Evaluating a Water Quality Assurance Fund Intervention in Ghana and Kenya

NCT06570005 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: REAL-Water Assurance Fund
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 4,800
• Locations: 2 countries
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of a novel financial and capacity strengthening intervention (the 'Water Quality Assurance Fund' program) on water safety management in rural Ghana and Kenya. The investigators hypothesize the intervention will improve water system operator knowledge, chlorination practices, and water quality at the point of collection, as well as improve consumer satisfaction, awareness, and willingness-to-pay for water that is tested and treated.

Conditions

Water Quality; Water Treatment; Knowledge; Satisfaction

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Adequate free chlorine residual in water at the point of collection

  Free chlorine residual in water at the point of collection above targeted levels of 0.2 mg/L.

  Baseline, 6-months, 12-months, 18-months, 24-months

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Detectable free chlorine residual in water at the point of collection

  Baseline, 6-months, 12-months, 18-months, 24-months

• E. coli in water at the point of collection

  Baseline, 6-months, 12-months, 18-months, 24-months

• Water system operator knowledge

  Baseline, 12-months, 24-months

• Consumer awareness

  Baseline, 12-months, 24-months

• Consumer satisfaction

  Baseline, 12-months, 24-months

Other Outcomes (3)

• Water system chlorination frequency

  Baseline, 6-months, 12-months, 18-months, 24-months

• Water system revenue

  Baseline, 6-months, 12-months, 18-months, 24-months

• Households use of enrolled water for drinking

  Baseline, 12-months, 24-months

Study Arms (4)

Assurance Fund Intervention Arm 1

EXPERIMENTAL

In this study arm, intervention activities will start after initial baseline data collection.

Other: Water Quality Assurance Fund

Assurance Fund Intervention Arm 2

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention activities are the same as those described in Arm 1. However, in this study arm, the intervention activities will start 6 months later than those in Arm 1. This arm will serve as a controlled comparison during those initial 6 months.

Other: Water Quality Assurance Fund

Assurance Fund Intervention Arm 3

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention activities are the same as those described in Arm 1. However, in this study arm, the intervention activities will start 12 months later than those in Arm 1. This arm will serve as a controlled comparison during those initial 12 months.

Other: Water Quality Assurance Fund

Non-randomized Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

In Ghana only, there is a fourth study arm that will receive the intervention one month prior to Arm 1. This group was non-randomly selected and will primarily serve to support qualitative lessons learned from the Assurance Fund program.

Other: Water Quality Assurance Fund

Interventions

Water Quality Assurance Fund OTHER

* At the water system level: Written legal agreements between water systems, centralized laboratories, and the organization facilitating the Assurance Fund will provide water systems with regular water quality testing and provide laboratories a guarantee of payments if water systems fail to pay for testing services on time (for up to three concurrent unpaid invoices). Regular debrief meetings will be held with water operators and local government authorities to discuss test results and water treatment options, and to encourage water systems to share water quality information with their consumers. Technical guidance to improve water treatment will be provided, if requested by water system operators or local government authorities. * At the community level: Community engagement, primarily at the onset, to inform the community about the water quality testing program and answer questions.

Assurance Fund Intervention Arm 1; Assurance Fund Intervention Arm 2; Assurance Fund Intervention Arm 3; Non-randomized Arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• The district or county government was interested in participating in the Assurance Fund program and water systems within the district/county were accessible to a partner central laboratory that was able to provide water sample collection and testing services for a fee.
• Water systems were functional.
• Water systems were piped water systems (Kenya, Ghana) or mechanized boreholes with a single tapstand (Ghana).
• Water systems could afford regular water quality testing from the selected laboratory.

You may not qualify if:

• To be eligible to participate in household surveys, participants need to be at least 18 years of age and a customer of a eligible water system.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Aquaya Institute: lead
• United States Agency for International Development (USAID): collaborator
• Conrad N. Hilton Foundation: collaborator
• The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust: collaborator
• Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST): collaborator
• Water Mission: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

The Aquaya Institute

Accra, Ghana

RECRUITING

The Aquaya Institute

Nairobi, Kenya

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Personal Satisfaction

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Valerie Bauza, PhD

  The Aquaya Institute

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Valerie Bauza, PhD

CONTACT

4148011025; valerie@aquaya.org

Caroline Delaire, PhD

CONTACT

caroline@aquaya.org

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Stepped-wedge Randomized Controlled Trial

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 20, 2024
• First Posted: August 26, 2024
• Study Start: December 6, 2022
• Primary Completion: September 30, 2025
• Study Completion: September 30, 2025
• Last Updated: August 26, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF

Locations

KE (1); GH (1)