
provider: Columbia University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Columbia University

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.7916/D83T9Q7G