The effectiveness, acceptability and cost effectiveness of the 'BALatrine': a culturally acceptable latrine intervention in resource limited environments.

Our central thesis is that the "BALatrine" accompanied by community mobilisation and health promotion can prevent parasitic worm infections, thereby playing a pivotal role in the sustainable control and prevention of Soil-transmitted Helminths (STH) globally. The “BALatrine” is novel wet/dry latrine that uses simple, cheap local technology and the average cost has been identified at under AUD$20.00. The “BALatrine” uses well researched community engagement and empowerment approaches that are culturally appropriate and have proved highly effective in rural communities, leading to 100% uptake of household latrines, where formerly there was open defecation. Using a cluster-randomised controlled trial, we will test the hypothesis that: The “BALatrine” accompanied by community mobilisation and health promotion is a cost-effective intervention for the prevention of STH in resource poor communities in Indonesia.