Human Volunteer Study in Mumbai

Aim of Study:

To measure the real benefits to those who adopt the 'Lifebuoy Way of Life'. The 'Lifebuoy Way of Life' is a plan proposed by Lifebuoy that focuses on washing hands with Lifebuoy soap on 5 key occasions:

• Before breakfast
• Before lunch
• Before dinner
• During the daily bath
• Immediately after visiting the toilet

Primary Objective:

To evaluate whether a bar soap when used as recommended for hand and body washing reduces diarrhoea and/or acute respiratory infections in the target population.

Target Population:

Lifebuoy targeted children aged approximately 5 years old in Mumbai and their families. In total more than 2,000 families took part in the study.

Intervention:

Families were given Lifebuoy soap and took part in a behavioural change programme that encouraged the use of soap at the 5 key occasions every day. Participating families were monitored against control families who continued their normal hygiene practices to see what differences could be recorded during the 41 weeks of the study

Additional Points on the Study:

Approval for the study was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee, Bangalore, consisting of independent members from different fields of society.

Informed consent was collected from every person in the family who wished to participate in the trial.

To read the full study click here to download the abstract (page 121) presented at the CEH 2009 Conference in Busan, Korea.