After being informed about the annual outbreak and findings from the literature review, focus groups discussed two questions: “How do you think the bacteria are being transmitted to the small babies?” and “What could we do to prevent this transmission?” The women in the focus groups identified hygiene breaks, either during refrigeration or during the long hours of cleaning the chitterlings, as the likely method of transmission to children. Both interventions were evaluated in home cleaning and cooking trials, and in laboratory studies. Barriers to acceptance of the interventions were assessed via follow-up telephone interviews. It was this formative research that provided the key to identifying the.
