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Behavior Profile Sample: Handwashing with Soap

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 wash hands with soap under running water at 4 critical times [after defecation, after changing diapers, before food preparation and before eating] Indicator: Among households where place for handwashing was observed, percentage of households with soap and water. Soap includes soap or detergent in bar, liquid, powder or paste form.

Behavior Analysis	Strategy
STEPS What steps are needed to practice this behavior? Construct or purchase handwashing station Obtain soap and water Maintain handwashing station with soap and water at all times 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 wash their hands because they lack water and secured soap Social Family and Community Support: Family members do not wash their hands with soap because family members often do not reinforce handwashing, especially among younger children Norms: Family members do not wash their hands at all critical times because it is not regularly practiced or reinforced by community members Internal Attitudes and Beliefs: Family members wash their hands because they believe it is disgusting to not wash hands after defecation or before handling food Attitudes and Beliefs: Family members wash their children’s hands because they view it as a form of nurturing for children Knowledge: Family members do not always wash their hands because many are unaware of the diseases transmitted by unclean hands Knowledge: Family members do not always wash their hands at the critical moments because they forget	SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS Who must support the practice of this behavior? Institutional Policymakers: Establish financing schemes for soap and handwashing stations Community Community Leaders: Promote hand washing at community events and public locations like schools, maintain a handwashing station in own household, and find ways to create reminders for handwashing at home or in the community Community Leaders: Support local soap and handwashing station marketing efforts Household Family Members: Encourage and assist children to wash their hands as a way of avoiding ingestion of feces	POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES How might we focus our efforts based on this analysis? Enabling Environment Policies and Governance: Monitor and ensure availability of low-cost soap and handwashing stations for the most vulnerable Systems, Products and Services Products and Technology: Develop locally appropriate handwashing stations and train families how to construct stations themselves Products and Technology: Integrate soap storage into handwashing station designs that reduce the risk of spoilage or theft of the soap Quality Improvement: Train providers to promote handwashing with caregivers Demand and Use Advocacy : Support community leaders with tools to make handwashing behavior public, including installation of HW stations in public locations and publicly tracking the behavior Communication: Use media channels to highlight the risks of not washing hands with soap and promote the benefits of handwashing with soap behaviors (not washing hands after defecation and before eating means eating feces) Communication: Create context disruptions and visual cues in the community and household to provide reminders for handwashing

Behavior Analysis

Strategy

STEPS

What steps are needed to practice this behavior?

Construct or purchase handwashing station
Obtain soap and water
Maintain handwashing station with soap and water at all times

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 wash their hands because they lack water and secured soap

Social

Family and Community Support: Family members do not wash their hands with soap because family members often do not reinforce handwashing, especially among younger children

Norms: Family members do not wash their hands at all critical times because it is not regularly practiced or reinforced by community members

Internal

Attitudes and Beliefs: Family members wash their hands because they believe it is disgusting to not wash hands after defecation or before handling food

Attitudes and Beliefs: Family members wash their children’s hands because they view it as a form of nurturing for children

Knowledge: Family members do not always wash their hands because many are unaware of the diseases transmitted by unclean hands

Knowledge: Family members do not always wash their hands at the critical moments because they forget

SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS

Who must support the practice of this behavior?

Institutional

Policymakers: Establish financing schemes for soap and handwashing stations

Community

Community Leaders: Promote hand washing at community events and public locations like schools, maintain a handwashing station in own household, and find ways to create reminders for handwashing at home or in the community

Community Leaders: Support local soap and handwashing station marketing efforts

Household

Family Members: Encourage and assist children to wash their hands as a way of avoiding ingestion of feces

POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES

How might we focus our efforts based on this analysis?

Enabling Environment

Policies and Governance: Monitor and ensure availability of low-cost soap and handwashing stations for the most vulnerable

Systems, Products and Services

Products and Technology: Develop locally appropriate handwashing stations and train families how to construct stations themselves

Products and Technology: Integrate soap storage into handwashing station designs that reduce the risk of spoilage or theft of the soap

Quality Improvement: Train providers to promote handwashing with caregivers

Demand and Use

Advocacy : Support community leaders with tools to make handwashing behavior public, including installation of HW stations in public locations and publicly tracking the behavior

Communication: Use media channels to highlight the risks of not washing hands with soap and promote the benefits of handwashing with soap behaviors (not washing hands after defecation and before eating means eating feces)

Communication: Create context disruptions and visual cues in the community and household to provide reminders for handwashing

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Handwashing with Soap

Key Points from Global Research