Q1: In the past 24 hours, on which occasions did you wash your hands? Please mention all the moments you remember. NOTES: Do not read the pre-defined answers

A1: tick all responses.

1) after going to toilet
2) after attending to a child who has defecated 
3) before preparing food 
4) before feeding a child 
5) before eating 
6) other: ................................ 
7) other: ................................ 
8) I don't know

NOTES:

1)     Probe: "Think about all the different things you did in the past 24 hours. Are there any other moments before or after which you washed your hands?"

2)      When asking people about when they wash their hands, one of the most common (and logical) answers is "When my hands were dirty". Although such answer is not included among the commonly promoted "5 critical moments", it is of course a correct answer. When your data collector receives such answer, s/he should always probe further by asking, for example, "Before and after which occasions were your hands dirty?"

3)      Handwashing practice depends on households' access to water. Since access to water is often prone to seasonal variations, the data required for this indicator might be prone to seasonal differences. Thereore, do your best to collect baseline and endline data in the same period of a year; otherwise they might not be comparable.

Due to the social desirability bias, consider add to this indicator with indicator focusing on the availability of a handwashing facility with water and soap - it is likely to provide more accurate insights into people's handwashing practices. 

You ask to see where do they wash their hands

Q2: Observation checklist in survey format.

A1 Is it used? Yes no
A2 Is there presence of water yes no
A3 Is the presence of soap yes no

 

In most contexts men and women have different roles and responsibilities in a HH context. The R&R may also change when people grow older. Women often are more related to home and income generating work compared with men who may more often relate to income generating activities and less to home related activities. In consequence, women and particularly young, pregnant, lactating women or women with growing children and youth play a more central role in household economy and hygiene practices. This fact influences the quality of the responses one can expect that may be different between men and women. For instance, women may be able to respond more accurately to the questions handwashing with soap after attending to a child who has defecated, before preparing food, before feeding a child than men because women may be more involved in these activities. These activities are also context specific and depend on cultural context and standard of living. Therefore, if your target groups are men or children, revise the indicator to "% of respondents who washed their hands with soap or ash in at least 2 critical occasions in the past 2 days" (i.e. before eating and after going to toilet).