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Behavior Profile Sample: Safe Disposal of Human Feces

A Behavior Profile is a summary analysis of each behavior. This sample draws from global evidence and illustrates the result of using the Create Behavior Profiles Tool to analyze factors, supporting actors and strategies and to ensure logical pathways exist between strategies proposed and factors related to the practice of the behavior. This sample may be used as a starting point or reference for creating Behavior Profiles.

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Health Goal	Improve maternal and child survival
Accelerator Behavior	Family members safely dispose of human feces Indicator: Percentage of households with improved and non-shared toilet facilities

Behavior Analysis	Strategy
STEPS What steps are needed to practice this behavior? Decide to build or access a latrine Build or access an improved latrine Always use the latrine for human feces, including feces from babies Cover the latrine hole Maintain latrine and surroundings Click on any box to see the pathwaysA pathway illustrates how elements in the Behavior Profile are linked. When read from right to left, a pathway highlights how strategies are expected to address the factors to enable adoption of the Accelerator Behavior. of the behavior.	FACTORS What factors may prevent or support practice of this behavior? These should be analyzed for each country context. Structural Accessibility: Family members are unable to safely dispose of human feces because improved latrines are often unavailable locally or materials to build them are insufficient Accessibility: Family members are unable to build a latrine because physical constraints often make building a latrine difficult (e.g. height of ground water, hardness of ground) Accessibility: Family members do not safely dispose of human feces because they have insufficient resources to build a latrine Social Norms: Family members do not use a latrine to safely dispose of human feces because neighboring households also do not use a latrine, and therefore its necessity is not understood Internal Attitudes and Beliefs: Family members do not throw baby feces into the latrine because they do not believe it is dirty Attitudes and Beliefs: Family members do not use a latrine because they prefer to use the outdoors where the air is fresh Attitudes and Beliefs: Family members use a latrine to safely dispose of human feces because they feel proud and prestigious when they have their own household latrine Knowledge: Family members do not use a latrine to safely dispose of human feces because they do not know how to build an improved latrine	SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS Who must support the practice of this behavior? Institutional Policymakers: Adopt open defecation free (ODF) policy and sanitation regulations for the country Community Community Leaders: Build institutional latrines (schools, clinics) Community Leaders: Support local sanitation marketing efforts and construction training to improve accessibility Household Family Members: Save a portion of available income for sanitation needs	POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES How might we focus our efforts based on this analysis? Enabling Environment Financing: Offer financing or credit mechanisms for household sanitation improvements and sanitation businesses Partnerships and Networks: Form surveillance cadres (government, international and local NGOs) to track ODF communities Systems, Products and Services Products and Technology: Investigate new sanitation technologies for geographically constrained situations Quality Improvement: Facilitate improved private-sector markets to increase access to latrine options and construction, small-scale supplies, or delivery options Demand and Use Communication: Use regular community forums to share data and progress on ODF status and discuss challenges Skills Building: Train local cadres of masons and builders

Behavior Analysis

Strategy

STEPS

What steps are needed to practice this behavior?

Decide to build or access a latrine
Build or access an improved latrine
Always use the latrine for human feces, including feces from babies
Cover the latrine hole
Maintain latrine and surroundings

Click on any box
to see the pathwaysA pathway illustrates how elements in the Behavior Profile are linked. When read from right to left, a pathway highlights how strategies are expected to address the factors to enable adoption of the Accelerator Behavior.
of the behavior.

FACTORS

What factors may prevent or support practice of this behavior? These should be analyzed for each country context.

Structural

Accessibility: Family members are unable to safely dispose of human feces because improved latrines are often unavailable locally or materials to build them are insufficient

Accessibility: Family members are unable to build a latrine because physical constraints often make building a latrine difficult (e.g. height of ground water, hardness of ground)

Accessibility: Family members do not safely dispose of human feces because they have insufficient resources to build a latrine

Social

Norms: Family members do not use a latrine to safely dispose of human feces because neighboring households also do not use a latrine, and therefore its necessity is not understood

Internal

Attitudes and Beliefs: Family members do not throw baby feces into the latrine because they do not believe it is dirty

Attitudes and Beliefs: Family members do not use a latrine because they prefer to use the outdoors where the air is fresh

Attitudes and Beliefs: Family members use a latrine to safely dispose of human feces because they feel proud and prestigious when they have their own household latrine

Knowledge: Family members do not use a latrine to safely dispose of human feces because they do not know how to build an improved latrine

SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS

Who must support the practice of this behavior?

Institutional

Policymakers: Adopt open defecation free (ODF) policy and sanitation regulations for the country

Community

Community Leaders: Build institutional latrines (schools, clinics)

Community Leaders: Support local sanitation marketing efforts and construction training to improve accessibility

Household

Family Members: Save a portion of available income for sanitation needs

POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES

How might we focus our efforts based on this analysis?

Enabling Environment

Financing: Offer financing or credit mechanisms for household sanitation improvements and sanitation businesses

Partnerships and Networks: Form surveillance cadres (government, international and local NGOs) to track ODF communities

Systems, Products and Services

Products and Technology: Investigate new sanitation technologies for geographically constrained situations

Quality Improvement: Facilitate improved private-sector markets to increase access to latrine options and construction, small-scale supplies, or delivery options

Demand and Use

Communication: Use regular community forums to share data and progress on ODF status and discuss challenges

Skills Building: Train local cadres of masons and builders

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Safe Disposal of Human Feces

Key Points from Global Research