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Evidence summaries

Interventions to Improve Water Quality for Preventing Diarrhoea

Interventions to improve water quality are effective in preventing diarrhoea, and interventions at the household level appear to be more effective than those at the source. Level of evidence: "A"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 30 studies with a total of over 53 000 subjects. Interventions to improve the microbiological quality of drinking water are effective in preventing diarrhoea both for populations of all ages and children less than five years old. Subgroup analyses suggest that household interventions are more effective in preventing diarrhoea than interventions at the water source. Effectiveness was positively associated with compliance.

    References

    • Clasen T, Roberts I, Rabie T, Schmidt W, Cairncross S. Interventions to improve water quality for preventing diarrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2006 Jul 19;3:CD004794. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords