Structured observations of hygiene behaviours in Burkina Faso: validity, variability, and utility

The use of observation techniques has been promoted for the study of hygiene practices; however, questions still remain about the validity and repeatability of such techniques. In this article we compare data on hygiene behaviours obtained from questionnaires with data obtained using a structured observation approach and examine the repeatability of structured observations of behaviours and spot observations of environmental conditions. Poor agreement between questionnaire responses and observations was found for child defecation and stool disposal practices (kappa statistic: 0.25 and 0.28, respectively). There was evidence of over-reporting of "good" behaviours (P < 0.0001). Repeated observations of child defecation and stool disposal behaviours showed better agreement (kappa statistic: 0.76 and 0.62, respectively) based on small sample sizes. These findings suggest that our questionnaire data are less valid than data obtained by direct observation. However, different approaches to questioning may be less prone to over-reporting of "good" behaviours than our approach. Further research into the validity of different forms of question is warranted. Behaviours and conditions related to hygiene vary. Observations may be useful in determining the frequency of different behaviours/conditions in the community. However, individual practices may be too variable to assign individuals to exposed and non-exposed groups for the purpose of identifying links with health outcomes. Further studies on the variability of behaviours and the repeatability of observations are therefore needed.