Almost one billion individuals globally live in densely populated informal settlements or slums, characterised by poor infrastructure and practices that enable the spread of diseases in overcrowded conditions.

Surprisingly little is known about the sustainability of hygiene behaviours in slum settings, as well as the factors that drive or hinder this sustainability. Through an equitable partnership between institutions in India and the UK, rigorous new evidence is being generated on the sustainability of hygiene behaviours in slum settings in India, with a particular focus on the role of social interactions.

The aims of this research include:

1. Produce new evidence on the medium-term effects of hygiene interventions on behaviours and health status in slums, three years after intervention implementation;
2. Understand the factors influencing the sustainability of behaviours (or the lack) with a focus on social interactions; and
3. Develop protocols for novel measurements of sensitive hygiene practices and social interactions.

The study is pursuing these aims through a follow-up survey of 1,300 mother-child pairs in urban slums, examining how hygiene behaviours and child health outcomes have been sustained three years after initial interventions that focused on hygiene awareness and maternal wellbeing. Additionally, the research team is developing and testing new ways to measure hygiene behaviours and social interactions in these communities, including innovative survey techniques and behavioural games that will help understand how social connections and community dynamics influence hygiene practices.

The project is expected to produce two academic economics papers, new data on hygiene behaviours in slums, and protocols for innovative measures of hygiene and social interactions. The findings will be disseminated widely to local stakeholders, policymakers, and practitioners in India, the UK, and globally.