A qualitative analysis of the implementation of the water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools program in the Philippines using the One Health lens

Research Article

International Journal of One Health, 10(1): 1-11

https://doi.org/10.14202/IJOH.2024.1-11

Soledad Natalia M. Dalisay¹, Carlo R. Lumangaya², Lorenzo Maria C. de Guzman², Robert Neil F. Leong^2,3, Taggart G. Siao², Juan Alfonso Leonardia⁴, Chiqui de Verya⁴, and Vicente Y. Belizario Jr^2,5

1. Department of Anthropology, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
2. Neglected Tropical Diseases Study Group, National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines.
3. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines.
4. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, Bonn, Germany.
5. Department of Parasitology, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines.

Background and Aim: Schools are ideal settings for interventions against diseases to develop sustainable and healthy behaviors that improve long-term health outcomes. The water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in Schools (WinS) program provides school-based interventions to address health concerns. The integration and practice of the One Health approach in schools may provide useful synergies for improved WinS program efficiency by harmonizing the multisectoral efforts of various stakeholders involved; therefore, this study aimed to revisit the WinS program using the One Health Lens.

Materials and Methods: Qualitative methods employed included key informant interviews and focus groups to describe the status of WinS implementation in relation to community WASH and other health programs in the selected study sites using the One Health lens.

Results: Good practices in WinS implementation, including public-private sector partnerships to finance construction of WinS facilities, recognition of outstanding schools and innovations to improve program measures, and intensified health education through multimedia channels, were identified. Challenges include deworming hesitancy, disruption of services due to pandemics and disasters, difficulties in sustainable financing of facilities and supplies, inclusive infrastructure, reaching Last Mile schools in Geographically Isolated, Disadvantaged, and Conflict Areas, and the need to connect WinS, community WASH, and other health programs.

Conclusion: WASH has proven to be a viable vehicle for improving the health of people in schools and community settings. The study showed that health concerns require a concerted effort of public and private authorities. This study elicited the need to bridge the WASH program implemented in schools with community-based programs to ensure that policies are responsive and that logistic support is provided sustainably. Implementing the Universal Health Care Act and developing and using existing mechanisms for coordination between sectors, such as Healthy Learning Institutions, provide opportunities for aligning programs with the government health agenda. Keywords: one health approach, Philippines, WASH in communities, WASH in schools.

Keywords: one health approach, Philippines, WASH in communities, WASH in schools.

How to cite this article: Dalisay SNM, Lumangaya CR, de Guzman LMC, Leong RNF, Siao TG, Leonardia JA, de Verya C, and Belizario VY, Jr. (2024) A qualitative analysis of the implementation of the water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools program in the Philippines using the One Health lens, Int. J. One Health, 10(1): 1-11.

Received: 30-09-2023 Accepted: 11-12-2023 Published online: 12-01-2024

Corresponding author: Soledad Natalia M. Dalisay E-mail: smdalisay@up.edu.ph

DOI: 10.14202/IJOH.2024.1-11

Copyright: Dalisay, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.