Handwashing among caregivers of young children in a protracted and complex refugee and immigration context: a mixed methods study on the Thai–Myanmar border

IntroductionProtracted refugee situations create complex contexts that present significant health risks for young children. Effective hand hygiene practices by caregivers can reduce respiratory infections and diarrhoeal disease, the two largest contributors to mortality among children between 1 month and 5 years of age. This study documented handwashing patterns and access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure among caregivers of young children living along the Thai–Myanmar border, one of the world’s most protracted and complex refugee and immigration contexts. It also examined the association between handwashing and socio-demographic variables and captured participants’ explanations for when and how hands are washed. The study broadened the scope of previous research by also including the large number of caregivers living outside formal camps.MethodsCaregivers of children attending 11 preschools in Tak province, Thailand participated in a mixed-methods cross-sectional study. Quantitative questionnaire data (n = 384) were supplemented by a thematic analysis of data from in-depth interviews (n = 9).ResultsFewer than half the caregivers reported routinely washing their hands before preparing meals or after using the latrine/toilet. Fewer than one-in-five routinely used soap in these situations. Interviewees explained that handwashing was only necessary when a substance could be felt or seen, in which case wiping with a cloth or a rinsing with water were sufficient to clean hands. However, their explanations also suggested some potential avenues for culturally appropriate and feasible interventions to improve hand hygiene.ConclusionThe results confirmed previous research on the multi-dimensional barriers to good hand hygiene in protracted refugee situations and other low-resource settings. Additional investment to overcome shortages in the infrastructure necessary to support good hand hygiene and creative means of drawing on and developing human capital will be necessary to realize the potential hand hygiene holds for reducing ill-health and mortality among young children living in these contexts

Reduction of DBP Precursors and Their THMFPs in Leachate Contaminated Groundwater by PAC Adsorption

This research investigated the reduction of dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions and their trihalomethane formation potentials (THMFPs) by powder activated carbon (PAC) adsorption. Leachate contaminated groundwater around an inactive open-dumping landfill was selected as the raw water. The PAC adsorption reaction was proven to be the pseudo second order kinetic reaction and the Freundlich isotherm. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and THMFP removals were 55%, 57%, and 73%, respectively. The hydrophobic (HPO) fraction exhibited a higher THMFP compared to the hydrophilic (HPI) fraction. The results of DOM fractionation show that the use of PAC adsorption produced an efficient 87% reduction of the HPO fraction, which is characterized as having a high reactivity toward THMFP

Fast and Efficient Removal of Hexavalent Chromium from Water by Iron Oxide Particles

Iron oxide particles (IOPs) were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation technique and further used as an adsorbent in removing hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous solutions during batch adsorption. The IOP adsorbent had specific surface area of 65 m2/g, total pore volume of 0.25 cm3/g and mostly contained a mesoporous structure. The analysis of scanning and transmission electron microscopy indicated that the adsorbent contained a substantial amount of iron oxide of about 66%, which was well distributed throughout the adsorbent. The IOP adsorbent showed a rapid and efficient Cr(VI) removal that followed Langmuir adsorption isotherm model with maximum adsorption capacity of 2.39 mg-Cr(VI)/g-IOP, demonstrating a monolayer formation on the adsorptive sites of IOP. The kinetic adsorption of Cr(VI) on the IOP followed the pseudo-second-order model, suggesting chemisorption. Thus, the IOP adsorbent provides a potentially effective technology in eliminating of Cr(VI) from water since it can remove appreciable amounts of Cr(VI) with a relatively short contact time of 30 min

Climatic and Hydrological Factors Affecting the Assessment of Flood Hazards and Resilience Using Modified UNDRR Indicators: Ayutthaya, Thailand

This research aims to investigate the effect of climatic and hydrological factors on flood hazards and assess flood resilience in Ayutthaya, Thailand, using the 10 essentials for making cities resilient modified by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Flood resilience assessment was performed based on a multi-criteria decision-making approach or the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) of pairwise comparison. The results indicate that runoff is considered the most influential factor in flood hazards, followed by land use, rainfall, and historical flood events, sequentially. Regarding the flood incident management concept, a questionnaire survey (n = 552) was conducted to understand the impacts of flood on local communities. The findings reveal that 50% of respondents had never received any flood information or participated in training sessions on flood preparedness. Most reported their concerns about the inadequate supply of drinking water during a flood. Spearman’s correlation coefficient shows positive correlations between flood disaster relief payments, preparedness training, access to flood hazard mapping, emergency health services, and their flood preparation actions. According to the modified UNDRR indicators, the top three highest AHP values in building community resilience to flood hazards in Ayutthaya are flood risk scenario identification, the effectiveness of emergency flood disaster response, integrated urban planning, and disaster risk reduction. The policy implications of this research include the need for national authorities to better understand the role cities can play a vital role in supporting both national and international climate resilience frameworks, especially Thailand’s National Disaster Management Plan, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), and the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)