Inadequate drinking water supply, quality and poor sanitation are among the major causes of diarrheal diseases. Based on initial community diagnosis, majority of households in Barangay Batu lack access to clean and safe drinking water. This situation prompts an intervention to improve the methods of water disinfection in the area. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of an intervention of water disinfection promotion on the utilization rate of chlorination, solar disinfection and boiling as methods of water disinfection among residents of Batu. METHODS: This was an interventional study among the residents of Batu. A convenience sampling was employed to enroll selected households of Batu. House-to-house survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Intervention was in the form of water disinfection promotion on the utilization of three water disinfection methods – chlorination, solar disinfection and boiling. The intervention included health education to discuss the three common methods of water disinfection followed by a demonstration of each method. At the end of the health education and demonstration, all respondents of the study were given free PET-bottles and samples of sodium hypochlorite solution to be utilized during the one week trial phase of each method. A monitoring checklist was used during the first month after the intervention and two months after. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: There were 81 respondents included in the study. At the end of the study, results showed solar disinfection as the most utilized method of water disinfection with 25 or 41.5% of respondents, followed by boiling with 21 or 35% and chlorination coming in last with 14 or 23.3%. A change towards solar disinfection could be explained by the respondents viewing it as a simple, effective and sustainable approach that did not seem costly and palatable compared to boiling and chlorination. Boiling was regarded as the easiest method to perform with 28 or 47%, solar disinfection still maintained as the cheapest method to perform with 35 or 58.3%, boiling as the easiest method to teach others 37 or 61.7% and the least timing consuming method with 26 or 43.3%, and solar disinfection as the method most palatable or did not alter the taste of drinking water with 35 or 58.3%. CONCLUSION: The intervention was effective in improving the utilization rate of water disinfection methods. Solar disinfection was preferred by majority of the respondents because it was cheap and does not alter the taste of the water. Boiling is easy to perform and teach while chlorination is the least preferred method.

Keyword: water disinfection health teaching siay