Dr. Kondwani Chidziwisano

Dr. Kondwani Chidziwisano

Co-author

Environmental Health

37 publications

Kondwani Chidziwisano is a lecturer and Research Fellow in the Department of Public and Environmental Health and WASHTED Centre respectively at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS). Kondwani received his PhD from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. He is an Environment...

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Does Poor Mental Health Impair the Effectiveness of Complementary Food Hygiene Behavior Change Intervention in Rural Malawi?

Journal Article
Published 1 year ago, 365 views
Author
Jurgita Slekiene
Co-authors
Tracy Morse, Dr. Kondwani Chidziwisano
Abstract
Mental disorders have the potential to affect an individual’s capacity to perform household daily activities such as water, sanitation, and hygiene (food hygiene inclusive) that require effort, time, and strong internal motivation. However, there is limited detailed assessment about the influence of mental health on food hygiene behaviors at household level. We conducted a follow-up study to detect the effects of mental health on food hygiene behaviors after food hygiene intervention delivery to child caregivers in rural Malawi. Face-to-face interviews, based on the Risk, Attitude, Norms, Ability, and Self-regulations (RANAS) model, were conducted with 819 participants (control and intervention group) to assess their handwashing and food hygiene-related behaviors. Mental health was assessed using the validated Self-Reporting Questionnaire. Study results showed a significant negative relationship between mental health and handwashing with soap behavior (r = −0.135) and keeping utensils in an elevated place (r = −0.093). Further, a significant difference was found between people with good versus poor mental health on handwashing with soap behavior (p = 0.050) among the intervention group. The results showed that the influence of the intervention on handwashing with soap behavior was mediated by mental health. Thus, integration of mental health in food hygiene interventions can result in improved outcomes for caregivers with poor mental health.
Year of Publication
2022
Journal Name
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume
19
Issue
17
Page Numbers
10589
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