Materials from Handwashing Think Tanks

"It is clear that there are opportunities for the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing to continue to share knowledge about what does and does not work in behavior change and to promote advocacy for hygiene at the global and national level. Measurement of handwashing was a thread that ran throughout the discussions, and this is an area where both handwashing programs and researchers can work together."

Since 2012, the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing (PPPHW) has hosted annual Handwashing Think Tanks that bring together hygiene experts from civil society, government, research institutions, and the private sector to discuss ideas in handwashing and behaviour change. The purpose is to fill a perceived gap: Handwashing, as an affordable and accessible behaviour, has many benefits - not only preventing illness but also impacting nutrition, education, and equity - and yet it is often not prioritised at personal and policy levels. In light of this, participants in these think tanks gather in person to: explore current knowledge about handwashing with soap, spark collaborative thinking about handwashing, and drive the sector. In recent years, there have also been webinars and the engagement of social media processes in the think tank experiences.

All of the materials - e.g., event summaries, full agendas and presentations, reports from each day, blogs, summary webinars, videos, etc. - are, depending on the year, accessible on the PPPHW website. For example, the 2016 think tank explored the topic of how to apply evidence into action in the thematic areas of handwashing integration, settings, and scale/sustainability. Presentations from each working group session, many of which describe behaviour change communication (BCC) experiences as implemented around the world (e.g., how BRAC is working in Bangladesh, how WaterSHED Asia is conducting social marketing in Vietnam, etc.) are among the materials available for download.

The 2016 think thank summary itself outlines insights, as well as gaps and challenges. For example, one presenter focused on changing multiple behaviours: "Disturbing the setting (physical, biological, and social) is important for changing behavior. People follow “scripts” that correspond with procedures and specific roles. Changing the script involves introducing new settings and new norms that can help prompt people to commit to and practice new behaviors or actions. It is essential to create desire within the community, so changing the script in a positive manner (i.e. you can have the ideal family), fostering a social norm (i.e. public pledging) can encourage or reinforce behaviors. These changed scripts also include the physical environment in which the behavior occurs." Questions to be asked here include: "What 'roles' and 'narratives' can be leveraged that aren't necessarily health related? For instance, is there a way to tap into women who want to be perceived as promoting equality? What is the sustainability of environmental cues, such as posters? At what point do they stop triggering the desired behavior?"