Evaluation of the Efficacy of Sawyer Point One Filters in Schools and Homes in the Dominican Republic

Nathan Tintle, in conjunction with others at Dordt College including Dr. Kristin Van De Griend and undergraduate student research assistants, have agreed to collaborate with Hope College and Sawyer Products, Inc. to analyze the impact of different water filter deployment strategies in schools and villages on diarrhea and other medical and economic outcomes. The distribution of the water filters will begin in September 2018 to Child Hope schools in 4 different countries (Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua). In order to evaluate efficacy of alternative filter deployment strategies, filters will be distributed in 4 separate treatment arms:

Arm 1: Simultaneous installation of filters in schools and the villages sending children to the school Arm 2: Initial installation of the water filters in a school, with later installation in the corresponding village Arm 3: Instillation of the water filters in villages, with later installation in the corresponding school Arm 4: Control arm. No filter installation initially but, ultimately, installation of filters in both the schools and villages.

Self-reported information on filter usage and health outcomes will be collected through surveys administered to parents (in the households in the villages), teachers (in the schools) and school administrators. Data collection will occur at baseline (when filters are installed), at 2 and 8 weeks post installation. The major goal of this project is to better understand the different health impacts of each different deployment strategy on child and family wellbeing. Better understanding of these filter installation strategies will help guide us as we make filter deployment decisions to provide access to clean drinking water.