Poultry Management and Child Diarrhea in Uganda

Fecal contamination from animal sources, specifically chickens, is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for enteric infections in low-income countries where domestic animals are often kept in close proximity to living quarters. Community members typically allow chickens to move freely around their compound and in their homes. Unlike other animals, such as cows or goats, poultry are typically not confined and their feces, which are relatively small, are considered relatively innocuous and therefore largely ignored by adults and children. In this study, the investigators have implemented an intervention to help rural poultry owners with children to hygienically separate chickens from children by focusing on a small set of key factors, including increased risk perception, increased perception of potential livelihood benefits, increased skills, and increased supportive social norms. The investigators hypothesized that the poultry hygiene intervention will lead to improved poultry management practices, which will in turn lead to reduced fecal contamination in the domestic environment and subsequently reduced diarrheal illness in young children. To measure these parameters along the causal chain, the investigators used a combination of household surveys, spot check observations and testing of environmental samples for fecal contamination.