Study area and study population Sample Clauses

Study area and study population. The data for the current study are from the Nyando Integrated Child Health and Education (NICHE) project (82, 83). Nyanza Province, a largely rural region with poor transportation and communication infrastructure, is situated in Western Kenya and is one of the poorest provinces in Kenya. Over 95% of the people in Nyanza Province are of the Luo ethnic group. Our study focused on a smaller division of this province called Nyando Division. The Division has approximately 80,000 people and 15,000 households. Ahero, the capital of Nyando Division, houses the district hospital; community clinics also provide routine vaccinations, growth monitoring, and nutrition counseling for children. Written informed consent was obtained from all participating households. The Ethics Committee of the Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Nairobi, Kenya (protocol 1176) and the Institutional Review Board of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA (protocol 5039) approved the study. The study is registered with ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇ (Identifier NCT01088958). In March 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) joined with the Safe Water and AIDS Project (SWAP) and other partners to implement the Nyando Integrated Child Health and Education Project (NICHE). The Safe Water and AIDS Project (SWAP) has been delivering health products through a community-based social marketing program in Nyanza Province for seven years. The SWAP approach is based on an ecological framework that mobilizes formal and informal community institutions to support community vendor groups who sell health products to their neighbors. This system combines household, clinic, school, and local commercial distribution and promotion approaches to increase access to various evidence-based health products. Examples of SWAP health products include water storage containers, water disinfectant products, soap, bednets, contraceptives and deworming tablets. Community based groups and HIV groups within the project area are encouraged to register to become SWAP vendor groups. SWAP groups then receive training on the purpose and use of health products, business practices, and microcredit. There are approximately 775 active SWAP groups in Nyanza Province (83).